What to Do with Whole Chickens

As I posted earlier this week, Hy-Vee has a special this week on chicken for .59/lb. This is an amazingly good deal. I used to be afraid of whole chickens, unless it meant roasting them with carrots and potatoes. Over the past few years, however, I've learned to LOVE the whole chicken. First, they're cheaper. Second, they're more versatile. You just need to know how to do a few things with them. You can bake them, boil them, grill them with a can of beer in them, smoke them, put them in a crockpot. You can use one chicken for multiple meals. You can make stock or soup out of the bones. And if you don't want to start with a full chicken, you can cut it up into individual pieces. Perhaps at .59/lb for whole chickens you could buy 10 chickens (assuming you have the freezer space-I do) and you could freeze them whole...OR....you could cut them up, and freeze them by parts...20 breasts, 20 drumsticks, 20 wings, 20 thighs....even after deboning, you'll never find boneless skinless breasts for that price unless you "DIY".

Here's a place to learn:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm

With a little practice, I promise this is not hard. You just need a good knife and you must be willing to botch a few until you get good at it. :) This is a HUGE money saver, and worth the time...the good news is that your botched attempts still taste great!

Good luck!