Friday, September 19, 2008

Store Bought Roasted Chicken VS Roast your own Plus 3 Meal Ideas


I hear a lot from friends how buying whole roasted chickens for around $5 can be stretched for 2-3 meals. This is totally true but I wanted to give you a different option. Keep an eye out for whole chickens in your meat section on sale. I will buy only if its around $1 sale.

So here are three dinner idea's out of your 1 chicken.

1. Thaw out, and bake according to directions. When done, there is enough white meat for the 6 of us. My kids aren't big eaters so it goes a long way with us. Otherwise you can shred the chicken and use it in a gravy over potatoes or even have fajitas.

2. Pull the left over white and dark meat off and use in pasta, or even salad's. You can just put it in a bag and freeze it or use it the next day.

3. Put bones in a big pot with a lot of water and boil. I throw in celery and onions for extra flavor. I prefer not to put in the chicken skin, it will break down and you will have to skim the fat off later. Once boiled for about 20-30 minutes, let cool. You can put in freezer containers for later use at this point but I prefer to put the pot in the fridge and take out later. The fat will harden at the top and you can easily take it out. This way its 99% fat free. You can use this broth for soups, gravy, and even rice dishes. You won't miss lack of meat with all that flavor promise!

You can get many many meals out of this.
There you go, 3 ways to use your oven roasted chicken. I hope Ive inspired you.

Money Break Down

Store bought-usually $5-$6 each and usually around 3 lbs
Roast your own-$4 or so
Small savings but well worth it

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