BOGO Meals: Roast Chicken and Minestrone Soup

One of the best ways to save money and get the most out of your food is to be able to make two meals from one. An easy way to do this is with chicken! Chicken is one of the most versatile meats and if you buy a cut with the bone in, it's even more versatile!

The first dish is a simple: Roast Chicken with Vegetables.
2 chicken legs with thigh meat, bone and skin still attached
1-2 potatoes
1 carrot
1/2 onion.
1 clove garlic
2tbs olive oil
sprig of fresh thyme and rosemary if you have it (makes a huge difference)
salt and pepper for seasoning

Cut the vegetables into rounds like hockey pucks.
Lay them on the bottom of your baking tray.
Place the chicken on top.
Mince the garlic and slide it under the skin of the chicken.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and herbs.
Drizzle the olive oil and rub the chicken and all the vegetables, WELL! However, make sure the chicken is still laying on the bed of veggies.
Don't use too much oil because the chicken will exude oil when cooked for the veggies.
Bake at 350 for 20-30mins.
Let rest for 10 mins before serving or all the yummie juices will pour out when you cut into it.

Dish two: Minestrone Soup w/ chicken stock
Chicken bones
1 carrot
1 onion
1/2 bell pepper or bunch of string beans
1/2 cup kidney or white beans
1/3 pasta
1 tomato
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic

Basic Stock:
Save the bones, fat, and skin from the meal.
Boil in a pot with peppercorns, half a carrot, half an onion, a clove of garlic, and a bay leaf.
Strain and you have stock! You can freeze it for later or use it for soup the same day.

Soup
Now, saute another clove of garlic with the remaining onions, carrots, and peppers or string beans in some of the chicken fat on med-low heat.
Once it starts to smell good, add the stock and bay leaf.
Grate the tomato into the soup. Chop the skin and toss it in.
Add the beans and pasta after 10 minutes.
Let cook for another 20.
Turn the heat off and let it sit, allowing the soup to cool and flavors to congeal.
(If you like it hot, because some like it hot, throw in a small chili into the pot!)
There you have it, two meals for the price of one!