Crockpot Chicken

 So, in keeping with the  frugal leaf I've turned over, I decided to see what I could actually do with one $5.00 whole chicken.  Again, I am amazed at the wealth of products and meals that can be made from one simple item! So let's get cookin'....

Place whole chicken in the crock pot on medium, fill crock pot with water to the very top. Let chicken slow cook all day... just leave it and forget about it. Now- if you're like me you probably want to skip seasoning the chicken later, so go ahead and put about two teaspoons of garlic salt, onion powder and dried rosemary in the water and let it work it's magic.

Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove from the crock pot and set aside. Now, grab a wire mesh strainer and pour the chicken stock through the strainer into the bowl. This is now home made chicken broth!
My one chicken produced 4 16oz jars of broth!

 Yeah, I can count... I took the picture after I added the first jar to my mix for home made chicken and stars!

Now for the icky part.... honestly I question why oh why I am not a vegetarian!!! So, you need to debone the chicken. The meat is going to literally be falling off the bone, so it's not too hard, but you do want to make sure you separate the meat by dark/white and then the "extras"... which I'm sure some people use the "extra" for something- but I could not bring myself to think up a good use for it... so instead our sweet little dog got a special treat!

I bagged up the chicken in four Ziploc bags. Two full of white meat and two of dark meat. I threw those in the freezer for meal planning later this week.

So... what did one chicken make so far this week?
                                                                              Chicken and stars soup- (2 meals)
16 oz chicken broth, one chicken breast cubed/shredded which every you like. One can peas, carrots, corn. Pinch of salt and pepper. - since the chicken is cooked it just needs to heat through- which makes for quick prep! So, go ahead and cook the little pasta stars directly in the chicken broth, once tender throw in the veggies, chicken and salt/pepper and heat through. Throw a loaf of french bread in the over and add your home made butter and dinner is served!   This recipe made enough for our family for dinner and lunch the next day!

                                                            Shredded chicken soft tacos- (2 meals)
Super simple! Add 1 cup water, one can of rotel, one envelope taco seasoning and one Ziploc bag of chicken in  a medium pan. Heat through.  Serve on hot soft tortillas with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and home made sour cream! Throw some tortilla chips and salsa on the side and there you have it! Again this recipe left us with enough for lunch the next day.

So... the goodness keeps going!- so far we have used half the chicken and one fourth of the broth and have eaten FOUR meals! That $5.00 chicken is going a long way!

A few other quick ideas that I've tried in the past are - 

 Pulled chicken barbecue sandwiches on whole wheat buns with a pickle and chips. Just shred the chicken pour in the bbq sauce and heat through.

Chicken pasta salad- just throw some cooked rotini noodles in a bowl, stir in a 1/2 cup of your favorite Italian dressing (creamy or regular), a can of black olives, cubed tomato, 1/4 cup chopped onion and one stalk celery sliced really thin.

Chicken and broccoli casserole- cook two cups rice, mix one can of cream of mushroom soup into rice, add chicken and one bag frozen broccoli- throw in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes to heat through.

Southwest chicken soup- Pour in one can each, pinto beans, black beans, rotel tomatoes and corn. Add 4 cups water, 2 tsp. chili powder, 2 tsp onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Throw in the shredded chicken and heat it all up. Serve with corn bread and sour cream/cheddar cheese on top of the soup. - it's good!


A few ideas for the broth- add it to mashed potatoes for flavoring. Cook your fresh veggies in it. Add a little flour and make gravy for your chicken dinner. Use as the base for soups and casseroles.

I could go on and on... but I won't! So, next time you need a few quick meals on a tight budget- grab a whole chicken and make it work for you!