One Chicken; Four Meals

I roast a chicken once a week; it has been the tradition for the past few months.   I have found a way to stretch one six pound bird to feed my family more than four meals.  Each weekend (Saturday or Sunday for dinner) we have the brined and roasted chicken, usually most of the dark meat, wings and half of the skin (the crispy half) with a couple vegetable sides. After dinner, I take the remaining meat from the bones and refrigerate to use for dinner in a couple days. I collect all the skin in a small bowl to fry up for a snack in the next couple days, we call them “chicken chips” and they are delicious.  I just lay out all the skin in a fry pan and turn up the heat, like bacon, it has its own fat that crisps and browns it.  Since the chicken was brined, it doesn't need salt. I even save the chicken fat left in the pan to cook eggs in for breakfast.

The bones go in a crockpot with a gallon of water, any extra parts that came with the chicken, bay leaves, ginger, onions, celery, herbs, peppercorns and vinegar to make a wonderful rich stock.  This stock is later used to make a nice chicken soup like my progressive soup or chicken chili and some for drinking plain.  When I strain the stock, 24 hours later, I let the bones cool slightly and pull off all the little shreds in the nooks and crannies that I missed the first time.  This meat will be super tender and in small pieces.  I also break up the organs and mix them into this boiled chicken.  I use this meat with sautéed onions, peppers and navy beans (cooked in stock) seasoned with my favorite taco spices for yummy taco salads.

I do a second batch of stock with the same bones.  This time I put them in the crock pot with a gallon of water and vinegar and cook on low for 24 hours.  I add the veggies, herbs and spices and cook for another 12 to 24 hours.  This stock is less rich in flavor, but it is still rich in minerals.  By midweek, this stock is ready to make a big pot of carrot soup, which in efforts to get more stock into my kids, has become a breakfast time routine.

The chicken meat that is still in my fridge is used cold on a salad for lunch early in the week. I make a large batch of soup, chicken curry, enchiladas, chicken pot pie or another chicken creation, which we eat for dinner midweek.  Usually, there is enough to freeze or eat as leftovers the next night.  If it won’t stretch for two full meals, I divide it up for the kids to take for lunch.

The most nutrient dense parts of animals are the ones that typically go to waste in modern American culture. I buy free range birds and can easily justify the cost when I am making use of every last bit!