"The Chipper Chicken"

Remember that scene in Father of the Bride where George Banks (Steve Martin) is discussing the wedding reception menu with wedding planner "Fraaank" (Martin Short), and the per person cost is getting higher?  And higher.  And higher.  And finally, George Banks says with a grimace, mocking Frank's accent "I want the CHIPPER CHICKEN!!"

Well, sometimes chicken ISN'T cheap anymore, especially if you buy boneless, skinless breasts and they aren't on super-sale.  It CAN be, though, if you do a little of the work yourself.


If you are going to be cutting up your chicken meat (for soup, chicken tacos, fried rice,  BBQ pizza, pulled chicken sandwiches...), save yourself a TON of money and just buy a small whole chicken.  Really--a whole chicken!

These little chickens (3-4 pounds) cost less than $5, and yield a TON of meat--enough for at least a couple of family meals--and I promise, they are SUPER easy to cook! 

Here's what to do:

1. Unwrap the chicken.
2. Remove and discard the sack of giblets.
3. Put the chicken in a large pot and cover with water.
4. Boil for an hour.
5. That's it.  Told you it was easy!

Seriously, all you have to do is boil the chicken.  No, it's not as pretty and brown and crispy as a roasted chicken--but who cares?  In this instance, you're not making a roast chicken-- all you want is cooked meat, right?

After it has boiled for about an hour, remove the chicken to a large plate and let it sit for 15 minutes or so to cool, then just use your hands to pull off the meat.  The meat is literally fall-off-the-bone, so it is super easy to pull off.  I usually get about 5 cups of meat from each little chicken.  Like I said earlier, I can get at least a couple of meals from it--this week I'm making Tortilla Soup (recipe coming soon) and Chicken Soft Tacos.  Not bad for a little $4.58 chicken!  Hmmm... For our family of six, that's $.38 per serving (12 meals).

If you want to be even more industrious you can use the cooking water to make some chicken broth. Add some salt and an onion/carrot.celery/bay leaf (whatever you have) to the pot of chicken water, add the bones and boil for another hour, then pour it through a sieve to catch all the bones and bits.  Use or freeze it for later.

So, if you're willing to do a little (very easy) work, you CAN have "Chipper Chicken"!  :)