how many meals from 1 chicken

[spudley]

Yesterday for the first time since we have had chickens I bought one for Mr Spud. It is free range from a new local company who show pictures of the chickens munching about in fields. I still feel bad though. It cost £10.45 (can remember size but had pins and needles in hand from bag when carrying it back to shop so it is a heavy blighter) I am going to see how many meals i can get from it (bearing in mind that Mr Spud is a big eater and likes his meat!).
I will be making the stock from the bones as described in another thread.
I was just wondering though how many meals others manage to get from a chicken. :cry:

[Effie]

At least 4, maybe 5 - Roast dinner, round of sandwiches, curry or a pie with the strippings, from the stock one chicken soup, one mostly veg with chicken undertones

That's what we managed for our family of 5 but it needs to be a big bird for us.

If you are feeling extravagant, buy a few whole chickens at once, portion them yourself and freeze them. I will work out cheaper than buying free range portions in the shop and you can make a huge vat of stock in one go, to keep in the freezer too.

Hubby is never happier than when he is making one meal last for 4 - makes for interesting eating and a lot of soup

If we are going to eat meat, buy it carefully and use it well

Effie

[Mo]

Depends how many are eating.
Roast for 4 uses both legs (2 thighs, 2 drumsticks) plus nearly half of the breast meat (though I suppose I could be mean with the white meat). The rest of the breast makes chicken salad or chicken and chips for 4, and the wings and pickings make a pie or soup or curry.

[saint-spoon]

It all depends on how much you bulk the meal out. From one medium bird I can generally produce three meals for the two of us, the legs either get roasted or barbequed, the breasts will end up in a something like a curry or Caesar salad and I will make soup from the bones (although strictly speaking I wait until I have two carcasses before I do soup). Most of my curries are bulked out heavily with mushrooms and onion so as to stretch out the meat, it’s surprising how far you can bulk stuff out with veg and still give the appearance of being meaty.