One of the most economical sources of protein for your family is chicken. While most meats will run you $2.50 per pound or more you can readily find chicken for less than $2.00 per pound. We are always on the lookout for deals at our local supermarket, especially when it comes to buying meat.
We buy all our chicken breast in family size packs, and whole chickens we try to catch on sale and not pay more than $4.00 to $4.50 per bird.
Our time with our families is valuable, and anything you can do to save a little time the better. Just like Tiffany from Eat at Home talks about in her Feast in 15 eBook, cooking the meat ahead and freezing it is a real time saver.
If you don’t already own a covered roasting pan go invest in one. Not only will it help you here but down the road you’ll find uses for it you have never thought of. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you’ll need it for the family turkey or ham.
While you’re buying that whole chicken on sale, go ahead and buy 2, you’ll save time by cooking two at once. It really doesn’t take any longer to cook two birds than one and once you’ve cooked them you have meat for 3-4 meals all ready to use.
On a recent trip to Walmart, we spotted these beauties on sale for $3.70 each. I’d say $7.40 to pay for meat that will make 3 or 4 meals is pretty good.
Roasting Chicken Instructions:
- Remove chicken from package, wash and remove the neck, giblets, or any inside pieces {be sure to wash the inside too}
- Roll balls of foil and place in the bottom of the pan {you can also use a wire rack if you have one}
- Rub chicken with oil
- Sprinkle with Seasoning Salt, Oregano, Parsley, Basil or any other seasonings you like
- Add 1 large onion {cleaned and cut} to the pan
- Add 6-8 bouillon cubes to the pan
- Cover and roast on 300 degrees for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until chicken is about 180 degrees, golden brown and juicy
- Be sure to save the bones to make your own chicken stock.
Roasting Chicken Meal Ideas:
- After the chicken is cooled, you can slice and place in freezer bags. Be sure to label the bags
- Chicken Sandwiches are perfect this time of year. We love these Grilled Italian Chicken Sandwiches.
- A salad is always a great choice too. Add some chicken to the top of any salad to make a meal, we like this Chinese Chicken Salad.
- Menu planning is another great way to save time and money. If you plan the whole month, you will know exactly how many times you will be serving chicken and can grab it when it’s on sale.
- Be watching tomorrow for a Quick & Easy BBQ Chicken Salad with ONLY 3 ingredients
- Don’t want to heat your oven up? Watch for our Beer Can Chicken on the grill coming soon too!
What are your favorite tips for saving money on meat? Share with us!
I’m sharing this over at…Works for Me Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday
5 Comments
I love having roasted chicken in the freezer to use for recipes. I usually cook 2 at a time and we have dinner and still have enough to go in the freezer.
I love using leftover chicken in recipes such as enchiladas… never thought of making two at once though- great idea!
Visiting from WFMW 🙂
Oh….i’d say that works for me too! I’ve got a few birds that I picked up for 59 cents a lb stuffed in the freezer … thinking I should pull them out and do this! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t normally cook whole chicken because we usually only eat the white meat. I’m thinking that if it is shredded and added to a casserole or a pasta dish the dark meat would be noticeable.
To save on meat, I try to buy about 4 pounds at a time when it’s a good buy. We also don’t eat meat as often as we once did which helps. 🙂