A $5 Chicken and Four Meals

 A $5 Chicken and Four Meals

Making the Most of What You Have

Sometimes homesteading isn't about growing every ingredient yourself or spending all day in the kitchen.

Sometimes it's about looking at a $5 chicken and thinking, “How many meals can I get out of this?”

And around here, the answer is usually more than one.

It Started With a $5 Chicken

Tonight's supper was simple—a whole roasted chicken with buttered corn.

Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated.

But that chicken came out juicy and tender, and while I was eating my leg and thigh quarter, I was already thinking about tomorrow's meal.

That's one of the things I've learned over the years: cook once and make it work more than once.

I don't want to eat the exact same plate of leftovers for four days. But I don't mind turning one thing into several different meals.

Meal One: Roast Chicken Supper

The first meal is the best part—a freshly roasted chicken right out of the oven.

I let mine rest before cutting into it while I finished the buttered corn.

That little resting time makes a difference. Instead of all those wonderful juices running out onto the cutting board, more of them stay right where they belong—in the chicken.

A leg and thigh quarter made plenty for my supper.

Simple, filling and good.

Meal Two: Chicken and Rice

One of the breasts is already spoken for.

Tomorrow I'll slice or shred it and have it with rice.

Depending on what I have in the pantry, I can keep it simple with seasoned rice or turn it into creamy chicken and rice.

That's the beauty of leftovers. You don't necessarily need another recipe—you just need another idea.

Meal Three: Another Easy Chicken Dinner

There's still plenty of meat left on a whole chicken after two meals.

The remaining chicken can become sandwiches, chicken and noodles, a casserole, soup, chicken salad, or whatever sounds good that day.

And that's usually how I cook.

I look at what I already have before deciding what I'm making.

Meal Four: Don't Throw Away Those Bones!

This may be my favorite part because the chicken still isn't finished.

The bones and little pieces of meat that aren't worth picking off go into a pot for broth.

I'll add carrots and celery, along with onion and seasonings I already have in the pantry, and let everything simmer.

Then I'll strain it.

Now that $5 chicken has given me several meals and homemade chicken broth that I can use for another meal later.

And homemade broth freezes beautifully, so there's no hurry to use it.

That's Pantry-to-Table Cooking

This is really what Pantry to Table means to me.

It isn't about having a picture-perfect pantry filled with matching jars.

It's about having enough basics on hand that when you're tired, money is tight, the weather is bad, or you simply don't feel like running to the store, you can still make something good.

A chicken.

Some rice.

A can or bag of vegetables.

Carrots, celery and an onion.

A few pantry staples.

None of it is fancy.

But together, it can feed you for several days.

And that matters.

Waste Less. Stretch More. Eat Well.

Food is expensive, and I'm always looking for ways to make what I buy go a little farther.

That doesn't mean every meal has to feel cheap.

Tonight I didn't sit down thinking, I'm eating part of a $5 chicken.

I sat down to a juicy roast chicken dinner.

Tomorrow I'll have chicken and rice.

Later I'll have something completely different.

And eventually those bones will become broth for another homemade meal.

Four meals from one $5 chicken isn't bad at all.

That's the kind of cooking I grew up around, and it's the kind of cooking I want to keep sharing.

Not perfect.

Not complicated.

Just making good food with what you have.

From my front porch to your kitchen,

Marcia ❤️

The Oklahoma Homestead Woman

Bloom Where You're Planted… and if life moves you, bloom there too.