So Friday afternoon Number 1 Son did a grocery run and came home with about 40 lbs. of chicken thighs. They don't go on sale all that often so I thought we had better take advantage of the 99 cents a lb. price.
I filled my big stock pot and two smaller pots with the chicken thighs, added water to cover and let them cook until they were falling off the bone done. When they were cool enough to handle I pulled the meat from the bones and cut it into about 1-inch pieces. I had thawed 6 lbs. of frozen mixed vegetables, so I layered a generous cup of meat and a cup of vegetables into quart jars. I used the broth that the chicken cooked in to fill the jars to within 1-inch from the top. I had 17 quarts of chicken vegetable soup when I ran out of vegetables.
I still had quite a bit of chicken left, so I put 2 generous cups of meat in quart jars and added the broth. I wound up with 12 quarts of chicken in broth. I figure I can use that as a soup or stew base, or thicken the broth for chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes or rice or baking powder biscuits. It probably will work in chicken casserole dishes as well or for chicken and dumplings.
Some people add salt when they can meat or vegetables, but I usually do not. Often I will add a bit of chicken bouillon for extra flavor when I heat it up and that generally is enough salt.
I was kind of surprised at how much mileage I got out of the chicken. Haven't a clue where I'm going to store it all, but I sure am glad to have it. I think of all the different meats I can, I use chicken the most. Chicken soup is kind of a comfort food and the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a really cold winter here this year. Probably going to need to be comforted long about February. :)
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Great idea, Vicki! We find buying on sale really stretches out our dollars. That allows us to go get the next thing on sale. Have fun finding places to store things. It can be another lesson in creativity.
ReplyDeleteFern
Thank you, Frank and Fern...
ReplyDeleteI pretty much shop just sales these days. Gives me more bang for my buck. Living in a small apartment makes it interesting when trying to find space for it all, but I refuse to stop adding to my preps. It is too important. Somehow, it all works out in the end. :)
Gee thanks now I want chicken pot pie more now then i did 5 min ago.
ReplyDeleteRob...I know that the initial investment in a pressure canner and jars can be daunting, but it really is worth it in the long run. I opened a pint of the same kind of soup last week. The date I had written on the lid was three years ago, and it was still just fine. Many times it works out to where the home canned foods are cheaper than those in cans from the grocery.
ReplyDeleteAnd darn you anyway! Now I'm hungry for chicken pot pie! :)
I am a neophyte in the kitchen. So far I can make a good chili and something that my family has called hamburger soup. I have wanted to try something with chicken but don't plan on starting with 40 pounds of thighs. In my hamburger soup I am adding tarragon, chili powder, cumin, Oregano, thyme, marjoram and allspice as well as the basics of salt, pepper and garlic. I gleaned those from looking at recipes that dealt with beef dishes.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, are there any specific spices that you put in chicken soup? My wife is out of town and I am willing to experiment a little.
Grace and peace.
Pumice...I wouldn't start out with 40 lbs. of thighs either, were I not using them for canning. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just a very basic cook. All I add to the chicken and whatever vegetables I use are salt, pepper, dried parsley and onion flakes. I use a lot of home dehydrated seasonings like the parsley and onion. I also add a little powdered chicken bouillon for extra chicken flavor. A little basil and thyme wouldn't hurt. For a better recipe than mine, it might be a good thing to look to someone who is more into gourmet cooking. Me...just basic country foods.
Your hamburger soup sounds delicious. I may have to give it a go.
For all poultry, like the song goes...Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme ;-D
ReplyDeleteb g
b g ...So Simon and Garfunkel were really singing about seasoning chicken. Who knew? Aside from having that song be-bopping around in my brain for the next day or two, that's a really good way to remember how to season poultry. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, forty pounds of chicken. That would keep me in chicken for a long time. I like to boil it, then cut it up, then fry it with rice or beans. The soup sounds really good but it also sounds like a lot of work (and clean up!)
ReplyDeleteHarry...I wouldn't be buying 40 lbs. of chicken if I weren't canning it. But along with the vegetables, I spent close to $50, which translates to nearly one month's worth of meals for at least two people, and in a pinch, can be stretched to feed one or two more. The work part isn't so bad. But the clean up is a bugger! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions, V and A. Now I need to save this post until I can get around to using them.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace
Pumice...You are most welcome. I'm grateful for Anon's musical seasonings suggestion as well. Good luck on your culinary endeavors. :)
ReplyDeleteMom,
ReplyDeleteEverything is good in moderation. It sounds like you have completely filled your shelves and now is the time to sit back and relax.
Love, David
No sweat Vicki, those are indeed the classic poultry herbs. When she roasted chicken, my late wife always added Tarragon, and if she wasn't stuffing it, often sometimes put garlic or chunks of lemons inside the body. But hey, her grandmother was French ;-D
ReplyDeleteb g
David...
ReplyDeleteSon, we live in an uncertain world. There are terrorists crossing our borders every day along with the rest of the illegals. The Black Lives Matter folks would like to see as many cops dead as possible before they move on to killing as many of your skin color as possible. We have a president who addresses neither of these problems but instead announces that climate change is the worst thing we are facing while he works to see that we are all disarmed so we can't fight back. And some of my children don't have enough food set aside for more than a week. So when I am satisfied that I have enough put back to feed all of my family for a length of time (I'm not saying disaster WILL strike - only that it is possible), then and only then will I sit back and relax. And I do this because I love all of you way too much not to.
Love, Mom
b g ...Thanks for the tips on roasting chicken. I will try them soon. I had French ancestors too, but none of their skills in French cuisine made it as far as my generation. We are fairly good cooks, but more of the plain meat and potato variety. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always made soup with hamburger, tomatoes, green beans, corn, lima beans, potatoes with onion, celery and bell peppers for seasoning. Since I have found out I am allergic to beef, I have considered using chicken instead. I'm glad to know chicken works, too.
ReplyDeletePractical Parsimony