If you‘re responsible for providing food for your home dining table, you have three levels of work to consider. The easiest level is ordering or bringing home takeout food prepared elsewhere; the next level is homemade food from scratch; and the middle level is semi-homemade.
Rotisserie Chickens
The best example of this practice is demonstrated by the millions of rotisserie chickens sold each year in this country. Costco alone sold 157.4 million rotisserie chickens at $4.99 in 2025.
In an interview with The New York Times, reported, “For consumers, the draw of a whole rotisserie chicken has long been that it’s ‘a cost-efficient meal,’ said Johnny Novokmet, 29, who rates and reviews grocery-store and fast-casual rotisserie chickens on social media. A rotisserie chicken with a side of rice, he said, can be as low as $10 and stretch across multiple meals.”
We’re rotisserie chicken fans, but we seldom serve it on the bone. Hand stripping the meat is easier when it’s warm. Often we make chicken stock from the bones, skin, and stray bits.
Depending on how we plan to use the meat, Penny often leaves the white meat in whole pieces because it slices better when it’s cold. The dark meat is reduced into bite-sized bits that are perfect for salads, tacos, or as a protein addition to many other meals.
A favorite semi-homemade meal is a curried chicken salad that includes chopped apple, celery, scallions, fennel, shredded carrots, chicken chunks, and a big handful of raisins. We dress it with olive oil, vinegar, curry powder, and Aleppo pepper.
More Choices These Days
Another favorite salad is G?i Gá, a crunchy Vietnamese chicken salad. It consists of shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, red onion, herbs, and n??c ch?m as a dressing. You top it with fried shallots and chopped peanuts.
Once, this took a lot of preparation. It would begin by slicing and frying shallots to crispy perfection. Today you can buy a perfectly good version for toppings or snacking. Next, you would poach the chicken unless you already have a deboned rotisserie chicken on hand. Finally, shred the cabbage and carrots, then chop the herbs and onion. Whatever shortcuts you use, mix the n??c ch?m yourself and let it sit for a few minutes to meld.
What to Make and What to Buy
We all have factors that influence whether we buy or make a dish. You may love homemade pizza but hate making the dough. You can purchase pizza dough in many places today.
You may feel that cooking certain foods creates too much mess or odor in your kitchen, and opt to add something like salmon to your meal, using a cooked takeout piece or a canned version from your pantry.
Today, more high-quality foods are available in cans, and in many cases they are prepared in a variety of flavors, making them the centerpiece of your meal when served over rice or grains with a side salad.
The next time you’re trying to decide what’s for dinner and the idea of making a big mess or doing a lot of cleanup is pushing you away from your choices, think about which part of the meal you can easily delegate by visiting a store, restaurant, or your own pantry.
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