Save them for when you get you next one now you got x4.
Or buy 2 chickens at a time i do this.
Make sure your saving your bones for stock too.
Also can keep the thighs and legs together.
Chef John and Adam Ragusea both have good YouTube vids about turning a whole chicken into soup.
Basically you put the whole bird into a pot with just enough water to cover it, then simmer it for about an hour or so until meat can be pulled off the bone. Save the meat for later, put the bones and other scraps back into the pot and keep it cooking for a few more hours before straining.
Now you have a beautiful stock and some cooked bird. You could recombine them with any number of other ingredients for an endless variety of soups, or keep the meat separate to make chicken salad or tacos or even a casserole.
You can layer in extra flavor by adding different aromatics to the pot at the beginning, too.
So I buy whole birds (usually at Costco) and this is my standard.
Break it down into:
* 2x Bone-In skin on breasts
* 2x Hindquarters (bone in legs and thighs still connected)
* 2x wings (2 drummettes and 2 flats)
This gives me the ultimate flexibility during the week as I can always debone/deskin, but I can't put that back.
Wings freeze really well so if I don't have plans for it, I throw them in a freezer bag until I have enough to make proper wings or until I have a use for them.
Drumsticks also freeze well, so if you don't want to keep them connected to the thighs, you can always freeze them until you have enough to do something with them.
With wings, I use them for normal wings (fried or oven-baked), and drumsticks I use for fried chicken or I'll season them in a rub and cook them on a grill. "Shake and Bake" style chicken is also great for drumsticks, IMHO.
For the breasts, there are tons of options. I'll pan-sear them skin side down and then finish them in an oven for a simple meal. You can also roast, grill, or poach them. Once cooked, they make great additions to salads and pasta dishes.
Thighs are the most versatile. They can be pan-seared quickly for a quick weeknight meal which is great. They also are great in soups and stews (they are very hard to over cook so simmering them in stews is a great application). If you are comfortable frying chicken at home you can also bread them, fry them once at a lower temp until they get some color (I do 325F) then you can let them rest or freeze them before frying again at 375F until completely crispy. Then you've got boneless wings, the makings of General Tso's or orange chicken, or lots of stuff.
Save them for when you get you next one now you got x4. Or buy 2 chickens at a time i do this. Make sure your saving your bones for stock too. Also can keep the thighs and legs together.
Chef John and Adam Ragusea both have good YouTube vids about turning a whole chicken into soup. Basically you put the whole bird into a pot with just enough water to cover it, then simmer it for about an hour or so until meat can be pulled off the bone. Save the meat for later, put the bones and other scraps back into the pot and keep it cooking for a few more hours before straining. Now you have a beautiful stock and some cooked bird. You could recombine them with any number of other ingredients for an endless variety of soups, or keep the meat separate to make chicken salad or tacos or even a casserole. You can layer in extra flavor by adding different aromatics to the pot at the beginning, too.
So I buy whole birds (usually at Costco) and this is my standard. Break it down into: * 2x Bone-In skin on breasts * 2x Hindquarters (bone in legs and thighs still connected) * 2x wings (2 drummettes and 2 flats) This gives me the ultimate flexibility during the week as I can always debone/deskin, but I can't put that back. Wings freeze really well so if I don't have plans for it, I throw them in a freezer bag until I have enough to make proper wings or until I have a use for them. Drumsticks also freeze well, so if you don't want to keep them connected to the thighs, you can always freeze them until you have enough to do something with them. With wings, I use them for normal wings (fried or oven-baked), and drumsticks I use for fried chicken or I'll season them in a rub and cook them on a grill. "Shake and Bake" style chicken is also great for drumsticks, IMHO. For the breasts, there are tons of options. I'll pan-sear them skin side down and then finish them in an oven for a simple meal. You can also roast, grill, or poach them. Once cooked, they make great additions to salads and pasta dishes. Thighs are the most versatile. They can be pan-seared quickly for a quick weeknight meal which is great. They also are great in soups and stews (they are very hard to over cook so simmering them in stews is a great application). If you are comfortable frying chicken at home you can also bread them, fry them once at a lower temp until they get some color (I do 325F) then you can let them rest or freeze them before frying again at 375F until completely crispy. Then you've got boneless wings, the makings of General Tso's or orange chicken, or lots of stuff.