A few years ago, I made the transition from buying chicken breasts only to buying the whole chicken instead.  I think I was daunted by the idea of cutting it up and disposing of the carcass.  Then I read a magazine article that demystified the prospect of cooking a whole chicken for me, and I decided to give it a try.  Since then, I am hooked.  And because I’ve started paying more attention to where my food comes from and how it is raised and prepared, I’ve begun to buy my chicken from a local grower.  This way I know that my chicken is farm-raised,  fed a natural diet, and free of growth hormones. There are so many benefits to buying the whole chicken.  Here are a few benefits that have become important to me.

• Quantity – My family of 5 can now put away quite a lot of food.  We need a large enough portion so that we can fill our bellies with wholesome food.
• Price – You might pay $15 for an organic, farm-raised chicken, but that is still a much better price then buying chicken already cut up.
• Servings – We can stretch a chicken into 3 separate meals.
• Variety – Choose your method:  boiling (my favorite because I like my first meal to be a chicken soup with dumplings), roasting, or grilling.
• Ease – To cook a chicken, you simply wash the chicken, place it in a pot or roasting pan, season it, add the right amount of water (more if boiling, less if roasting), and let it cook for a couple of hours.  I love adding fresh-cut vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, celery, parsnips, onions, and/or garlic.  You have to cut the meat off of the bone, but it is so worth it!
• Broth – Tired of feeding your family high-sodium chicken broth?  You’ve got free broth here just by boiling the carcass in water after you’ve picked it clean.  Toss in some seasoning and veggies for more flavorful broth.
• Leftovers – Take the leftover meat and put it into serving-size, freezable glass containers for future meals.  Build Chicken and Couscous or Chicken Jambalaya or Fajitas into next week’s menu plan.  Voila!

What is your favorite way to cook a whole chicken?  What is your favorite recipe with the leftovers?