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SubscribeRecently there have been quite a few Tyson fresh chicken coupons out there! I have used some when boneless skinless chicken breasts were on sale. And I have used others for the much cheaper whole “cut up” chicken….which is what I used below.
I have seen whole chickens for as low as $.88/lb!
So here’s what you do…
1. Buy a whole chicken when it’s on sale…it’s MUCH cheaper than the slimmer, boneless skinless breasts. And you can do more with a whole chicken…get more meat…both white and dark…and make homemade stock, too!
2. Unwrap it and remove bag from the inside the chest cavity (I don’t use these parts…except if I wish to make gravy!).
3. Place your whole chicken into the crockpot with 1 cup of water. I add water so that I can strain the juices after it has finished cooking and freeze them for use in soups (homemade chicken stock!). Season chicken with salt, pepper, and other favorite spices…perhaps sage, poultry seasoning. Toss in a some onions, garlic, carrots. Whatever you like.
4. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours.
5. Once the slow cooker has finished cooking your chicken, carefully remove the chicken and place onto a large platter or cutting board.
6. Let it cool for a bit, until you can comfortably handle it…cause your fingers will get messy! Remove the bones, and set aside for making stock. Shred all the chicken meat. I find it’s easier to use my hands, but a knife will do the trick too.
7. Place the leftover bones/carcass into a pot and cover with water plus 2 inches. Add a splash of vinegar (this pulls calcium from the bones). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain and then let cool in the refrigerator. Once cooled, skim off the layer of fat and pour the remaining stock into freezer baggies and freeze.
Homemade Chicken Stock. Preservative and Additive Free! Plus about 6 cups of shredded chicken!
Not bad for $.88/lb, or usually less than $5!
What to do with the shredded chicken…Use it in your favorite chicken casserole, for chicken tacos…mixed into rice…whatever your hearts content!
I turned mine into Chicken Taco Bakes for the Freezer. Although these were not originally on my “Stock the Freezer” list, they are now!
Place shredded chicken into disposable serving trays.
Add 1/2 can corn to each, 1/2 can Rotel to each, 1/2 can red kidney beans to each plus Salt and Pepper and some ground cumin.
Mix.
Cover and freeze. Serve with rice and/or chips.
When ready to bake, let thaw in the refrigerator, then bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with shredded cheese (if desired) before baking!
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! This is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
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Every once and a while whole chickens go on sale at my grocery store (HEB, in TX) for .77/lb! That’s when I really stock up!
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ok, I am looking forward to following this blog, I have a household of very picky eaters, 5 kids and a tight budget as everybody is in on activities!!
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This recipe looks so good. I am a big fan of freezer cooking and will be trying out this recipe soon. Thanks!
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This is how I have made my chickens for 19 years…But we usually make chicken and noodles with the chicken and I fill the crock put at least half if not fully and add some chicken boullion paste. I get extra juice for the next day when I make soup with left over chicken or add to other things to make pot pie or whatever. So if you don’t want to freeze or make stock you can certainly stretch a few days worth of meals from that one chicken.
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I usually boil my chickens or put them on the grill (we make beer can chicken). Never thought of making them in the crock pot…thanks for sharing. The Chicken Taco Bake looks easy and delicious!
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Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
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Sweet post! I have never cooked a chicken in a crockpot; I am bookmarking this for definite later use.
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Thanks so much for the ideas. I didn;t realize that vinegar would pull the calcium out of the bones. I will have to look in to the whole chicken venture. I just bought some thighs that were huge and on sale for less than $3 for each with 4 thighs in it. They were bigger than the whole chickens that the guy next to me was picking out. I didn’t think that I had time or patience for all of that mess but you make it look so easy with the crockpot. I guess I need a bigger crockpot too!
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Kroger by my house has whole chickens for .89 a pound. I am going to guy buy 4-6 and debone and store the meat in baggies to make meals. I am only one but i can make a LOT of meals out of that many chickens.
S
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I have really REALLY been enjoying reading your blog lately. (that says allot considering the tons I keep up with). Keep up the good work.
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Thanks for putting the freezer meal idea in there too! We are trying to cut back on eating out, even just the dollar menu stuff, due to not feeling like cooking. We keep kosher and I have a whole cut up kosher chicken just waiting to be used! Leaving out the cheese makes this the perfect fun recipe and with two adults and a one year old one pan should last two meals!
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I went to Winco (in CA) yesterday and they had their double pack of Foster Farms whole chickens for $.88/lb. Excellent deal for my family of 5. Their single whole chickens were $1.29/lb. I was going to buy at least 2 anyways, might as well get the better deal. Thanks for posting.
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Love this!!! Thanks so much for it!!
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I love your website but I am a little confused about the stock for this. Is the crockpot stock added to the bones and water or is this 2 separate chicken stocks?
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Erin Reply:
August 27th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I can be 2 separate stocks!
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How many pounds was it?
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I started doing this just for the bones to make broth, as a way to watch my sodium. now i’ve found there are youtube videos on how to debone a chicken!! so i’ve even made my own boneless skinless breasts! today at kroger i got the .99/lb split breasts, smallest packs, used my $1 tyson q’s plus a $3-off-$15-meat that they’d mailed me.. i ended up paying $0.54/lb for breasts (got 18 lbs! LOL) AND will have the bones for several batches of free broth. going to bed feeling very smart indeed ;D
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ok, last night i went to my Krogers and bought SIX whole chickens for .89 a pound. i am going to prepare them in a crock pot like you mentioned here. I am going t debone and freeze in small packets to pull out and make meals from. I am also going to attempt to make chicken stock and freeze it like you suggested. Thank you Erin for all these great ideas.
S
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I never thought about doing that in the crockpot!! duh.
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I am sorry if this is a dumb question…but is the whole chicken thawed or frozen when it goes in the crock pot?
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Erin Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:41 am
I put them in thawed…have not tried frozen…I imagine it would work, would just take longer to cook through.
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Every time I put the broth from the crock pot (the water/juice that the chicken cooked in) into the refrigerator it turns into a solid, jelly mess. I can scrape off the first layer of fat — but it’s all gel underneath, no liquid. That’s not broth?! What am I doing wrong?
When I boil the bones it comes out fine — but the first round has too much fat in it, I guess?
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Erin Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:43 am
Huh? I’ve not had that problem. Perhaps dilute the liquid from the crockpot with some water before adding it to the fridge? I do get the layer of white fat which I skim off…otherwise mine stays liquid. Let me know if that helps.
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mystic_eye_cda Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
@Amanda,
Its just more concentrated, plus you boiled the cartilage which forms gelatin easier than bones. Keep in mind that’s how headcheese is made, with the natural gelatin from the meat and bones (yeah yeah people think head cheese is gross), I’ve also been brought up that gefilte fish was formed by boiling fish until they naturally became gelatinous, but I’ve since found that’s not true.
When you heat it it will stop being gelatinous. If you add about 25% water before tossing it in the fridge it probably won’t gel up. Adding 25% cold water also cools it down and allows you to put it in the fridge faster (safely). You can even toss in ice.
If you happen to have time I recommend brining chicken, but if you’re like me and you forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer….
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mystic_eye_cda Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
@mystic_eye_cda,
…or if you’re like me you’d have forgotten you didn’t take the chicken out of the freezer because your glass pie dish exploded and you have glass and burned cheese on the bottom of the oven =))
I’ve gotta find some cola or beer(to clean the oven)!
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I was always told the “gel” was a sign of a good stock. Like more chicken “juice” and less water.
It has always worked fine with me for broth… will melt when heated and you can add extra water.
Jen VG
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Love this blog! I found this last night and I am so excited! I have been looking for cheap meals because we are on a budget.. I am even more excited that you have some gfsfcf meals in case we start doing that diet!
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Erin,
Great idea here but did you know you don’t have to add any water at all to the crockpot? It’s true! I rub my chicken down with oil, add seasonings and stuff it with 1 chopped apple and 1 chopped onion. That’s it!
The chicken releases the thickest, most amazing stock you have ever had! It is so thick that it will completely congeal when it cools!
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I love buying whole chickens and using them for all sorts of things. I can get them as low as $.69 a pound sometimes, which is just way too low to pass up. I love it. I’m going to have to try the recipe you suggested, too….seems like it’d really stretch some of the ingredients I already usually have on hand anyway.
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Erin,
This website is awesome. It has changed the way my family eats in a positive way. However, I am really interested in preparing meals and storing them in the freezer for later. Can I use the method you used here of the disposable alums and how long can you store this meal or most meals in the freezer?
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Our local store has chickens on sale for 69 cents a pound this week. Guess I will have to load up. DH is working all weekend so this might be a good time to have a cooking frenzy. He loves homemade soup and your chicken taco bake looks yummy! Used my slow cooker for pot roast today while I went shopping with my BFF.
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This is great! I’m always too intimidated by the whole chickens. I’m going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing.
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This looks great! I’m always looking for stuff I can freeze!
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I’ve done this type of cooking for years; I’m a pastor’s wife with 4 children and always trying to stretch the budget. Thanks for the great ideas! Another thought…I never throw away broth when I boil potatoes for mashed potatoes or potato salad, etc. I remove most of the potatoes and add salt, pepper, onions, parsley, and chives to the broth. Viola! Potato soup! Put it in the freezer for another meal!
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This is great – just googled how to do a slow cooker chicken. Should have tried this years ago! Thanks a lot for sharing this. Lisa-Marie, New Zealand xxo
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I don’t know if this has been mentioned before, but old tired carrots (cleaned and peeled?) make a nice roasting rack in the crockpot. I crock-roast beef, pork or chicken this way.
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Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom Reply:
October 31st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
@jan,
Excellent tip! Thanks for sharing!
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re: carrot roasting rack– if you add a bit of broth, juice (or even leftover wine) on the carrots, they cook better and make a nice side-dish.
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