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How much of a chicken do you waste

(52 Posts)
Nannykay Mon 02-Jul-18 12:27:05

I have just been shopping to the supermarket with a friend, and commented that they had 2 large fresh chickens which had just been reduced. I asked if she wanted one, if not I would get both. She was amazed that I would use 2 whole chickens !, ok she could see the benefit of freezing one, but she still couldn’t see that I could cook a whole chicken today, a Monday !. I will roast it, with jackets and salad for tonight, left overs I might stir fry tomorrow.

That started her off again, left overs ?, like me she is cooking for 3 adult meat eaters, and it is a large chicken, more than enough I thought. Apparently, on the odd occasion she cooks a whole chicken, they only eat the breast, and throw out the drumsticks, thighs and wings. I pointed out that they all eat these pieces at other times but apparently that’s different because she buys trays of them as she wants them !

I can’t believe that people actually waste so much meat, to just throw out all that

Fennel Mon 02-Jul-18 12:30:25

I'm horrified shock.
Can't even write my reply.

Willow500 Mon 02-Jul-18 12:42:51

Don't by whole chickens for that reason - we only eat the breast. I don't buy wings or thighs either.

Farmor15 Mon 02-Jul-18 12:46:09

I don’t waste any of a chicken (or turkey). Amazed at people who do. Sometimes if I buy a whole chicken, I take all the meat off the bone dice up and freeze in small bags to be stir fried later. Then I’ll make stock with the bones. I’ll even collect bones off people’s plates sometimes to make stock!

OldMeg Mon 02-Jul-18 12:51:11

What a waste of a life. It’s bad enough some of the conditions these birds are kept in, but then for their meat to be wasted.

If I’m having chicken it does 2-3 meals and I boil the bones up for soup stock.

paddyann Mon 02-Jul-18 12:51:14

dont waste any of it,I strip the meat off it and use the carcass for stock.Any bits of meat my OH might otherwise not eat end up as part of chicken and sweetcorn or chicken and mushroom soup .
I dont eat fowl ..ever ,so any chicken bought is eaten by him or the kids when they appear for a fridge raid.I prefer to buy a whole chicken even if I only need breasts as I can always use whats there for freezer stockups.The price of breasts is usually around the same a sthe whole bird .

OldMeg Mon 02-Jul-18 12:51:42

PS and the dogs get any leftovers

PamelaJ1 Mon 02-Jul-18 12:52:41

I usually make stock or soup with the carcass when the chicken has been picked over for the last scraps.
We had family to stay recently and we had sausages. Next day I went to the fridge to get one of the sausages to go crabbing with and couldn’t find them. nephew had thrown them in the bin! Needless to say I rummaged till I found one. I did leave the rest in there tho!

NanaandGrampy Mon 02-Jul-18 12:52:54

What a waste !! There's usually only 2 of us so we'll roast one on a sunday for roast dinner, we';; have cold chicken sandwiches for lunch on the Monday . I'll dice any remaining white meat and freeze for a stir fry. Grampy will have the chicken legs with a crusty roll and salad for another lunch. Sam the dog will dine royally on the scraps and skin.

And finally , in the winter , Ill boil the carcass and strain to make chicken stock for soup.

Job done .

All for £4.50 for the meat - a bargain!!

jusnoneed Mon 02-Jul-18 12:55:06

We have it roast, eating a leg and some breast meat. The rest I may pick off and make a pie or curry. Or the other breast will make a couple sandwiches and I use the bones and the other leg to make stock/ soup.

glammanana Mon 02-Jul-18 12:55:35

Goodness me what a waste of food,I buy 2 x chickens a week one for cooking for the dog & cat small ones from Aldi at £2.09 and hubby strips it bare and freezes it for during the week.
The other is used for a main meal/salad/curry/soup all of which are frozen if not used on the day of cooking.

kittylester Mon 02-Jul-18 12:56:37

But the thighs are so much more tasty than the breasts!! shock

Fennel Mon 02-Jul-18 12:59:57

"What a waste of a life. It’s bad enough some of the conditions these birds are kept in, but then for their meat to be wasted. "
That was my first reaction, OldMeg.
We used to keep (and eat) our own chickens. Never wasted a bit.

merlotgran Mon 02-Jul-18 13:05:35

I'm only buying chicken breasts at the moment because we're weight watching but when I buy a whole chicken nothing gets wasted. I make stock in the pressure cooker because the very last of the meat is easy to scrape off the carcase once it has all cooled down.

It's a doggy feast!

Teetime Mon 02-Jul-18 13:08:53

We eat all the chicken but I dont boil the carcass for soup anymore as its always too fatty for us.

Riverwalk Mon 02-Jul-18 13:20:04

Were they cheap, low-welfare chickens?

I buy only organic or at least free-range chickens which are relatively expensive and try not to waste any of it.

I think breast to be the least tasty cut, compared to leg and wing.

Greyduster Mon 02-Jul-18 13:22:25

I’m horrified too! I waste nothing but the extremities on a chicken. All the meat is used and the carcass goes for stock or soup. DD even saves her chicken carcasses for me!!

FlexibleFriend Mon 02-Jul-18 13:33:07

I buy whole chicken just for me, I roast it and have all the veggies to go with it, although in this weather I'll have it with salad. I then carve the whole thing up and put in a container in the fridge and either eat with salad, vegetables or have in a sandwich. Anything I don't eat I will give to the dogs after making sure there are no bone splinters in it. The dogs even eat the skin so none of it goes in the bin except the carcass.

hildajenniJ Mon 02-Jul-18 13:38:28

Like most of you, I don't waste any of a chicken. I roast it for dinner, what's left we eat cold with salad, or I make a curry. I pick the carcass clean. I hate wasting meat.

Cherrytree59 Mon 02-Jul-18 13:38:36

I only buy breast of chicken at this time of year.
Will buy chicken or turkey in autumn/winter and use every morsel.
As my gran did.

Loaves and fishes pales in to significance when my gran cooked a chicken.
She could feed a big family and any visitors who happened to call by.

Bones were for soup and sauce.

sodapop Mon 02-Jul-18 13:40:37

I much prefer legs and thighs to breast meat (chicken) Nothing wasted here either as we have three dogs and a cat. I can't believe how wasteful some people are. I must admit though I am not keen on eating food which has been kept for a while. My husband has no problem with it.

ninathenana Mon 02-Jul-18 13:45:10

Wow what a waste !
There are three carnivors in this house.
Sorry veggies, I do respect your principles. and yes, I am an animal love.
I roasted a whole large chicken yesterday H and DS had thigh and drum stick I had one side of breast and H and I have just eaten the other breast sliced in sandwiches.
I never have enough left for a meal the next day and certainly couldn't make it last 3 meals.
I often buy chinese flavoured thighs and drumstick portions from Asda whch we all love.
I agree kitty thigh is the tastiest part

gmelon Mon 02-Jul-18 13:52:00

I use every piece of the chicken.
Roasted for a meal, then sandwiches etc.

I need some tips about making stock and soup. I've tried it just the once when I was thirteen!
Vey fatty and did not go down at all well with brave samplers.

Any fool proof methods out there?

gmelon Mon 02-Jul-18 13:56:17

Apparently there are many competitive threads on Mumsnet about how many meals they can make from a chicken.
Remember that this will involve feeding children too.

It is a bit of a standing joke amongst those not involved in the threads.
I've not looked but maybe there are some inventive ideas.

JackyB Mon 02-Jul-18 14:03:04

I use all of a roast chicken, and usually, but not always, boil up the carcase for stock. Alternatively, especially in winter, I will boil it in a large saucepan, whole, with carrots, leeks, etc, and when all the meat has been used up (for friccassee, thick soups with dumplings or pasta, chicken salads, sandwiches etc) I still boil the bones again for a thinner stock to freeze to start off the next chicken.

And if it has giblets, the liver on toast for breakfast is a special treat!

As for the problem with fat, there are gadgets for removing the fat, but I'd have scraped that from the bottom of the roasting tin and had dripping on toast before boiling up the bones.