whole chickens

**rachelMcK** · 06-03-2008, 11:37 AM

Would it be cheaper to roast a whole chicken and then freeze the leftovers rather than buying your chicken pieces seperate?

**FrugalMomof3** · 06-03-2008, 11:39 AM

I have found here in NE PA that buying whole chickens are much cheaper, store brand ones are like $4-$5 you can roast the whole chicken then use the leftovers for a variety of different meals... I usually buy the family pack of legs but am finding it's not worth it anymore.

**rachelMcK** · 06-03-2008, 11:45 AM

Ok, I'm gonna have to check out the prices here, though I checked out the flyers this week and whole chickens arent on sale anywhere. I'm just finding that my picky habit of eating just chicken breast is costing me dearly...lol

**Darlene** · 06-03-2008, 11:51 AM

Depends on price per lb of each.

Usually cutting up your own chicken is cheaper though. Takes a little time but once you've done it a few times you are a pro. I can sometimes get a whole chicken for .49/lb and legs & thighs are .99/lb so it's definitely better for me to buy the whole chick.

**mom2matty** · 06-03-2008, 11:56 AM

Whole chickens aren't on sale here very often so when I do find them for 49 or 59 cents/lb and get what I can. I think whole chickens are cheaper than buying the individual pieces!

**dcompton** · 06-03-2008, 01:24 PM

I would agree that it depends on the price per pound, and remember to take into account how much bone is in various pieces. This week one of the stores here has had chicken breast, with the rib bones, for less than whole chickens, though admittedly that doesn't happen often. Still on a good sale, at least here, sometimes the price difference is not much, and the breast is almost all meat, very little bone.

**rachelMcK** · 06-05-2008, 12:52 PM

What I'm planning on doing is having roast chicken on sundays, then tearing apart whatevers left, using the leftover chicken in say, stirfries or quesadillas etc. then using the carcass for soup broth....i'm hoping that will work out

**ClairS** · 06-05-2008, 01:21 PM

I think you have the right idea. Start off with a whole chicken, that is usually much cheaper per pound (even with the bones), and then strip that baby clean and use every piece.

We use our freezers to stock up a bit when there is a good price at the store. Our dog is a raw food eater, so nothing on a chicken is wasted.

Another trick is to eat more like they do in Thailand. They eat about 90% vegetables and use about 10% meat to add flavor, interest and nutrition.

Just think how long a whole chicken will last if you center the meal around something other than the meat? This is opposite of the American tradition, but I find a nice salad topped with some meat is very satisfying.

**freyadog** · 06-05-2008, 08:30 PM

I have always found it cheaper to buy the whole chicken and seperate it into meals than buy individual pieces.

**nandmsmom** · 06-06-2008, 07:50 AM

I buy whole chickens and cut them up myself. It really isn't very hard at all. You could probably see a video of how to do it on the food network site. Sometimes I just cut the backbone out, flatten the chicken and throw it on the grill like that. It's almost always cheaper.

**tigo** · 06-06-2008, 08:01 AM

It depends on price per pound. For us we usually bake the whole chicken. Any leftover pieces (usually only the wings) go in the fridge for someone to eat as a snack or catch-as-you-can meal. The remaining bones (not the ones that were on anyone's plate) go into a large freezer bag to boil down. The meat that comes off is used to make chicken and rice or chicken noodle soup and the broth is kept to cook with. For us we get more meals using the whole chicken.