Whole chicken, cut up

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I like whole chicken as well. My market does offer cut-whole-chickens, but I never buy them. There are so many options with a whole bird. Butterflied on the grill, beer can chicken, roast chicken, etc. You can cut it into parts to use the white meat one night then the dark meat another.

I found a good sharp chefs knife or boning knife and a pair of shears to cut out the backbone works quite well. Plus, you save a ton of money cutting down larger pieces of meat.
 
I hate those pigion size chickens. Nothing like a good 5-6 pounds roaster.

:LOL:
you must be trying to chicken shop at Cub also!! I put one next to a game hen once and really the chicken wasn't any bigger!!
I think it depends how close to the city you shop. Usually I am in Forest Lake, that's where the little ones are. When we lived in St. Paul and Maplewood they were small too. When I shop in Cambridge (a little more hick I guess!) I can find bigger ones, but maybe thats because that one is across from the Super WalMart and competing.
 
...Plus, you save a ton of money cutting down larger pieces of meat.


So very true! You can get whole chickens on sale for a lot less than a dollar a pound. Compare that to the cost of the individual parts that add up toa chicken and you will be amazed at the cost difference. Then there are the parts you never get if you buy cut up poultry. The backbone, wing tips and innards that can make a great stock.
 
:LOL:
you must be trying to chicken shop at Cub also!! I put one next to a game hen once and really the chicken wasn't any bigger!!
I think it depends how close to the city you shop. Usually I am in Forest Lake, that's where the little ones are. When we lived in St. Paul and Maplewood they were small too. When I shop in Cambridge (a little more hick I guess!) I can find bigger ones, but maybe thats because that one is across from the Super WalMart and competing.

It must have something to do with demand in various parts of the country, too. Wal-Mart in the small city where I live has chickens both whole and cut up, around 3-3.5 pounds, but at Food Lion, I can get 6-7 lb. roasters. I like those because there's a lot of extra meat (since there's only two of us) to freeze or use in different recipes.
 
I would LOVE to find a 7 lb. chicken!!!!! I bet I could get 5 meals out of that if you include the chicken stock!
 
I have to ask, and Don`t think it`s a stupid question!

but Why would you cut up a whole chicken into bits anyway?

I can see the reason for buying a bag of Wings or Drumsticks or breast, but a bag of a whole chicken cut up (or even doing it yourself), Why would you do that?

what sort of recipe would require this?
 
I better put in a request w/ DH to move back east. ;)
We don't even have Perdue here. It's the land of Gold n' Plump. They must be MN winter chickens 'cuz they ain't so plump!!!!
 
I have to ask, and Don`t think it`s a stupid question!

but Why would you cut up a whole chicken into bits anyway?

I can see the reason for buying a bag of Wings or Drumsticks or breast, but a bag of a whole chicken cut up (or even doing it yourself), Why would you do that?

what sort of recipe would require this?


The basic justification for this is that a whole chicken is much less expensive per pound than buying cut up pieces.

The parts of a chicken you cut up may not be used in the same recipe. You may use the breasts for one meal, the legs and thighs for another and save the wings until you have enough for a meal. Then you save the carcass and innards for a stock at a future date.
 
YT, I'll butterfly a whole chicken to cook on the grill. I take the bird and remove the backbone, then open up the carcass like a book and flatten it out. I trim off the wing tips and tuck in the wings the best I can. Season both sides with salt, pepper, olive oil and poultry seasoning and put the whole thing on the grill.

Or, cut the chicken into quarters and use as the main ingredient in a braise. You could also rost the parts over some root veggies. Since there is more surface area, it takes less time to cook. TIP: If you roast chicken parts, you can remove the breast meat early so it doesn't dry out.
 
Coolness, I`m with you now ;)

Jeeks yeah I do that flattening out and BBQ too, it`s fantastic!
 
YT, I can think of over 25 basic chicken saute recipes requiring chicken parts ( from wine herbs and butter to lardon and tomatoes to a classic caciatore or a cream and dill Moscow.) I like meat on the bone for better flavor, and it is cheaper to cut up your own.
 
lol, mozart.

q sarah sarah.

one should not use certain terms, umm, willy nilly shall we say? :rolleyes:
 
suziequzie, just wait until your kids get older. In my house, I have 5 kids ranging in ages from 3 - 13, and 3 adults (myself included). If I want to cook roast chicken, I have to cook AT LEAST two 5 - 6 lb birds. Even that is cutting it fine. I would actually have to cook a small turkey, about 13 lbs or so, to guarantee everyone gets fed.

I actually buy chicken in the 10 lb bag of leg-and-thigh quarters, which around here costs $4.79 + tax for the bag. 47 cent / lb + tax is a pretty good buy, as far as I'm concerned. I'll split each 10 lb bag into two 5 lb bags of parts, freeze them, and defrost them as needed. Of course, now that my MIL is back living with us, grilling/baking chicken for that many people, even 5 lbs of parts isn't enough to satisfy everyone, but for a casserole, pot pie, etc., it's plenty. If I smoke the chicken, I'll do an entire 10 lb bag, as the kids just can't get enough of my smoked chicken (neither can I, really).

I will buy breasts on occasion, to please my other half, as she doesn't really care for dark meat (but absolutely goes nuts for what I cook, go figure).

I've done the buy whole chickens and cut into parts bit, back when I was single. Yes, it's a good idea to learn good knife skills, and to keep those skills (and knives) sharp.
 
or just being precise because one can't find coq easily in the US (old rooster isn't what Perdue is famous for!)
 
suziequzie, just wait until your kids get older. In my house, I have 5 kids ranging in ages from 3 - 13, and 3 adults (myself included). If I want to cook roast chicken, I have to cook AT LEAST two 5 - 6 lb birds. Even that is cutting it fine. I would actually have to cook a small turkey, about 13 lbs or so, to guarantee everyone gets fed.

I actually buy chicken in the 10 lb bag of leg-and-thigh quarters, which around here costs $4.79 + tax for the bag. 47 cent / lb + tax is a pretty good buy, as far as I'm concerned. I'll split each 10 lb bag into two 5 lb bags of parts, freeze them, and defrost them as needed. Of course, now that my MIL is back living with us, grilling/baking chicken for that many people, even 5 lbs of parts isn't enough to satisfy everyone, but for a casserole, pot pie, etc., it's plenty. If I smoke the chicken, I'll do an entire 10 lb bag, as the kids just can't get enough of my smoked chicken (neither can I, really).

I will buy breasts on occasion, to please my other half, as she doesn't really care for dark meat (but absolutely goes nuts for what I cook, go figure).

I've done the buy whole chickens and cut into parts bit, back when I was single. Yes, it's a good idea to learn good knife skills, and to keep those skills (and knives) sharp.

I can hardly wait. :ermm:
My 8 yr old is already to a point where he'd eat a whole roasted chicken if I let him, ok maybe half.... but he'd try for whole!
None of us really like dark meat, 'cept the kids that just like to eat the legs. I think thats got more to do with the bone than the meat though. :rolleyes:
5 kids! Whew I'm glad I'm done, I'd be even more :wacko:
 
5 Kids, I`m jealous!

I`de love to have more, but it seems father Time will not allow for this, I`d be quite happy sticking in a few chickens into the oven for them, it must be great :)
 
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