Meryl Streep's Favorite Julia Child Recipe Is Perfect For Meal Prepping

Meryl Streep has been nominated for 21 acting Oscars, a feat of LeBron-esque dominance that will almost certainly never be equalled. Her sixteenth such nomination was for her performance in "Julie & Julia," a frothy dramedy where the life story of Julia Child, played by Streep, plays out opposite the story of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a blogger who chronicles her efforts to cook her way through Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Streep went to some lengths to capture the cheerful, warbling essence of the French Chef, including wearing platform shoes to reach the heights of the 6'2" Child. (Streep herself is 5'6".) But according to an article Streep wrote for "Glamour" magazine alongside Adams and the film's director, the late Nora Ephron, the part of Child that lingered the longest was her tarragon chicken recipe. Tarragon, the herb used to season bearnaise sauce, is also brilliant on chicken, and Child uses it well — though don't expect to see any cilantro in her recipes, as she loathed the herb.

Streep stresses that she is hardly a natural cook, noting that "as with video gaming or hard-core [sic] rap, I have no natural affinity." (This implies that Streep has some experience with video games and hardcore rap, a prospect which, frankly, delights us.) But she took to Child's kitchen philosophy — no apologies, no excuses — and, with the tarragon chicken recipe, showed us "how to make a roast chicken last a workweek." It's so useful that we're inclined to forgive her for "The Iron Lady."

The first dinner of this workweek is the roast tarragon chicken itself. Although Child's recipes are sometimes considered too involved and elaborate for modern chefs, this recipe is more than manageable for most home cooks. One note, however: Although Streep recommends that you follow Child's guidance and rinse the chicken inside and out (as it "makes the browning process very satisfying," you probably shouldn't do that, as it only increases the risk of food-borne illness through cross-contamination.

When she's done with the first night, Streep strips the meat off the bones and uses them as the basis of a chicken broth or stock, and on night two, she uses some of the remaining meat to make a tarragon chicken salad — two classic ways to utilize leftover poultry, as anyone who's worked their way through a rotisserie chicken will tell you. Dinner on nights three and four is mushroom risotto made with some of the chicken broth and a curry made with dark meat from the chicken, respectively. Finally, on the fifth night, Streep makes a soup with the last of the broth, throwing in just about everything she has in the fridge. It's the kind of resourcefulness and creativity that would make Julia Child proud.