The truth about chicken... - Page 2

michellect · 05-09-2008, 11:17 PM

Personally, I have found boneless/skinless chicken breasts to be a better buy for us. DH prefers them, first of all. Secondly, I can get them as inexpensively as $1.79 a pound, so I stock up on as many packages as I can at that price. Third, as a child I lived on a farm, so I had to help butcher chickens. It is probably the grossest, most nauseating experience I've had at any time in my life and I equate whole chickens with that. Dealing with whole chickens brings up the most unpleasant sensory memories I have, so it's worth it to me to buy the breasts already de-boned and skinned.

queenboxtop · 05-09-2008, 11:35 PM

I am a fan of the boneless skinless breasts unless I am needing chicken broth. Then I need the bones to make the broth better.

LawDawg · 05-09-2008, 11:53 PM

I buy the boneless skinless breasts when they are on sale and stock up (never paying more that $2 a pound) I don't care for the dark chicken meat, or skin so I always thought the whole chicken was a waste for me. I never imagined it wasn't that much cheaper. Like you I thought their had to be a big savings otherwise why buy it??

Our grocery will do the skinless chicken breasts (with bones) for 99 cents a pound and I think that is the best deal. I think its the skin that weighs so much.

barbc · 05-10-2008, 07:50 AM

You do get that broth from the whole chicken. Chicken breasts make lousy broth. So it depends on what you want to do with the chicken, if I want a quick meal I will use breasts. If I have a bit more time I will cook and debone.

Barb C

jabberwockygal · 05-10-2008, 08:13 AM

I'm a fan of the "Rubber Chicken" method for my family of 4.
I roast the chicken on day 1. I use the little odds & ends pieces on day 2 to make wraps or salads. On day 3 I use the stock (from the bones, gizzards, you name it) and make noodles or rice. So, for a few bucks, I pick up enough protein to make at least 3 meals.
And to be honest, it is soooo easy--Think about it, the reason our grandmas always made roast meat on Sunday is that it just makes itself!

Here are a couple tips for making the whole chicken ultra-easy.
1. Just shove whole veggies (an onion, a carrot, and celery) in the cavity to roast. No effort, lots of flavor.
2. When you pick the bones, put family to work if you can. The carcass is cold, so let your little ones help. It's a good way to get them helping with a healthy meal, and since there is no heat at this stage, it's safe.
3. Boiling the bones can wait if you want. They keep in the freezer just like anything else.

One more thought as I babble...It is so much more green to get the tiny little shrink wrapped chicken and use it all. Less plastic waste and less energy is applied to processing.

LuvMySoldier · 05-10-2008, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jabberwockygal

I'm a fan of the "Rubber Chicken" method for my family of 4.
I roast the chicken on day 1. I use the little odds & ends pieces on day 2 to make wraps or salads. On day 3 I use the stock (from the bones, gizzards, you name it) and make noodles or rice. So, for a few bucks, I pick up enough protein to make at least 3 meals.
And to be honest, it is soooo easy--Think about it, the reason our grandmas always made roast meat on Sunday is that it just makes itself!

Here are a couple tips for making the whole chicken ultra-easy.
1. Just shove whole veggies (an onion, a carrot, and celery) in the cavity to roast. No effort, lots of flavor.
2. When you pick the bones, put family to work if you can. The carcass is cold, so let your little ones help. It's a good way to get them helping with a healthy meal, and since there is no heat at this stage, it's safe.
3. Boiling the bones can wait if you want. They keep in the freezer just like anything else.

One more thought as I babble...It is so much more green to get the tiny little shrink wrapped chicken and use it all. Less plastic waste and less energy is applied to processing.

Thank you for your tips and advice, Jabberwocky! Everything you said really made me think!

First of all, I didn't know I could freeze chix bones. If I'm roasting a whole chicken, by the time I'm done with dinner, the last thing I want to do is stand over a stock pot - just to take advantage of an opportunity to make broth. Next time I'll just throw it in the freezer and do that later. Thank you!

And the "Grandma's roast meat on Sunday" (because it's easy) is soooo true!!
I never thought of it that way. I think I'll start doing this myself!

Thanks for posting, OP! I learned alot from this thread!

jabberwockygal · 05-10-2008, 10:04 AM

Well, thanks for the warm fuzzies!

I sometimes will wait until I have a few left-over chickens in the freezer and just do one big pot. It takes no more time really (especially if i just do it all day in my big crock pot). ...Yes, I am profoundly lazy...er, efficient.

Happy Mom's day!

LuvMySoldier · 05-10-2008, 11:10 AM

That's a great idea too, Jabberwocky - just throwing them into a crock. I don't know if mine is big enough for more than two carcasses, though, but I have a hu-mon-gus stock pot that I could fit probably 6 or 8 of them in. I'll have to try this sometime!!

Thanks again!! And Happy Mom's Day to you too!!

mbell0817 · 05-10-2008, 04:54 PM

Good to know - thanks for posting!

If anyone has a kroger nearby, they recently had a great deal on whole chickens for ~0.50-0.59 a lb. I make my own broth with it, and we prefer both dark and breast meat together (we think breasts alone are too dry). So, it's worth buying 6-7 of them and tossing them in the freezer. I also like buying boneless skinless thighs.

I agree though - sometimes stores around here will sell breasts for $1.79/lb - you can't beat that!

mariliyah · 05-10-2008, 09:41 PM

This may sound nuts, but how do you make chicken broth?