The best of the chicken

Making chicken work for a proverbial family of two adults and two school aged children .

1- tray of split chicken breasts.  This includes breasts with the rib portion.   Probably the most perfect way to buy chicken especially if you don’t care for dark meat.   Dark meat has more fat.   Usually, here , you can purchase split chicken breasts on sale for anywhere from .88 to .99 a pound. My last purchase was 4 breasts for a total of 5.17 pounds.  It netted four good sized chicken breasts and a pound of meat pieces plus 2 quarts of chicken stock.   Chicken stock is 2.44 a quart .  For a total of 4.88 for the value of the stock alone.   You just broke even with the stock.   

• Cut 4 chicken breasts out of the four big chicken breasts .  These should be about the size of the palm of your hand, or about 4-5 ounces.   If you are nit using them that night, place each one in a quart zip lock bag.   I get our quart bags from the dollar tree.  Place the quart bags in a gallon bag and mark it for the freezer.   
• Place the rest of the chicken meat and bones in a slow cooker and add water to within an inch of the top.  Add 2T Italian seasoning and any vegetable scraps you may have to the pot and turn on low for about 6  hours or high until the meat is cooked and falling off the bone.  Meat should measure 180 degrees— well done.  Strain the bones from the broth after it has cooled enough to work with,   I use a colander lined with cheese cloth and put into quart jars to refrigerate.   Any fat that may be in the broth will rose to the top and you can spoon it off.
• When the bones are cooked enough, take a fork and pick the bones for the meat.  I got more than  a full pound of meat from the 4.55 package along with the four good sized breasts.   The pieces  were over half the gallon bag.   
• Now, you have 2 quarts of stock for a total of 4.88; 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a total of 6.70.and 16 ounces of chicken pieces cost 17.26 using wall mart prices.   For 28.84 worth of chicken.  
•  The chicken breast can be cooked for dinner as one dinner,   I added corn on the cob and a salad. 
• The stock is the base for two or three soups: potato, chicken noodle, vegetable bean 
• The pieces can be chicken noodle soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken tacos, chicken noodle casseroles, chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, chicken stir fry, and many more,   Probably enough for four other meals.   
• Thats about 7 meals basically from 5.00 worth of meat.