I bought a half chicken from Quarry Brook Farm. A golden half chicken. I cost $16.90. When it came, I looked at it and winced. I was uncertain that I could make a dish worthy of its value. I put it in the freezer, but everytime I opened that freezer door, that chicken stared back at me, daring me to do something with it.
So Sunday I decided it was time! I thawed it out and pulled it apart - one plump breast, one meaty thigh, one wing and a long, full back. I placed the breast and the thigh in a shallow roasting pan - no seasonings, no herbs, no salt, no spices. A naked breast and thigh roasting in the oven while I boiled some small Bounty new potatoes in one saucepan and boiled the wing and back in another. On a third burner was a bag of frozen mixed vegetables - OK, I cheated!
Time to take the chicken out of the oven. First thought - nothing in the bottom of the pan. What? No water, no grease, no scum? The skin - golden brown, crispy. There it was, visible evidence that this chicken was far different from the frozen, skinless, boneless, tasteless chicken breasts injected with a solution of fat and water that I buy at the supermarket. If it were only for the way it presented on the plate, it was worth it.
But more - it was moist and filling. One breast had the meat of two (or three) of those supermarket breasts. I watched my (chicken) leg loving husband dive in, oohing and ahhing, and then struggling to finish the last bite - it was so filling. The potatoes and veggies were a nice compliment, but the focus was on that precious chicken.
And what about the back and wing? They were removed from the broth, drained and packaged into the fridge. The broth, much more than the quart jar I had to put it in, was golden yellow with only a hint of fat. When I removed it out of the refrigerator on Monday night, it had only about 2 Tablespoons of grease on top. The broth went into the stockpot along with a chopped half onion from the Bounty and the meat from the back and wing - a good cupful. Brought up to boiling, toss in a handful of The Pasta Shoppe frozen shells, some Heritage Farms basil and oregano, a squirt of ketchup, and a pinch of black pepper. When the pasta was almost done, in went the remainder of those mixed veggies and voila - a hearty chicken soup. On the side, a turkey sandwich (I had to buy some sliced turkey from the deli for our daughter with maternity cravings.) with Fingerlakes Fresh greens and Ramona's Sweet Italian dressing. Delicious!
We devoured two large bowls of soup and there was still a full quart of soup to go back into the fridge for lunch and/or a quick supper. Three (or more) flavorful, hearty, comforting meals from that half-chicken. OK, so do the math. That works out to a little over $5.00 for each meal. Well worth it. I'll buy golden chicken again and I won't wait so long to cook it! Next time I'll have a container big enough for all the broth. I'll use half for soup and half for chicken gravy and get another meal out of it. The thought of chicken and biscuits is making me hungry. Imagine what I could have done with a WHOLE golden chicken.
The sun is shining and there is a male cardinal outside my window. What a beautiful morning. Off to work.
So Sunday I decided it was time! I thawed it out and pulled it apart - one plump breast, one meaty thigh, one wing and a long, full back. I placed the breast and the thigh in a shallow roasting pan - no seasonings, no herbs, no salt, no spices. A naked breast and thigh roasting in the oven while I boiled some small Bounty new potatoes in one saucepan and boiled the wing and back in another. On a third burner was a bag of frozen mixed vegetables - OK, I cheated!
Time to take the chicken out of the oven. First thought - nothing in the bottom of the pan. What? No water, no grease, no scum? The skin - golden brown, crispy. There it was, visible evidence that this chicken was far different from the frozen, skinless, boneless, tasteless chicken breasts injected with a solution of fat and water that I buy at the supermarket. If it were only for the way it presented on the plate, it was worth it.
But more - it was moist and filling. One breast had the meat of two (or three) of those supermarket breasts. I watched my (chicken) leg loving husband dive in, oohing and ahhing, and then struggling to finish the last bite - it was so filling. The potatoes and veggies were a nice compliment, but the focus was on that precious chicken.And what about the back and wing? They were removed from the broth, drained and packaged into the fridge. The broth, much more than the quart jar I had to put it in, was golden yellow with only a hint of fat. When I removed it out of the refrigerator on Monday night, it had only about 2 Tablespoons of grease on top. The broth went into the stockpot along with a chopped half onion from the Bounty and the meat from the back and wing - a good cupful. Brought up to boiling, toss in a handful of The Pasta Shoppe frozen shells, some Heritage Farms basil and oregano, a squirt of ketchup, and a pinch of black pepper. When the pasta was almost done, in went the remainder of those mixed veggies and voila - a hearty chicken soup. On the side, a turkey sandwich (I had to buy some sliced turkey from the deli for our daughter with maternity cravings.) with Fingerlakes Fresh greens and Ramona's Sweet Italian dressing. Delicious!
We devoured two large bowls of soup and there was still a full quart of soup to go back into the fridge for lunch and/or a quick supper. Three (or more) flavorful, hearty, comforting meals from that half-chicken. OK, so do the math. That works out to a little over $5.00 for each meal. Well worth it. I'll buy golden chicken again and I won't wait so long to cook it! Next time I'll have a container big enough for all the broth. I'll use half for soup and half for chicken gravy and get another meal out of it. The thought of chicken and biscuits is making me hungry. Imagine what I could have done with a WHOLE golden chicken.The sun is shining and there is a male cardinal outside my window. What a beautiful morning. Off to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment