How To Make The Most Out Of A Whole Roasted Chicken

Have you ever wondered if it’s worth roasting a whole chicken? This post will outline all the reasons we believe it is the best option for a healthy and budget-conscious meal! 

Many people will shy away from cooking a whole chicken because they feel like buying chicken breasts by themselves is cheaper and easier to cook. But, we actually believe the opposite! This post will outline the reasons why you should consider cooking a whole bird and how to get the most meat. The beautiful thing about a whole chicken is you get dark meat, light meat, and very nutritious broth! Read on to learn all of our best tips. 

Cost Comparison

Cooking a whole bird is an economical way to save money. People believe they are saving money by purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breast at the grocery store because there is no bone, and every part of the meat is edible. While it is true that everything is edible, the breasts are priced for that, too! Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are harder to process, so the price will often reflect that. The processor we use for the birds we sell charges us $2 per bird just to remove the bone and the skin from the breast! Since a whole bird is much simpler to process, it is cheaper per pound.

While a whole bird may seem overwhelming, once there is a system in place for using a whole bird, it can easily become part of your routine. Meat is not the only way you can utilize buying or raising a whole chicken. Not only are you getting the meat to eat, but you are also getting bones that make a really nutrient-dense broth! This makes your total costs much lower than it would be to buy individual chicken breasts and broth, especially if you are buying organic chicken. 

How much chicken do you get off a whole bird?

A good general estimation for how much meat you will get off a whole chicken is about 1 cup of cooked meat per pound of a whole raw chicken. For the average weight of a five-pound bird, you can expect to get about 5 cups of white meat and dark meat, which will make a number of meals! According to the USDA,  the average person yields 75% of the weight in meat of the bird with 69% being the lowest yield and 87% being the highest.

With this 5-pound bird shown in the photo, we were able to yield about 2.5 pounds of meat. The same is true for an average rotisserie chicken! If you are short on time, the convenience of rotisserie chickens can be helpful to get a healthy meal on the table in no time. There’s a reason why everyone loves Costco’s rotisserie chickens! Obviously, larger birds will yield more meat per bird, while smaller chickens yield less, but the 1 cup of cooked meat per pound consistently rings true for us. 

How to roast a whole chicken

Our favorite method to cooking a whole chicken is to roast it. This method is an easy way to make moist and delicious chicken! It is a great option for a large family, or to get multiple meals out of it, since it will yield a lot of meat. This recipe uses salt and pepper to simply season the raw meat, and then it is slow roasted. It is so easy to do and you can make so many different meals with it! Shred it to add to your favorite soups, casseroles, tacos, and more. Or, make a traditional chicken dinner and pair it with roasted potatoes and veggies for a simple, healthy meal. Find the recipe for Slow Roasted Chicken here. 

Whole chickens make easy, cost-effective meals

Cooking a whole chicken is a great solution for time-strapped families. It makes a really easy and convenient meal to meal prep and get multiple meals out of for the week. It is one of our family’s favorite animal proteins! The good news is, out of one individual chicken, you can get multiple meals off of it and then make broth for soup. We outline our family’s method to meal prep chicken for the week in this post here. When you build it into your weekly routine, roasting a whole chicken is a convenient way to get a healthy dinner on the table. Plus, the whole family gets to eat their favorite type of meat since a whole chicken will give dark meat and white meat. 

How to utilize a whole chicken

Since many prefer boneless, skinless breasts, it can be intimidating to use meat with bones. In our home, we typically eat the wings, legs and thighs from the roast chicken on the first night. The breasts are easy to separate off the bones to save for shredding for the next meal, and the rest of the carcass goes right into the instant pot for broth. In the beginning, make it simple to make it part of your routine. Don’t avoid roasting a whole chicken if you are nervous about dealing with bones.

Nutrient-dense chicken broth

One of the best parts of using a whole chicken is that you can then make very nutritious chicken broth. This is one of my favorite clever ways to save money because you will no longer have to buy chicken broth at the store, and the homemade version is full of nutrients and a great way to serve your family nutritious food! You can make multiple meals from one chicken by eating the meat and then using the leftover pieces of chicken and bones to make homemade soup. Learn how to make healing chicken bone broth with this recipe here. It may seem intimidating to make your own broth, but it is a super easy method and will soon become a staple in your kitchen!

Purchase your whole chicken from Pleasant Grove Homestead

Our meat birds also called broiler chickens, are pasture-raised with a chicken tractor, on fresh pasture daily. We believe the outdoor access provides the chicken the best life, and in return provides families with the most nutrient dense protein you can find! While we do not ship our meats, you can learn where to find our products across Iowa with the link below. 

Considering raising your own chickens?

If you want to raise your own meat birds we have lots of resources for you about raising chickens! Everything from how many square feet you need for your chicken coop, how to calculate total feed cost, and how we raise them with open access but also keep them safe with a chicken tractor. Find all of our blog posts about raising chickens here.