Making rotisserie chicken stretch on a shoestring budget + recipe

I am somewhere in the middle of my culinary journey. Gone are the days of being ok with living off Ramen and peanut butter sandwiches, but I lack the funds to cook full meals all week.

Enter the $5, fully cooked whole rotisserie chicken. I don't know why I have been paying the same amount for a few chicken breasts that I would still have to take the time to cook. What was I thinking? I shredded that bad boy up and had two meals of chicken with broccoli and rice, added chipotle mayo and pecans for chicken salad and also made the best pasta salad. Since it is sans mayo, it is perfect for picnics and bbqs.

I found the recipe on Pinterest and you can view the original here.

Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
1 Shallot, chopped
1/ 2 clove Garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Lots of fresh ground black pepper to taste

Puree the ingredients together in a small processor or blender. Set aside.

Tomato Zucchini Pasta1 pound riccioli shaped pasta, or any favorite shape
2 medium sized zucchini, or 1 large thinly sliced into half moons
1 cup chopped scallions
3-4 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 recipe Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the pasta according to the package directions in heavily salted water. Drain and rinse in cold water.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette.

3. Toss the pasta together in a large bowl with the dressing and the rest of the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator until chilled.

I cut the pasta recipe in half, but used the whole dressing recipe. Also, I used red wine vinegar because my grocery store was severely lacking in their vinegar selection and I thought it was the closest thing to sherry vinegar. It still tasted good, and is perfect to make if you have a cold because smelling the vinegar will immediately open your sinuses up. 

Enjoy!