One Chicken, Three Meals

Families who what to "eat green" are finding that they should eat less meat. Meat has a considerable environmental cost, with factory meat production responsible for considerable environmental damage. Of course, one eat less meat is to eat more vegetarian meals. But my kids still like to eat some meat. So I try to stretch the meat I do prepare and serve.

A whole chicken is a surprisingly affordable source of protein. Whole chickens frequently go on sale at my grocery store for less than $1.00 per pound. At this price, a 7-pound chicken costs less than $7.00, and it's even more inexpensive if stretched to feed 4 people for 3 meals. Now that I'm trying to be more green, I find that it's better to buy the organic, sustainably raised, or Certified Humane birds. Of course, these are considerably more expensive than the on-sale factory farmed grocery store chickens. So it makes even more sense to stetch them into several meals, if at all possible.

In general, it's more economical, and a better use of your time, to cook a larger (5 pounds or more) chicken. You'll have more leftovers for future meals. And bigger birds have more edible meat per pound. If you can't find a chicken that large, or you feel like a change, a capon or a small turkey is a good substitute.

Meal 1: Roast Chicken

Roasting a chicken does take some time, but it's not hard. For more details on how to do it, see my article on how to roast a chicken.

Generally, it's easier and faster not to stuff the chicken before roasting. While the chicken is cooking, roast or bake some potatoes or sweet potatoes as a side dish in another pan. For a one-oven meal, make some roasted vegetables as a second side. Be generous with the sides and vegetables. If the family sees a variety of interesting vegetable side dishes, they'll eat less meat.

At my Weight Watchers meeting, we're constantly being reminded that a "portion" of chicken, or any other meat, is about 3 ounces. That's about the size of the palm of your hand, or a deck of cards. Most Americans eat much more than that when consuming meat for dinner.

When you're preparing the chicken for roasting, save the neck and giblets in the freezer for stock if you aren't making gravy. When you have finished carving the bird, save the bones for stock. You can freeze the carcass if you don't feel like making stock right away. The leftover meat will also freeze well for future use.

Meal 2: Creamed Chicken

Leftover cold chicken is like gold for busy cooks. Some magazine articles I've seen even advise people to buy a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket for the cooked meat. There are all kinds of things you can do with leftover chicken: chicken salad, chicken fried rice, chicken and bean enchiladas, chicken...well, you get the idea. Basically, the way to make the leftover chicken new again is to use it in another dish that the family hasn't seen before.

And if you're roasting a whole 5-pound chicken and eating a "proper" 3-ounce portion of meat, you will have leftovers. If not, you may be eating too much meat.

My daughter's favorite is a variation on chicken tetrazinni I found in one of the vintage cookbooks in my collection. Up through the 1970's efficient and dedicated housewives (what SAHMs were called back then), were expected to stretch the family food budget as much as possible. And in the days before chicken was mass produced on factory farms, or in wartime, or during the Great Depression, chicken was a rare or occasional treat. So if you had meat, you made the most of it--you didn't consume a whole chicken in one sitting and throw away the leftovers, or only eat the boneless breast meat.

Creamed chicken
2 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 c. milk, heated in the microwave
2-3 c. cooked and diced leftover chicken
2 c. peas
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 small can or jar of mushrooms
grated cheddar cheese, optional
12 ounces noodles, cooked according to package directions

Melt the butter, add flour to make a roux and cook. Gradually add milk while stirring and heat until sauce thickens. Add nutmeg, peas, chicken, and mushrooms, and heat through. Serve over noodles and garnish with grated cheddar, if desired.

If you're a member of Weight Watchers, and looking to cut fat, you can modify the recipe by omitting the butter and heating a mixture of milk and 1/4 c. flour to thicken the sauce. Use whole wheat noodles, and omit the cheese. Increase amount of peas and mushrooms, or add other vegetables to make the meal feel more filling.

Meal 3: Soup

Back in the day, everyone saved bones that had no other use for soup stock. And making your own stock is, as was pointed by Amy Dacyczyn in her Tightwad Gazette, a great way to cut your food budget and use up leftover vegetables or (if you're lucky enough to have them) beef or chicken bones. In fact, the Tightwad Gazette is full of useful tips for those looking to have a environmental footprint.

When you're ready, make chicken stock from the chicken neck, giblets, and carcass that you froze. Put the chicken parts in a large pot with enough water to cover, a whole onion, some celery ribs or leaves, and some carrots. If you save odds and ends from vegetables--green bean tips, carrot peelings, celery tops, etc.--you can use these in your stock instead of vegetables. If you are using new vegetables, you don't need to peel them Simmer the chicken and vegetables over low heat (do not boil) for 2 hours. Strain the liquid and save it. Discard the chicken bones and vegetables. Usually, this yields 2 to 3 quarts of stock. Like leftover meat, chicken stock freezes well.

For an easy light supper, serve this lentil soup with bread and a salad, or with peanut butter sandwiches. You are trying to reduce meat consumption, right? So don't make your sandwiches with cold cuts.

Lentil Soup
2 quarts chicken stock
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 ½ c. dry lentils, rinsed and picked over to remove shriveled and misshapen beans
2 T. chopped fresh or frozen parsley or mint
1 box frozen spinach, or 2 carrots (peeled and sliced)
salt and pepper to taste
1 rind from a wedge of parmesan cheese (optional)

Place all the ingredients together in a pot. Simmer about 45 minutes until the lentils are soft. Remove the parmesan rind and serve.