Cooking a whole chicken

Novice_investor101

Another vote for jointing the chicken yourself. It really is so easy to do & for about £2-odd I can have 6-8 meals worth of chicken pieces in the freezer.
Just YouTube for the instructions. You'll never buy chicken pieces again!

that

Just google sous vide, which is a method of cooking slowly most things, very tender, flaverful and loads of vids on youtube. You can buy a multi-cooker for about £50 new off ebay.

if you are going to freeze it, then partition it in edible sections in separate vacuum pouches. After cooking dont freeze it immediately, but put it in an ice bath for about 30 mins, then take it out and then freeze it.

All that is left is sometime in the future to take it out, and reheat.

bouicca21

If always havered between buying whole chicken or pieces. I have no idea which provides most value but currently buy packs of thighs.

Whether a whole chicken lasts many meals surely depends on the size? The ratio of meat to bone must be better on a large chicken than a small one?

When I do buy a whole one I cut it in half so that I can cook half and freeze half.

suki1964

No point in buying a small chicken, most of it is carcuss so buy a bigger one

I know you are totally paranoid about chicken, but there really is no need to be as long as you cook the chicken thoroughly, its the raw product thats more likely to poison you

If you really are scared of reheating, this is a fool proof way

Slice the chicken and portion into either the tin foil trays you can buy or reused plastic take away dishes, cover with gravy and freeze

Reheat ( tin foil in the oven, plastic in the micro) until the gravy bubbles. Your chicken will be hot all the way through

You might think about investing in a meat thermometre. Professional kitchens use them all the tie to take the guess work out

Linda32

I can only repeat Suki, I reheat the same way.

If we cook a chicken in the day, then the whole lot is frozen apart from enough for OH to have in a wrap for that nights supper. So leaving it in the fridge overnight makes you far braver than me!

To answer you question, yes it is much cheaper to cook a whole chicken than chicken portions.

Fusspot

I thought cooked chicken is ok in the fridge for up to four days. How about buying a ready cooked chicken would that be better?

JIL

Not sure why a ready cooked chicken would be better. Once a chicken is cooked I keep it maximum of three days.
I buy a whole chicken and cook it on a Sunday, I usually buy a small one currently £1.99 in Lidl.I cook it in a fake cast iron le cruset dish. The chicken is falling off the bones once it cooked. It serves two for dinner and the dog gets some bits. I do sandwiches or wraps for a couple of days and there's enough left for another meal for two, sometimes omlette, lasagne, pie, or just with chips and salad.
I do think a whole chicken is better value. I also buy one and half it during the week to make fake nandos or to joint and breadcrumb. I often use one half and freeze the other.

suki1964

Fusspot wrote: »

I thought cooked chicken is ok in the fridge for up to four days. How about buying a ready cooked chicken would that be better?

A cooked chicken is a cooked chicken, no matter who cooked it

If your fridge is working correctly,(5oC or below) if you wrap and place the cooled chicken in the fridge ASAP and you aren't getting it in and out constantly, it will be fine for up to 4/5 days

As a home cook Ive often got cooked meat in the fridge that long, Ive not yet poisoned anyone

As a paid cook, no longer then 2 days, and thats in a separate fridge from anything else

You really do need to take the plunge and go for it Make sure your chicken is cooked till when you pierce the fattest part of the leg that the juices run clear ( one way to make real sure is to turn the chicken upside down for the last 20 mins of cooking), then once cooked leave to rest for 10 mins before carving

Take off what you are eating, go eat, then time you have finished the rest of the chicken will be cool enough to go into the fridge. Strip it all down, portion up and either refrigerate or freeze

Campylobacter, which is the most common bug in poultry is killed by cooking thoroughly

As I have said here many times before, its chicken in its raw state that is dangerous to health. I actually do have a separate chopping board that I use for chicken and whilst I am not the most hygienic person in the world, when it comes to raw poultry, I do go around with the spray and spray all surfaces and the sink, tap, fridge door, drawer handles after working with raw chicken

bouicca21

Another reiteration that it is the raw or undercooked chicken that is the problem.

I'm not quite as intense as Suki but I certainly wash (thoroughly) anything that has been in contact with raw meat/fish. I also follow the basic rule that raw meat and fish should only be stored on the bottom shelf of the fridge, in order to avoid cross contamination.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Fusspot wrote: »

I'm really paranoid about freezing and reheating chicken which is why I would rather just keep it in the fridge.

When my chicken turns into a curry, she rests on the stove. The refrigerator is for wobbkeade. I’m still here so it is ok.