Guy at the farmer's market showed me how to stretch a single chicken into 4 meals

I was buying a whole chicken from a vendor in Portland last Saturday and the old guy next to me just started talking. He told me he buys one chicken a week and makes stock from the bones, then uses the meat in tacos, soup, sandwiches, and salads. Said he spends like $7 total instead of $40 on pre-cut stuff. I always tossed the carcass before but he showed me his trick of simmering it with onion peels and carrot ends. Have any of you figured out how many meals you can actually get from one bird?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.diana2mo ago

The part nobody talks about is using the bones to make bone broth and then saving the fat for roasting potatoes. My grandma used to skim the chicken fat off the stock, keep it in a jar, and use it instead of oil for vegetables all week. One chicken gave her five meals counting the drippings she'd spread on bread like butter. It's not just about stretching the meat, it's about not letting a single drop of that flavor go to waste.

jakeb252mo ago

That reminds me of my uncle who used to save the grease from bacon in a coffee can on the stove... he'd use it for everything from frying eggs to seasoning cast iron pans, swore it made everything taste better. My aunt finally threw the can out after six months because it was starting to smell funky, but he still brings it up at Thanksgiving. People don't realize how much flavor gets tossed out with the fat these days.

hill.andrew1mo ago

Oh man, I gotta say I actually disagree on this one! I know people love saving bacon grease and all that, but honestly I think we take it too far sometimes. Keeping a coffee can of grease on the stove for six months? That's just asking for trouble. I used to do the same thing but I noticed everything started tasting the same after a while. Like yeah, bacon fat is great, but at some point you're just eating grease on everything and it gets old. I'd rather just have fresh oil or butter for each meal, even if it costs a little more. The flavor difference is real but so is the difference in how you feel after eating all that old fat.