I am going to Mumsnet the fuck out of this chicken!

We would normally carve, Steppemum, but some recipes do lend themselves more to whole pieces instead - if you roast thighs and drumsticks instead or if you spatchcock the chicken. We do this from time to time, but fewer leftovers.

Sometimes it's nice to have whole pieces though

@ waving a chicken at a meal

But burgrit

equally there's little point in eeking it out so much to the point it is just scraps.

See, I disagree with this entirely, but have to stress that I agree that BOTH opinions are valid. I find that a few scraps of meat in an otherwise vegetarian main (a pilaf, said) make a big difference, but Not everyone finds that the case and that's fine.

I find that I do still appreciate a much smaller portion of meat, which makes it worthwhile, although I think this would be less true if I didn't have portions as big as my head from time to time.

I have learnt something from this thread - that some people don't carve the roast chicken they just serve a whole breast per person in a lump.

no, but seriously, is that a thing? Doesn't everyone carve slices form the breast? I get 6-7 slices from one breast, and then slice the leg and that is a plateful of meat.

is this how we have become an obese nation of meat eaters?

and yy to loads of lush roast potatoes and veg and gravy with it.

But burgrit

equally there's little point in eeking it out so much to the point it is just scraps.

meat is expensive so fir me I'd rather have it in a way that allows me to enjoy it then do a couple of vegetarian meals.
I don't eat large portions if the meat and neither do the Dds. but even that way I'd still not get half of what others claim they do.

waving a chicken at a meal is a waste to me.

No teens were starved in the Mumsnetting of this chicken.

Possibly my biggest giggle so far today thanks!:o

I've given up trying to make stock. It always ends up like dishwater and uses a fortune in veg and gas and makes a horrible mess.

I just use Kallo stock cubes instead and was lucky enough to drop on a load being sold off in Asda for about 30 pence a box.

But I would make a chicken do 2 or 3 meals for 4 people - roast with the breasts and veg/potatoes etc. Pie, pasta bake, paella or whatever with the legs and thighs and noodle soup or stir fry with the wings and other bits left over.

I agree with Bugrit that a lot of people on here are far too sniffy at anyone who tries to cut down and eat sensible meat portions/use a whole chicken properly.

A lot of people are far too greedy with their expectations over meat consumption. There have been TV programmes where people have been shown eating the breasts and throwing the rest away and at the same time complaining that food is too expensive.

I like to have a chicken dinner then use the rest in a pasta bake and any bits left work well in an omelet where only a little is needed then you can soul the rest. Each to their own but I bought a reduced rotisserie chicken from waitrose yesterday, it's teeny but for for £2 it's already done a family meal for 2 adults and 2 kids and lunch for me and my preschooler then it will be dinner tonight too. I feel I might have mumsnetted the fuck out of it

Cook the chicken on really low like 140 degrees for several hours then leave it to stand/rest for a good hour. You will find it so much easier to strip, literally you pick it up and the carcass drops out of it. Much much easier to get as much meat off that chicken that way. Also the excess fat and gristle renders off so its all usable stuff left over.

I am tempted to try this myself now and see how many meals I can get out of a chicken, usually it is just one - all scraps go to the cats.

6 of us here, 3 adult sized portions and 3 tweens , from a large chicken we'll use one breast and one leg for sunday lunch, and the rest either striped down for curry or boiled off for soup/stew. the trick is to carve it properly instead of pulling the meat off in lumps, we need less meat than we think esp. when there's 3 veg, spuds and yorkshires on the plate

"Mumsnet the fuck out of this chicken"

Instead of the pie you could do chicken chow mein noodles as don't need much meat at all and it's less noticeable than pie in my opinion, and v tasty.

You may have hope of sandwiches then.

Fry garlic, spring onion and chopped ginger if you have. Add any veg you like (carrots, peas/ sweetcorn, red pepper, celery) or one of those packs from the supermarket. Add a stock cube (to cover the lack of meat!!), meat, soy sauce. Cook noodles separately then add and mix it all up. Yummy.

Ah yes *Rainbow. May I add to your method of stock making? Make sure you slop some of the hot stock over your hand when straining it down the sink. It definitely adds a certain something.

" ffs have a proper portion today and have an omelette tomorrow"

See, I hate this attitude so much. It's the sniffiness at someone trying to make their meat go further that gets me.

Thing is we do need much less meat than we are accustomed to having and sometimes people don't seem to grasp that you can do both - have plentiful portions on Sunday AND use up the scraps in meals during the week.

Family of 6 here, 3 eat adult portions (2 eat large adult potions imo), 3 eat child sized portions. Out of a 1.5kg chicken we get 1 roast dinner & 1 pie or curry.

I think many people don't realise that you don't need a whole breast per person. If you slice, dice, or shred the meat, you actually eat less meat per person. In pies it gets bulked out by the onion/mushrooms & pastry.

Sandwiches is a really unthrifty way to stretch a chicken. A round of sandwiches per person uses as much chicken as a roast dinner.

Once you've made your pie use the leftover bits in a risotto, stirfry or similar instead. You get chickenyness without having the same amount of chicken. A chicken sandwich with hardly any chicken in is so disappointing, whereas a chicken chowmein is mostly veg and noodles with a bit of chicken anyway.

We had roast chicken yesterday. It was a co-op large one and weighed 2.002kg. I served 1 breast, 2 drumsticks and 1 thigh, all sliced up, on a platter with the roasties and stuffing between 6 people. Offered to slice more meat but everyone said no (5 veg, roast and mashed potatoes) so no-one starving.

Made stock and had it in a Chinese style noodle soup for supper (4 of us), shredding up a small piece of the breast meat.

No idea what we'll do with the rest but still have almost a whole breast, one thigh, 2 wings and all the yummy red meat from around and under the body left (except the oysters: carver's treat! )

The trick to this is not to let the actual whole chicken go to table on the first day. Serve moderate portions per adult (mix of white and brown meat, so there some white meat left for the pie) in the kitchen and extra veggies, that way no one gets greedy wth the leftovers.

I spend about £40 on meat every 2-3 months, usually from muscle food.....and this does us dinner and leftover lunches usually 5/6 days a week (we eat at parents etc the other day/s) and I do it by doing things like this!! it can be done!! good luck! If you get stuck have a look at a facebook page called feed your family for £20 a week, the ideas on making things go further is great!

Top tip for making stock:

Don't spend hours lovingly simmering the carcass on the hob, just to pour it through a colander over the sink, with nothing underneath it to catch all the stocky lusciousness... it will disappear down the drain, leaving behind a useless pile of overcooked veg and bones and you will be cross. And your dh will laugh at you, which will make you more cross.

IT's all about how you carve it the first time - make shit loads of delicious roast vegetables and good gravy, and then carve the bird into proper slices instead of serving great lumps.

the soup - avagolemeno is delicious and the lemon and rice makes it good without needing huge lumps of chicken in there (though you will get some)

You can do it. Easy.

I have made some stock, though was just kind of doing what I saw when I worked as a skivvy at a 5* hotel. Where they make 'base' which appeared to be putting the carcasses and onions, veg bits etc into large dustbin and simmering away for some time.

dont forget to pad it out with lentils.....

two adults and two kids here. one main meal. some sandwiches and just about enough left to put in a soup .I do make stock though

but my two are 9 and 5 so portions pretty small.

I read this yonks ago on MN in regards ri eeking out a sodding chicken , and been dying to repeat it so here goes...

" ffs have a proper portion today and have an omelette tomorrow"

Frankly I don't believe you are Mumsnetting that chicken hard enough.

You ought to be able to at least get enough for a curry, a risotto, and a meal for the neighbours on top of what you've already planned. And if you're really going to do it the mumsnet way, there should be some lentils going in to bulk out the meat.

Ooh, that sounds like a brilliant idea, Lilyhopper. I fancy a roast chicken soon: might just do that.

If I want to make stock (and, tbf, haven't done it for ages) I normally poach a whole chicken in the slow cooker. I add about 2 kettlefulls of water to the bird along with some dried mushrooms and the usual stuff like peppercorns etc then cook it for 4 or 5 hours (I think)

You don't get crispy skin but the meat is really moist, the stock's tasty and they're both done together so only one job to do.