The whole or the parts?

I wanted to get some chicken noodle soup for my husband who was sick over the weekend, but the canned variety didn't appeal to me (on a cost or taste level) and I didn't really want to chunk out the money for canned chicken broth (especially with all the sodium). So, I decided to step it up and get a whole chicken.

After a short youtube video on how to quarter a chicken, I set to work. In just a few minutes I had drumsticks, breasts, and a chunk to boil for some stock. The quartered pieces, sliced carrots, and one cubed potato were thrown into a baking dish and roasted. At the same time, the rest of the chicken was thrown into a pot with water to cover, a couple ribs of celery, onion, garlic, and a few old whole carrots.

The chicken in the oven roasted for around 30 minutes and the chicken in the pot a bit longer. I dumped the contents of the chicken in the pot into a strainer over a big bowl. I let all the liquid (my new stock) cool to room temperature and then placed it in the fridge to let the fat harden at the surface so it could be skimmed off.

I used about half of the stock (around 3 1/2 cups) to make the chicken noodle soup and half of the chicken that I roasted. I pulled the chicken apart and plopped it into the same pot I used to make the stock and then added all the roasted veggies.

I was able to freeze four cups of stock, half of the chicken that I roasted (that can be used in a casserole or other dish), and half of the soup (enough for two meals for two people). I had the veggies, garlic, noodles, and spices on hand, so I only paid $5 for the whole chicken.

Total time was about two hours. However, the active time was more like an hour. I know it seems a bit long (especially for those of you that are working all week), but with the items in the freezer, I will save time and money later on future meals using the stock, cooked chicken, and soup.

Sorry Campbells, I'm saving money and adding flavor by doing it myself!