Buying cuts of chicken is easier, but it isn’t as cost effective as buying a whole chicken. I asked the SavEars how they stretch the whole chicken in 2-3 meals for their family. Here are their ideas:
I used to buy whole chickens, cut them up. Put the backs and wings in a freezer bag and freeze until I had enough for chicken soup. – Bonnie
You can butcher it in to sections like breasts and thighs/legs and wings. Or you can cook it, shred up the meat and divvy that up in to meals like chicken pot pie. Casseroles are a good way to stretch meats. – Tanya
Remove breasts and cook and use for a meal. Chicken salad, casserole, pot pie, etc.
Save carcass, wings, thighs and use for chicken noodle soup, chicken n dumplings, etc. – Jessica
I roast in crockpot or oven. First meal is roast chicken. Leftovers then become pot pie, soup, and chicken Caesar salad. I always try and get the largest one that will fit in my crockpot. – Shannon
Depends on how big a family, but butcher it and use breasts for one meal, use the thighs for chicken pot pie or cacciatore, and freeze the wings and legs until you have enough to do bbq legs/wings. Then use the carcass for soup/stock. – Rebecca
You can simmer it in water until done, then remove the meat from the bones. Make a pot of chicken stew using some of the broth left from boiling the chicken, a can of evaporated milk, a little butter, salt and pepper. Add back in some of the meat. Can add veggies if you like as well.
Depending on how much broth you have, could also make chicken and rice. I keep bags of yellow rice on hand so just follow package directions as to how much liquid. When it’s done stir in a can of either cream of chicken or mushroom soup and some of the leftover chicken meat and heat through. Can also make chicken salad with any leftover meat. – Janice
Roast it with vegetables and potatoes and have that for one night. Then leftovers can be used in tacos, quesadillas, pasta (tossed with chicken and any leftover veggies), bbq chicken wraps, chicken salad – Jennifer
Shred it all that way it stretches further and you can make many different dishes with shredded chicken – Claudia
Cook the whole thing with water and vegetables. Take half to make a chicken soup or chili (you can add filling veggies and beans to bulk it up) and the rest in a casserole or chicken taco bowls (you can bulk it up with beans, rice and veggies as well). – Rachel Abbey
I like to cook it, strip it fully. Put the bones in the crockpot wiht all my veggie scraps, water, parsley.
Dinner 1 would be chicken tacos. Id take 1/3 of the meet and mix with beans (lots of beans) and season for taco meat. Id make tacos (tortilla, rice, meat mixure, salsa or fresh tomato (depending on if i had salsa or tomatoes on hand or what I could get cheaper), lettuce, some cheese).
Dinner 2 & 3 Would be chicken soup. Id make a big vat with teh left over chicken, homemade broth, and veggies. Id cook just a litte rice and egg noodles but resve them.
Dinner 2 would be chicken noodle soup, adding the noodles and a little butter to each bowl as you serve.
Dinner 3 would be chicken and rice soup. same as above but use rice. Id probably make sure I had sourough and butter in teh house for htose two nights.
(You dont get the overcooked soggy pasta/rice issue that sometimes happens with home made soup plus you get to “switch it up”) – April
Roast it and serve that, then stew the carcass for broth. Drain the broth and pick the rest of the meat and either use in the soup (two meals total) or in a casserole or chicken tacos (mix with black beans and corn to bulk it up) and make a vegetable soup with the broth. – Ashley
First meal chicken in the crockpot with potatoes and carrots. Then enough for a pot pie. Then the stuff I won’t put in a pot pie…chicken and potatoes, carrots, onions, celery in a soup with rolls and maybe a pie. – Eryn
Meal 1, roast or rotisserie; Meal 2, bow tie pasta, a small jar of pesto, sliced roasted red peppers and chopped chicken leftovers, toss together top with Parmesan; meal 3, bones become broth and then some sort of soup. – MaryAnne
I made 2 in the crock pot this past weekend. Used them for enchiladas; then chicken salad; then chicken dumpling soup. I will still have a little left to put over salads. There are so many ways to use them. – Carol
Meal 1: roast chicken
Meal 2: chicken noodle soup
Meal 3: chicken and dumplings
You can also use the carcass after you roast the chicken for Meal 1 to make chicken stock to use for meals 2 and 3 – Sarah
1. Roast, 2. Tacos/quesildias/sandwich. 3. Soup/rissoto/pasta – Ashley
I cook it the crockpot. First meal is roasted chicken with sides. I boil the bones and use leftover meat for chicken n dumplings. I Save the legs to make chicken fried rice. Family of 6. – Sharon
I cook it in a baking bag with rice… just add rice and water twice the amount of rice spices… I use broth as well as water.. usually it is a mesl.plus leftovers and then it all the meat isn’t off the bones I will make a soup – Darlene
Shred and add black beans and corn. Burritos, nachos, taco soup…all viable with that combo. – Kimberly
