Take an $8 Barbecue Chook.....
Coles have reduced the price of their regular barbecue chickens to $8. (Update 30-05-2022 Coles barbecue chickens are now $11 - Costco barbecue chickens are still $7, but they are smaller; I can still get whole chickens on sale for $2.99/kg twice a year when I stock up).
Now I'm not normally a fan of the good old Aussie barbecue chook, mainly because they have been in the past rather expensive.
I can by whole chickens for $2.99/kg. That makes a No. 20 (2kg) chicken $5.98 and that chicken will give me 12 serves of meat and the bones to make stock or soup. I can get three, usually four, meals from one chicken and no one goes hungry.
But sometimes I don't have the time, the energy or the inclination to wash, dry, season, stuff and roast a chicken. Sometimes picking up a barbecue chook is the better option. Remember, Cheapskating isn't about paying the lowest price all the time, it's about saving money, time and energy and being a good steward of your resources.
So yesterday while I was in Coles with Mum (Thursday is her shopping day) I picked up a barbecue chicken; here's how I used it.
Now I'm not normally a fan of the good old Aussie barbecue chook, mainly because they have been in the past rather expensive.
I can by whole chickens for $2.99/kg. That makes a No. 20 (2kg) chicken $5.98 and that chicken will give me 12 serves of meat and the bones to make stock or soup. I can get three, usually four, meals from one chicken and no one goes hungry.
But sometimes I don't have the time, the energy or the inclination to wash, dry, season, stuff and roast a chicken. Sometimes picking up a barbecue chook is the better option. Remember, Cheapskating isn't about paying the lowest price all the time, it's about saving money, time and energy and being a good steward of your resources.
So yesterday while I was in Coles with Mum (Thursday is her shopping day) I picked up a barbecue chicken; here's how I used it.
First, I cut the wings and drumsticks off it - they are one meal for four.
We'll have them with roast veggies (potato, sweet potato, onion, carrot, parsnip) and steamed greens (beans or peas, broccoli or cauliflower) and gravy.
Secondly, I pulled the breasts off it.
One breast was shredded to make Curried Chicken. Yes, one chicken breast, shredded with a couple of forks, gives enough meat for six serves of Curried Chicken.
We'll have them with roast veggies (potato, sweet potato, onion, carrot, parsnip) and steamed greens (beans or peas, broccoli or cauliflower) and gravy.
Secondly, I pulled the breasts off it.
One breast was shredded to make Curried Chicken. Yes, one chicken breast, shredded with a couple of forks, gives enough meat for six serves of Curried Chicken.
Sweet Potato & Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
1 can light coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm pieces
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Whisk together the coconut milk and curry powder in the base of a saucepan. Add the sweet potato and carrots. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bring to a simmer, turn heat down and cook for about 20 minutes until the sweet potato and carrot are cooked and fork tender. Add the diced chicken. Heat through. Serve Sweet Potato and Chicken Curry over steamed rice.
1 can light coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder (more or less to taste)
1 chicken breast, cooked and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm pieces
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Whisk together the coconut milk and curry powder in the base of a saucepan. Add the sweet potato and carrots. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top. Bring to a simmer, turn heat down and cook for about 20 minutes until the sweet potato and carrot are cooked and fork tender. Add the diced chicken. Heat through. Serve Sweet Potato and Chicken Curry over steamed rice.
The other breast was shredded and put in the freezer. It will be used to make the chicken filling for the pancakes we have on the menu next Friday. I make a white sauce, add a little diced onion, some sliced mushrooms (re-hydrated from the bulk lot I dried in January) and a little cheese and the chicken and it's delicious.
Chicken & Mushroom Crepes
Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded with forks
250g mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Crepes
Ingredients:
1 cup SR flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
Method:
Make a thin pancake batter with the flour and milk. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a greased frypan and swirl around to make a large, thin pancake. Cook over a medium heat until just golden, turn and cook 1 minute. Remove from pan and keep warm. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add the chicken and the cream of mushroom soup. Heat through.
Spoon the chicken mixture evenly between the four crepes. Roll up, place in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and warm in a moderate oven until cheese has melted and is golden. Serve with a green salad. Makes 4 large crepes.
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded with forks
250g mushrooms, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Crepes
Ingredients:
1 cup SR flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese
Method:
Make a thin pancake batter with the flour and milk. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into a greased frypan and swirl around to make a large, thin pancake. Cook over a medium heat until just golden, turn and cook 1 minute. Remove from pan and keep warm. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add the chicken and the cream of mushroom soup. Heat through.
Spoon the chicken mixture evenly between the four crepes. Roll up, place in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and warm in a moderate oven until cheese has melted and is golden. Serve with a green salad. Makes 4 large crepes.
Then I pulled the rest of the meat off the bones and put it in the freezer.
I'll use this meat for Chicken Fried Rice or Chicken Salad Sandwich Filling - whichever we'll need first. Right now it will probably be for chicken salad for sandwiches as we've a day out four wheel driving with friends planned for next week and I know we'll be super hungry after being out in the cold and the walking and so on we'll be doing.
I'll use this meat for Chicken Fried Rice or Chicken Salad Sandwich Filling - whichever we'll need first. Right now it will probably be for chicken salad for sandwiches as we've a day out four wheel driving with friends planned for next week and I know we'll be super hungry after being out in the cold and the walking and so on we'll be doing.
CHICKEN FRIED RICE
Ingredients:
2 cups cold, cooked rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g chicken, cooked
200g assorted vegetables sliced (onion, carrot, bean shoots, peas)
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
2 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
Method:
Beat eggs and set aside. Heat oil in a large pan or wok. Add chicken and fry quickly, then add rice. Add all other ingredients except eggs and soy sauce. Stir continually to ensure even cooking without burning. Make a whole in the center of the pan by scraping the rice to one side. Pour eggs into hole and cook. Stir eggs into mixture and keep stirring until eggs have been mixed in and are quite dry. Lastly add soy sauce. Be careful not to over cook. Vegetables should be still slightly crisp.
2 cups cold, cooked rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
100g chicken, cooked
200g assorted vegetables sliced (onion, carrot, bean shoots, peas)
2 tbsp chopped spring onion
2 eggs
1 tbsp soy sauce
Method:
Beat eggs and set aside. Heat oil in a large pan or wok. Add chicken and fry quickly, then add rice. Add all other ingredients except eggs and soy sauce. Stir continually to ensure even cooking without burning. Make a whole in the center of the pan by scraping the rice to one side. Pour eggs into hole and cook. Stir eggs into mixture and keep stirring until eggs have been mixed in and are quite dry. Lastly add soy sauce. Be careful not to over cook. Vegetables should be still slightly crisp.
Lastly, I put the bones into the slow cooker with water, some celery tops, a sad carrot, and a large onion and let it cook overnight to make stock.
I use stock to cook rice, it gives it a really lovely flavour. We have curried chicken on the meal plan and we always have rice with it, so I've planned to have the stock on hand for this purpose. I also use it to make gravy - again it gives the gravy a much richer flavour.
The rest I'll use to make Grandma's Chicken Soup for lunches next week. I won't have the whole chicken for this, obviously, as I've used it for other meals, but it will still be flavourful and healthy and the bones will give up the rest of the chicken meat.
I use stock to cook rice, it gives it a really lovely flavour. We have curried chicken on the meal plan and we always have rice with it, so I've planned to have the stock on hand for this purpose. I also use it to make gravy - again it gives the gravy a much richer flavour.
The rest I'll use to make Grandma's Chicken Soup for lunches next week. I won't have the whole chicken for this, obviously, as I've used it for other meals, but it will still be flavourful and healthy and the bones will give up the rest of the chicken meat.
GRANDMA'S CHICKEN SOUP
Ingredients:
4 carrots, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
2 onions, diced
6-8 parsley stalks, chopped
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 chicken, size 18
1. Put a small quantity of each vegetable aside. Put the remaining vegetables into a large pot, add the parsley, black peppercorns and the bay leaf.
2. Put the whole chicken into the pot and add the salt. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Put a dinner plate over the chicken and vegetables to hold them down in the broth. And allow to come back to room temperature.
3. Put the whole pot into the fridge. When the fat hardens, skim it off with a spoon.
4. Take the chicken out of the pot and pull it apart. Put the meat on a plate and set aside. Put the skin, bones and fat back into the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Cut the cooked chicken meat into bite sized pieces.
6. Strain the contents of the pot. Keep the liquid but add the vegetables, bones etc. to your dog's dinner (take out the bones first) or to the compost.
7. Just before you are ready to eat, simmer the reserved vegetables and liquid for about 5 minutes then add the cooked chicken.
8. Warm the soup through and serve.
4 carrots, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
2 onions, diced
6-8 parsley stalks, chopped
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 chicken, size 18
1. Put a small quantity of each vegetable aside. Put the remaining vegetables into a large pot, add the parsley, black peppercorns and the bay leaf.
2. Put the whole chicken into the pot and add the salt. Add just enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat. Put a dinner plate over the chicken and vegetables to hold them down in the broth. And allow to come back to room temperature.
3. Put the whole pot into the fridge. When the fat hardens, skim it off with a spoon.
4. Take the chicken out of the pot and pull it apart. Put the meat on a plate and set aside. Put the skin, bones and fat back into the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Cut the cooked chicken meat into bite sized pieces.
6. Strain the contents of the pot. Keep the liquid but add the vegetables, bones etc. to your dog's dinner (take out the bones first) or to the compost.
7. Just before you are ready to eat, simmer the reserved vegetables and liquid for about 5 minutes then add the cooked chicken.
8. Warm the soup through and serve.
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