Have you ever heard of rubber chicken? No, I’m not talking about a real rubber chicken that used to be all the rage among 80’s comics. Nor am I talking about a badly prepared chicken dish, like the one you might get from the hospital cafeteria. No, having a rubber chicken means stretching out one little chicken to make several meals. In other words, stretch out that chicken until there is nothing left that you can get from it. There are a couple of ways to do it, but this is how my family generally stretches a chicken to get the most for out money.
Many people buy a whole chicken and get one or two meals out of it. But, using the rubber chicken method, you can easily get at least six meals from on little chicken.
First, I wait until oven roasters are buy one get one free. Then I stock up, putting all but one bird in the freezer. I buy the largest roasters I can find. There is usually a higher breast meat to bone ratio on the larger birds. Then using that one bird, I can make several meals. Sometimes we have the meals in a row, but most of the time, I freeze the meals to consume later.
Meals 1 and 2: I oven roast the chicken with my favorite seasonings and veggies. For me, that is salt, rosemary, onions, carrots and lots of butter. The breasts of the chicken, along with the roasted veggies, yield at least two dinners for my family of five.
Meal 3: The legs and wings of the chicken yield another meal for my family.
Meal 4: I pick the bird as clean as can be and use the pickings to make a yummy chicken salad.You could use the leftovers to make chicken fajitas, chicken pot pie, etc.
Meal 5 and 6: The bones of the bird simmer in a stock pot all day, making a yummy broth that freezes well. The chicken stock can be used to make at least two meals when paired with an inexpensive salad and some homemade bread. Add veggies, noodles and or rice for the soup.
What is your favorite way to have a “rubber chicken?”
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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