October 13, 2005
as seen in "The Dinner Diva" syndicated column
by Leanne Ely

If I asked you to close your eyes and picture yourself in a grocery store wheeling a cart down the aisle putting chicken in your cart, what would your chicken look like? What kind of chicken would you choose?

If you said a plastic 2.5 lb. bag filled with frozen, skinless, boneless chicken breasts, you're paying roughly $3 or more per pound (unless of course, you took advantage of a buy one/get one free sale). If you bought a whole chicken, that's only .69 per pound. Of course, prices vary from place to place, but the principle is the same: whole chicken vs. chicken packaged any other way is always much cheaper. And compared to the most expensive way of buying chicken, it's a real bargain! But suppose you're not all that kitchen savvy? What do you do with whole chickens? Here's a recipe designed to help you stretch your dollars and your menu at the same time:

Rubber Chicken (or how to make one chicken into three great meals!)

Clean-out-the-Crisper Vegetable Soup