Cost Saving Chicken Meals

I think it is safe to say that we are all feeling the effects of the current economy. From gas to groceries to our monthly salaries.

We are a chicken loving family and have chicken at least 3 times a week. I used to buy regular chicken breasts but those started to run 4 for about $12.00. So then I started to buy thin sliced chicken breasts. I used to be able to get 4 to 5 thin cut breasts for $6 but now the price is $9-11! Even chicken fingers went up in price.

Since we love our chicken I wanted to find a way to cut down on the cost while still buying nice meat. I saw an add one week in the Stater Bros. flyer for whole chickens at .75 cents a pound.

I decided to give it a try. I bought a 5 pound chicken for $3.75! Yes a whole fresh chicken is cheaper than 4 to 5 chicken breasts. The most I have ever paid, at full price of .99 cents, was $5.36 for a 5.4 pound chicken.

After roasting it in the oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, we had a delicious dinner with plenty of meat left over. I am able to get 3 dinners out of my whole chicken. That is at most $1.78 a meal. I am saving between $9 and $10 a dinner for chicken!

Every week from then I have bought and roasted a whole chicken to serve at 3 meals.

Here are various meals we get from the whole roasted chicken:

• Chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and muffins
• BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with fries/tatertots, baked beans, and pickles
• Honey Mustard Chicken with rice, corn/cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls
• Chicken and noodles
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Tacos
• Chicken Burritos
• Chicken Tostadas
• Chicken Chimichangas

The possibilities are endless. You can make pretty much any chicken meal by using a whole roasted chicken. And in the process save a good amount of money each week and month.

I was spending between $108 and $135 a month on chicken. Now I am spending between $21.40 and $26.75 a month on chicken. That is a savings of $86.60 to $108.25.

I hope this post is helpful and inspires you to find other ways to save money each month on your grocery bill.

I have the butcher cut the whole chicken in half down the breast bone. Makes it easier to cook and handle. Also makes cleaning the insides out a lot easier. Or you could be like me and ask the butcher to clean out the insides too.