6 Meals, 1 Roasted Chicken From The Grocery Store #GLADFreshFoodChallenge
When I can get a few meals out of one ingredient, that’s a huge win. It’s one of the many reasons I buy grocery store roasted chickens (you know, the ones pre-cooked in the deli) and I squeeze as many meals as I can get out of $7.99.
Food waste is a pet peeve of mine and with the cost of groceries rising, I do my best to ensure that there is never waste in our household.
I like to weigh my food, it’s how I can ensure I’m getting what I need to keep fuelled for the day. I really like chicken in my salads and stir frys, so I knew that is what the chicken breast would be used for. I shredded up the breast and weight out two-four ounce portions. I then bagged it in GLAD®’s Snack Bags and stuck them in the fridge.
The Snack Bags are a perfect size for 4ounces of meat, it was clearly meant to be. Now when I’m in a rush for lunch, I can add the chicken to lettuce and top with my Dijon Vinaigrette and voila – lunch in less then one minute. Another idea is to take a bag of frozen vegetables, toss them in a skillet and sauté until crispy. Add the chicken, some garlic, ginger, chicken broth and a dash of soy sauce and you have a quick and easy stir fry for dinner. Two meals down.
I don’t like to waste anything when it comes to grocery store roasted chicken, including the bones and skin. Don’t be grossed out, it’s actually incredibly beneficial to your health. I get into details on boiling bones to make a solid chicken or turkey broth on my post Healing Turkey Vegetable Soup. Truth me told, making this soup was the original reason I bought the roasted chicken from the grocery store in the first place.
Here’s another tip: if an ingredient you need is on sale buy twice as much and freeze the remainder. I always forget to buy celery when it comes to turkey soups, so when I noticed it on sale last week I grabbed a few stalks and chopped it all up all at once. The leftovers were wrapped in GLAD® Sandwich Bags, and then I stuck it in a Snack Bag and tossed it in the freezer. So now when I forget celery for turkey soup after Christmas dinner, I’m covered.
As much as I love a good bowl of homemade chicken soup, my toddler tends to change his mind on whether or not he likes it that day. I used GLAD® Press’n Seal to seal his soup and put it in the fridge for the next day’s lunch. This was the first time I have tried this product and I’ll be running to the grocery store to buy more. This is (by far) my favourite GLAD® product. See the photo of the bowl it’s tipped on it’s side, and soup is completely sealed inside. This is a must for every household, not only does it ensure freshness but it also prevents messes.
What good is soup without a homemade bun? I wrapped GLAD® ClingWrap to save my homemade buns and two days later, they’re still fresh! I’m surprised because they’re usually stale by now. ClingWrap is what I usually buy because it works and sticks to plates well. There is no fumbling and no frustration.
So in case you were curious here are the meals I have made from one grocery store roasted chicken:
Chicken stir fry: 1
Chicken salad: 1
Chicken sandwich (on a bun): 1
Chicken Soup: 3 (enough for two bowls at dinner for 2 people, two bowls at lunch for 3 and one bowl for a third meal).
That’s a total of 6 meals.
Food Waste? Not in this house.
You can read more about GLAD® and the products I used at Glad.ca and head on over to Glad’s Facebook page and get some great tips on preventing food waste.
Do you buy grocery store roasted chickens? What do you like to do with them?
I love how frugal you are without really meaning to be. I love store bought chicken. There is NO WAY you can buy one of those chickens for the price of cooking and roasting them. My favourites are the Costco ones because they are usually pretty big. I love using them for multiple meals also.
I was thinking about that while writing the post, two chicken breasts cost more then one whole chicken. It’s amazing. I wish we had a Costco closer, it’s my favorite store haha.
Oh I totally try to be frugal I am super cheap…when I want to be 😉
I can’t believe you got 6 meals out of one chicken! My family can barely get 1 out of it!! lol!! Great tips and I love glad products!
The soup really spread it out! I plan on buying one every two weeks now just for the soup 🙂
I’ll have to try that press and seal product, looks like it’s holding up with that soup just fine!
Okay, I totally had to see how you turned a chicken into so many meals! Great idea. We can usually get two family meals out of one chicken so they are a good deal. Thanks for sharing!
I like to eat them. Hahaha. We eat them and then have the leftovers for lunch in a sandwich or wrap BUT I love your idea way better. I will try this. I haven;t had one of these in a long time actually. It’s not something we buy that often. I buy regular whole chicken when on sale and make a massive pile of soup or stew. That’s my thing. I will try this. Thanks!
Great tips! Sometimes we get a roasted chicken from the grocery store, but that is only when we don’t have enough leftovers to serve to all seven of us and we are too busy or tired to cook. We hardly ever have extra chicken leftover when I get a roasted chicken from the grocery store.
Love this! I usually buy a chicken, make sandwiches for the first day or two, then the carcass sits in the fridge and ends up getting tossed because I haven’t had a chance to get back to it to make soup.
How does your celery hold up in the freezer?
I hear that! That’s why I just chucked it in right away. I’m going to start doing this weekly!
Great ideas. We don’t waste food at our house either.