Maybe things will revert back to the time when we could buy in quantities that made sense for 2 people, or maybe 4, but in the meantime…
I started buying whole chickens and cut them up (click here to learn how) into three portions. Chicken thighs and legs, chicken breasts and soup bits.
Mostly, the chickens are rather small, we are only two. I found that I could easily get 3 meals out of one chicken. The draw back for me, initially, was that chicken legs and thighs don’t freeze well, I don’t like the way the bones look after freezing. The answer, if you are cooking for two, is to make a dish that uses the chicken legs and thighs first. Here’s a partial list of dishes that you could make, and there are more, just search the recipe page:
Sheet Pan Roasted Tarragon Chicken
Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce
Chicken breasts seem to fare a lot better if frozen, so this is a better bet for the second portion to cook, and there are millions of recipes for chicken breast, here are a few but search for more from the recipe page.
Golden Pan Seared Rosemary Chicken
Tarragon Chicken with White Wine Tomato Sauce
Do not throw away the wings, back and any other bones and bits that are left over. I make stock out of these bits. These off-cuts can be frozen, and when you are ready to use them, just defrost in your microwave and then make into stock. Strain and reserve the stock and use for just about any recipe which calls for chicken stock as a base. I made lemon rice soup, which was fabulous and just right for a cool rainy day. I’ll include the recipes for both the next time I’m down to the third portion of my whole chicken.
One last point, if your start with a whole chicken, you know what you’re buying, and that has to be a good thing.
