I’m always looking for the best deals when it comes to feeding my family. We like to eat, and we like to eat well, and that starts to add up. Cooking is a much more cost effective alternative to take out and fast food. Plus, you get to control the ingredients and make yummy meals that your family will enjoy. I try to cook 3 meals a day at least 6 days a week and am always looking for ways to maximize our groceries and get more bang for our buck! One of my favorite ways to save money and make delicious, healthy meals is to buy a whole chicken instead of chicken breasts and make chicken recipes from that. Whole chickens are cheaper than breasts, legs or thighs and give you multiple meals to make. This post will share with you how to make a whole chicken into 3 meals your family is sure to love!
I try to get a pretty good sized organic chicken since I know the meat will get used up. The size of the chicken will depend on how many you are serving and how many meals you want to get out of it!
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Organic Pasture Raised Chicken
- Fresh Herbs (I use Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Oregano, really almost any herb will do!)
- 1/2 Lemon halved
- 1/2 White Onion quartered
- Grass-Fed Butter
- White Wine
- Garlic cloves 5-6
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (where to buy)
- Fresh Ground Pepper
- Ground Paprika
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Season inside of chicken cavity with salt & pepper. Fill up cavity with onions, garlic and herbs. Squeeze lemon juice all over the chicken and add lemon rinds to inside of cavity. Place some roughly chopped garlic and herbs under skin on breast. Drizzle a bit of white wine over chicken, sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on skin and add a few pats of butter to skin and place in oven. Let chicken cook for about an hour and a half. Turn up the oven to 350 degrees, and take chicken out of the oven. Add a bit more white wine and a few more pats of butter and place back in oven for another hour or until chicken is cooked thoroughly
Chicken Enchiladas Verde
- Leftover Chicken removed from carcass
- Chopped Red Onions
- Chopped Bell Peppers
- Chopped Garlic
- Chopped Cilantro
- Greek Yogurt or Cream Cheese
- Salt & Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Paprika
- Lime
- Organic Corn Tortillas
- Enchilada Verde Sauce (My Recipe Here) or Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce (My Recipe Here)
Remove most of the meat from leftover roasted chicken carcass. Save carcass and any leftover meat for another meal or broth. Chop red onions, garlic, bell peppers and cilantro and add seasoning. Mix with Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream and some lime juice. Add a bit of salsa verde to bottom of a pyrex and stuff corn tortillas and lay in a dish, or you can layer to make an enchilada casserole.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Leftover chicken carcass
- Filtered water
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Chopped Garlic
- Corn
- Pinto Beans
- Chopped Cilantro
- Lime Juice
- Organic Corn Tortillas
- Salt & Pepper
- Ground Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Cayenne Pepper
Options:
- Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt
- Cheese
- Avocado
In a large stockpot add chicken carcass and cover with fresh, filtered water. Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and let it sit for an hour. Turn stove on and bring water to a boil, then turn down to simmer. You can simmer for 4-24 hours. The longer the broth simmers, the more nutrients and minerals it will contain. With tongs carefully remove all bones and cartilage and discard. Add all other ingredients except for tortillas and cook for another hour. Cut tortillas into strips and fry up to add as a garnish. Serve with yummy extras such as sour cream/Greek yogurt, cheese or avocado.
What are your favorite chicken recipes? We would love for you to share!
