My cousin told me to buy a whole chicken instead of parts and I thought he was nuts

He said it in my kitchen last month, and I finally tried it at the store near my place. I got a whole bird for $8 and got three meals out of it, which is way cheaper than buying the same amount in pieces. What's your best tip for stretching a whole chicken?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_rodriguez664d ago

Honestly, buying it whole is the only way to go. The real trick is making stock with the carcass after you pull the meat off. Just simmer those bones with some old veggies for a few hours. That free stock is the best part, turns into soup or rice for another meal. What do you usually make first with the chicken meat?

averywright4d ago

Free stock" is the part that gets me. Nothing about that process is free. You're paying with your time and the energy to run the stove for hours. For a lot of people, that time is worth more than the three bucks for a box of broth. And honestly, dealing with a whole chicken, pulling all the meat, then babysitting a pot? That's a whole project night. I just want to get dinner done. Give me a pack of thighs or breasts any day, cook what I need, and be done with it. The whole bird thing feels like a chore dressed up as a life hack.