Whole chickens are cheap. I usually find them for less than $1 per pound or even less on sale. I like to unwrap the chicken, remove the giblets, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stick the whole thing in my crockpot on high for about 4 hours.
I have a huge crockpot, so I like to surround the chicken with onion slices, halved, peeled potatoes and carrots halved in length and sprinkle minced garlic and herbs over the vegetables. An electric roasting pan would work well, too.
The chicken is done when you pierce a thick spot and the juices run clear. Right before dinner I remove the potatoes and put the crock, without it’s lid, in my oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
I then pour the juices from the crock into a saucepan, add 1 T. cornstarch mixed into 1/4 c. of water, add spices and cook until it has thickened into a nice gravy to spoon over the potatoes.
You can easily vary the flavors of this meal by drizzling the chicken with 1/4 c. of orange juice, adding ginger to the salt/pepper you sprinkle over the breast, and surrounding the chicken with broccoli florets. Or slice a lemon into halves and rub the chicken with the lemon, (then place the lemon halves in the chicken cavity) then sprinkle with minced garlic and freshly ground pepper and surround with baby onions and a bag of frozen, mixed vegetables.
Whole chickens are very cheap, almost all of the meat is edible, and the leftover chicken can be used in all kinds of additional ways. I love to dice it up into chicken enchiladas, or fried rice.
Cost breakdown:
Whole chicken, approximately 6 pounds: $6.00
Spices: $0.50
10 Potatoes: $2.00
Serves 10
85 cents per serving, and even if you use broccoli or mixed veggies instead of potatoes, your cost will be under $1 per serving.
***Once you have picked the chicken clean, throw the carcass back in your crockpot and cover with water and 3 T. vinegar to make FREE chicken stock that is far more tasty and nutritious than canned broth from the store.
I just found you tonight. My mother was raised during the Great Depression and learned to cook with what was available. I learned from her. I have made my own chicken broth in the crockpot for years, usually overnight . Saw your bone broth recipe. Do you buy bones from your butcher?
Also, I have never added Vinegar. I will give it a try. Love your website.
Thank you so much, Linda! The housewives of that generation are sure smart and thrifty! I find it ironic that what they cook is also more nutritious. Soup (or stock) from a can is full of chemicals, while stock from actual bones is full of nourishing minerals and gelatin that actually heal our bodies. We actually raise cows, so when we have one butchered, I ask our butcher for certain bones back. We (I say we, but I actually mean the hubs) butcher our own chickens and I use the bones. I add the vinegar to help the mineral leaching process, so that the soup is even more nourishing, and you can’t taste it at all.
That sounds delicious!
It really is– and so easy!