You know those big bags of chicken leg quarters sold inexpensively at the store? It's a 10 lb bag for about $5. Most people skip past them unless they are hosting a barbecue or have a huge family. I think they are overwhelmed by the size. Some frugal folks do purchase them and then repackage them in appropriate portions for their families and freeze them. But, what else can you do with these bulk bags?
Well, I discovered a few years ago a very nifty way to use them. I place as many as will fit into my crockpot, put the lid on and turn it to the "high" setting. I don't season them at this point... though you could salt and pepper them. I leave them to cook for several hours, until the meat is falling off of the bones. I drain the juice and fat into a container and debone the chicken. The juice and fat can be used to make chicken stock and frozen or poured over dog food (especially in the winter when they need extra fat).
The deboned chicken is then packaged. Some goes into vacuum sealed bags and into the freezer for later use and some goes into the fridge for immediate use. I use the pre-cooked chicken in a number of ways:
- Add barbecue sauce and make barbecue chicken sandwiches
- Place with cheese between two tortillas and grill for chicken quesadillas
- Use for chicken salad
- Use in recipes such as chicken enchilada casserole
The same concept can be applied to bulk ground beef. Simply brown the ground beef, drain the fat and juices (I pour it over the dogs' food) and repackage it. Then it's available for many recipes as well:
- One-dish-meal
- Spanish Rice
- Sloppy Joes
- Taco's (I like to go ahead and season some for tacos and label the package accordingly)
For just a few dollars, I've got the base for several meals and I've saved myself time. It's great for those days when we have a lot going on and want to grab something quick.
Well, I discovered a few years ago a very nifty way to use them. I place as many as will fit into my crockpot, put the lid on and turn it to the "high" setting. I don't season them at this point... though you could salt and pepper them. I leave them to cook for several hours, until the meat is falling off of the bones. I drain the juice and fat into a container and debone the chicken. The juice and fat can be used to make chicken stock and frozen or poured over dog food (especially in the winter when they need extra fat).
The deboned chicken is then packaged. Some goes into vacuum sealed bags and into the freezer for later use and some goes into the fridge for immediate use. I use the pre-cooked chicken in a number of ways:
- Add barbecue sauce and make barbecue chicken sandwiches
- Place with cheese between two tortillas and grill for chicken quesadillas
- Use for chicken salad
- Use in recipes such as chicken enchilada casserole
The same concept can be applied to bulk ground beef. Simply brown the ground beef, drain the fat and juices (I pour it over the dogs' food) and repackage it. Then it's available for many recipes as well:
- One-dish-meal
- Spanish Rice
- Sloppy Joes
- Taco's (I like to go ahead and season some for tacos and label the package accordingly)
For just a few dollars, I've got the base for several meals and I've saved myself time. It's great for those days when we have a lot going on and want to grab something quick.
