Why you should buy whole chickens instead of chicken parts

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Stella

The short answer: To save money.

The longer answer: More and better products.

This guy explains why and how.

For the best way to make stock (my opinion) check out this post:

Making superior stock for your pantry

 

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9 Responses to Why you should buy whole chickens instead of chicken parts

  2. auscitizenmom's avatar auscitizenmom says:
    July 18, 2025 at 3:41 pm

    I have read in the past that there is a really good reason to buy the whole chicken. They said that they can cut off diseased parts and sell the separate parts. I don’t know if it is true or not, but I sure can believe it at this time in history.

    I truly only like breast meat, but my DIL, of course, kills their own chickens and uses all of it. I guess it is time to grow up and learn to eat the other parts. I have been doing that for the last three years at their house. I haven’t learn to like it yet, but I can eat it without complaining. I guess that is a step in the right direction.

    I just thought of something else. I haven’t been able to buy a chicken breast with the ribs in years. I prefer those for frying. Maybe I could learn how to chop it up so I get that old time chicken breast cut.

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    • Stella's avatar Stella says:
      July 18, 2025 at 5:13 pm

      My favorite is chicken thighs. They are almost impossible to overcook, and breast can get really dry! When I was younger, we always bought whole chickens and cut them up for frying, or roasting them whole. Also, we had our own chickens for a while in my early teens. They were primarily for eggs, but we did kill the old birds to stew or make stock.

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  3. Menagerie's avatar Menagerie says:
    July 18, 2025 at 3:56 pm

    I’m too lazy to cut a chicken up. However, I actually prefer to cook a whole hen to any other way, and that’s what I usually do. Occasionally I’ll cook thighs in a reduced Guinness sauce.

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    • Stella's avatar Stella says:
      July 18, 2025 at 5:25 pm

      My favorite way to cook a whole chicken is on a rotisserie grill outside. I haven’t done that in a long time, though.

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      • Menagerie's avatar Menagerie says:
        July 18, 2025 at 5:46 pm

        I always smoke them now, which is similar to the rotisserie chickens I used to cook a long time ago on our grill.

        Today I smoked lamb using the recipe you gave me, four ribeyes, and something called a pork porterhouse which I bought at a nearby farm. I’ve decided I make terrible food choices when I’m hungry, and I’m getting so I don’t want to cook. So I need to do big batches of food ahead.

        Food is driving me crazy since my husband retired. It seems like I’m no sooner done with one meal than it’s time again. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, when I worked, and part of that time was in school, and on the road with the boys all the time I had to cook everyday. Now I have all the time and it irks me.

        He seems to be the same though, with his small jobs and chores. Lawn work has been relegated to a guy down the road who has a lawn service, cars go to the shop, etc.

        He still does the minor stuff like electrical or plumbing, and laundry and hallelujah, all the kitchen clean up when I cook, so we’re both doing stuff. We’re just getting awful lazy!

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        • Menagerie's avatar Menagerie says:
          July 18, 2025 at 5:49 pm

          I think it would irk him too if he had one chore over with for a few hours and then needed to do it again. He doesn’t think of meals that way, but I do. He used to feed himself breakfast, make his lunches every day. Now he usually waits on me.

          Without him I really do find it quite easy to eat just one meal a day. I wish I could go back to that.

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        • Stella's avatar Stella says:
          July 18, 2025 at 6:27 pm

          I live alone so I can make my own schedule, thank the Lord! I am the leftover queen. I always cook dinner for at least 3 meals. Last night and tonight was Italian sausage with sauteed peppers, onions and mushrooms (plus steamed asparagus). If I want a potato I either roast slices in the toaster oven or bake one in the microwave. Very lazy.

          I do only prepare my own meals at home.

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  4. czarina33's avatar czarina33 says:
    July 18, 2025 at 9:09 pm

    I bake whole chickens and tear them apart for other melas. Means I eat chicken for 3-4 meals a week, then freeze some for days when I don’t want to cook. Then I eat pork for a week. Occasionally beef but never more than two meals in a row, cause that’s a pound of ground beef. Fish in between. Czar always had left overs which we both loved. He never tired of cooking and planning to cook…

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