A few years ago, I made the transition from buying chicken breasts only to buying the whole chicken instead. I think I was daunted by the idea of cutting it up and disposing of the carcass. Then I read a magazine article that demystified the prospect of cooking a whole chicken for me, and I decided to give it a try. Since then, I am hooked. And because I’ve started paying more attention to where my food comes from and how it is raised and prepared, I’ve begun to buy my chicken from a local grower. This way I know that my chicken is farm-raised, fed a natural diet, and free of growth hormones. There are so many benefits to buying the whole chicken. Here are a few benefits that have become important to me.
- Quantity – My family of 5 can now put away quite a lot of food. We need a large enough portion so that we can fill our bellies with wholesome food.
- Price – You might pay $15 for an organic, farm-raised chicken, but that is still a much better price then buying chicken already cut up.
- Servings – We can stretch a chicken into 3 separate meals.
- Variety – Choose your method: boiling (my favorite because I like my first meal to be a chicken soup with dumplings), roasting, or grilling.
- Ease – To cook a chicken, you simply wash the chicken, place it in a pot or roasting pan, season it, add the right amount of water (more if boiling, less if roasting), and let it cook for a couple of hours. I love adding fresh-cut vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips, onions, and/or garlic. You have to cut the meat off of the bone, but it is so worth it!
- Broth – Tired of feeding your family high-sodium chicken broth? You’ve got free broth here just by boiling the carcass in water after you’ve picked it clean. Toss in some seasoning and veggies for more flavorful broth.
- Leftovers – Take the leftover meat and put it into serving-size, freezable glass containers for future meals. Build Chicken and Couscous or Chicken Jambalaya or Fajitas into next week’s menu plan. Voila!
What is your favorite way to cook a whole chicken? What is your favorite recipe with the leftovers?
View Comments (3)
I do this all the time and then can the broth for use later. It's so nice to have fresh broth for cooking noodles on cold days when we're running late!
I second the crock pot idea. The meat falls off the bone and is great in everything from chicken salad to soups and casseroles... it is a great trick. I simply do a rub under the skin before I drop it in the crock pot with some water... and it is a favorite at my house!
First of all, I love that dutch oven pictured.
You can also cook a whole chicken in the crockpot if you plan to be too busy to attend it. (Not that cooking a chicken requires a lot of attention, but I don't like leaving the stove on when I run errands.)
We like chicken soup and (before we went low-carb) homemade chicken croquettes.