Deboning Chicken Breasts

A few weeks ago I shared how I would be attempting to debone chicken breasts, in an effort to save money. I received several tips and comments that assured me it would be no big deal. Well, they were right, there is nothing difficult about it!

Around here bone-in chicken breasts run about $1/lb. cheaper than the boneless variety. That is less expensive, right? Well, I had read varying viewpoints on this and wanted to try it and decide for myself. Some say it is a lot better deal to buy bone-in and some say there is about half waste so it isn't.

The results: I think it is worth it! Does that mean that I vow to never buy boneless chicken breasts again in the name of being frugal? No, sometimes the convenience is worth the money, I will probably do both from time to time.

Here are my calculations on the cost differences (please keep in mind that I am no expert, I have only done this once)! I think there was about half "waste" in the bone-in breasts. So, if that is accurate, that would make them both effectively the same price. I didn't throw away my "waste" though, I used it to make broth. It basically worked out that I got about 4 "cans worth" of broth for the effort to cut the bone off. Not bad considering it was pretty quick and easy!

Here is what I started with! Time to get your hands dirty and pull off that skin (yes, I said pull...that seemed to be the easiest way to do it).

Alright, now that he is skinless let's get on to the good stuff. I kind of stood my chicken up and found the bone. Then I took a sharp knife and cut along the bone. After the first one, you will totally get what I am trying to describe.

Once you cut the breast off the bone, you will see some meat left on the other side of the bone. Cut that off and cut into pieces. Now that you have one done, finish the rest!

Once you are done you will have a two big bowls like this. One of meat and one of bones for broth! Once they are all done package them up for future meals! Here is how I made my Chicken Broth!

This post linked to Frugal Fridays at www.lifeasmom.com

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a real treat! My mother-in-law was kind enough to share her great chicken noodle soup with me and the whole blogosphere! Pam is a great cook, and she has taught me how to make several things. This is truly the best chicken noodle soup you will ever eat, so make sure you try it soon.

She had me over and I took pictures of her making every step...so you will see how easy it is to make. It is almost like you are in her kitchen getting a personal lesson yourself! Ok, here we go...

Broth:
3-4 bone-in chicken breasts (you can use a whole chicken if you prefer)
2-3 teaspoons margarine or butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
a couple small cans of chicken broth

Noodles:
butter the size of an egg (about 3 tablespoons), room temperature
1 large egg
3 tablespoons milk
pinch of baking powder
pinch of salt
flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
*You are going to want to triple this recipe for the noodles. Pam said it doesn't do as well in one big triple batch, so repeat 3 separate times. Don't worry, it doesn't take long!



In a large pan melt your butter.


Add in your celery, onion, garlic, and carrots. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Then place your chicken breasts in the pan and brown on both sides.

Once they are brown, cover with water and cook until chicken is done.

In mixing bowl add egg, milk, and butter.

Add dry ingredients. You can use a fork, but it is best to just get your hands dirty. You may have to add a little more flour to get it to the right consistency.

It should be about the consistency of a pie crust dough.

Roll out the noodles on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Set aside.

Make 2 more batches of the noodles, and you will have a big pile like this!!!!

Once the chicken is cooked you will want to remove it. I usually add in a couple small cans of chicken broth, depending on how much soup I am making. Heat the broth to a boil. Drop the noodles into the hot broth and let them cook about 20 minutes.

Debone your chicken and and cut into pieces. Add to broth.

Serve with salad and crackers or rolls! This is a very satisfying meal!

How to Cook Dried Beans

I will start by saying that I am in no way a bean expert. I just discovered how to cook 'em up about 6 months ago. When I was dreaming up my blog, this was number one on the list of things to write about. You are probably reading this thinking, wow, this girl is weirder than I first thought...what is so great about beans. Well, besides that fact that they are the magical fruit... canned beans can get expensive, and this tip can save you a lot of money!

Another plus is it will make you feel very homemaker-ish, at least it did me! I was so proud of myself for doing this. I think this would probably be second behind cooking "THE big meat". It's the small victories that excite me! The day I made my first pot of beans, I think I told my husband like 10 times what I had done...just waiting for some praise, thinking he would be really impressed this time. (I think he just thinks I am weird, too???)

Anyways, I cooked up black beans this time...since I needed them for my Mexican lasagna. Black beans are a little pricier than other beans, but they are still a steal! I paid $.99 for a 1 pound bag of dried beans...and it net about 5-6 cups cooked beans. Black beans run around $.79 a can here, and they contain approximately 1 1/2 cups of beans. So, I calculated that dried beans are roughly 1/3 of the cost. To me, that is worth the time. It takes a long time, but not a lot of attention. The best way to do it is to make several bags at the same time.

There are all kinds of methods to cooking beans, here is what works for me...


Empty beans into a colander and rinse, rinse, rinse!
Pour into a stock pot and cover with water (about 8-10 cups per 1 pound of beans)! Oh, and any beans that float need to be discarded.

Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Cover the pot and remove from heat! Let the beans sit for about 1-2 hours. (Now go paint your nails or something while you wait)

Drain the beans into the colander and rinse, rinse, rinse, again. Pour them back into the pot and fill up with water (a couple inches over beans).

Boil with lid tilted for a couple of hours, until tender. (you just have to try one to tell if it is right)
It will probably take 1 1/2-2 hours.

Alright...now that they are done...bag them up and throw them in the freezer. I measure mine in 1 cup portions because that seems to be the most common measurement I use.

This post is linked to Frugal Fridays at www.lifeasmom.com