There’s a lot to love about the whole fryers that you can pick up at the supermarket:
The Price: We sometimes snag them for as low as 69 cents per pound. That means we get a 4-pound bird for as low as $2.79. Even 99 cents per pound is still a good bargain. You might say “but some of that is bones.” True, but bones mean flavor and moisture. And bones have other uses. Read on…..
The Method: Baking a whole fryer is one of the easiest things in the world to do. Baked chicken in its own juices is delicious as is (kind of like bacon!) and needs almost no seasonings. To cook in the oven: I simply rub the raw chicken with olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt, garlic powder and paprika (or poultry seasoning) and pop in the oven uncovered. You can also tuck things inside the cavity of the bird like rosemary, thyme, garlic and lemon wedges. If you want to keep the bottom of the chicken from getting soggy, set a rack in the pan, or just stick some carrots and celery under there to keep it raised up. Twenty minutes per pound at 350 and you have an easy meal that looks, smells and tastes divine. To cook in a crock pot: Lightly spray the pot with oil. Set the chicken inside, sprinkle with desired seasonings and set to low. Walk away and come back in 7 hours to find dinner done.
The Possibilities: If you have a huge family, this might not apply, but you can usually get a second meal out of baked chicken. My top three favorites are (1) turning the carcass and leftover meat into soups like basic broth, chicken noodle, chicken and rice or chicken chili; (2) chopping up the leftover meat and combining it with cream of chicken soup, veggies and herbs to make a pot pie (with a biscuit or store-bought crust); and (3) making chicken and cheese quesadillas for lunch the next day.
The Appeal: All of our children love baked chicken, right down to baby Susanna. Even my pickiest eaters have never refused chicken. And it’s a lean and healthy source of protein.
Share your ideas for baking whole fryers and using the leftovers in a comment below!
Images courtesy myrecipes.com
I’ve been meaning to learn how to bake a whole chicken – it seems a little daunting when I’m just looking at in the grocery store 🙂 Putting it in the crock pot sounds wonderful – especially since dinner time is the “witching hour” for our little guy and he needs lots of attention.
I felt the same way about whole fryers, Ruth, and used to just pass them up. I thought you had to cut them up, or do a lot of prep work to get them ready for cooking. I also thought it would be tricky to bake them just right. But it’s not at all! Thanks for commenting! Anne
I do whole chicken in the crock pot! It’s super easy. Rinse it off, rub some spices over it, and pop it in the crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours. We use the chicken for several meals; and the bones, skin, and fat go back into the crockpot with the juices and some water to make broth.
Yes, I love how it renders homemade broth so easily!
We do whole chickens, and use everything we can, then the dog is always happy, becuase he gets the juices and the scraps for treats! much better than milkbones 🙂
I agree! Our dog and our kitties love the leftover juices and bits. ~Anne
I’d love to get the nerve to do whole chicken, largely because it means that I can avoid my own grossed out issues of having to do a lot of touching of raw chicken. At the same time, though, it’s a little daunting because my husband has grossed out issues with skin and bones. That means we’re currently eating a *lot* of beef!
Would you be able to work with a raw chicken with gloves on? Just a thought! They are so cheap, it’s great to learn how to cook with them.
But hey, beef sounds good, too. I love beef!! ~Anne
I always find recipes where you use parts of a whole chicken. It seems smart and economical, but a bit overwhelming. I’m going to try this now, though.
Hope it works for you, Mindy! ~Anne
Luv baked chickens, so easy1
Our local supermarket does “cheap chicken Fridays” where they sell already roasted rotisserie chicken for a low price. We buy one every week and then make homemade chicken stock for the week from the carcass. We try to either drink diluted chicken stock or use it in cooking daily because it’s a great source of calcium and other nutrients!
I’ve never used whole chickens but should start to because there’s always good deals going on and it will probably have plenty of left overs for an easy meal like chicken pot pie or chicken noodle soup.
This sounds so good! I am usually intimidated by whole chickens but your ideas are great!
Thank you, Laura! ~Anne