Three shelves of chicken, three price tags. Breast costs the most per kilogram, a whole bird the least, the thigh somewhere in the middle. But a kilogram of chicken is a kilogram of bones, skin and meat together. To compare fairly, you must count the price not of the weight but of the meat.

How to count the price of meat

Take the price of a kilogram and divide it by the share of meat that ends up on your plate. Fillet has almost no waste: the meat is almost all of it. For a thigh with bone and skin the edible part is about two thirds to three quarters. For a whole bird the meat is about half, the rest is bones, skin and fat.

These figures are approximate, but they give the order of magnitude. If a whole bird is a third cheaper than fillet per kilogram and has half the meat, then the meat from it may cost more than fillet. So look not at the tag but at what you will eat. The principle is the same as in the article on price per kilogram.

Here are chicken offers in the catalogues now:

In the catalogues now: chicken

All offers

Breast: quick and lean

Breast is pure boneless meat, so its tag price is the real price of meat. It cooks fast: ten to fifteen minutes. It suits cutlets, schnitzels, salads, roulades, a quick dinner on a weekday.

The minus of breast is that it is dry. It has little fat, and if left too long on the heat it turns to leather. So slice it thin, pound it, cook it in a sauce or marinate it. For baking take foil to keep the juice.

Thigh: juicy and forgiving

Thigh is the favourite meat of people who cook every day. It is fattier, so it does not dry out. You can stew it, bake it, fry it, add it to pilaf and stew, and it almost always turns out tasty. A thigh with bone and skin often costs less than fillet and wins on taste.

The minus is that you must remove the bones if you want boneless meat. But it is quick: a sharp knife and a couple of minutes. For baking whole the bone is no obstacle at all: it gives flavour. For soup a thigh is the ideal choice: the broth comes out richer than from fillet.

The whole bird: the longest road and the richest result

A whole bird takes time: you have to cut it up. But from one bird you get several dishes: breast for schnitzel, thighs for stew, wings for the grill, carcass for stock. Cut into parts, that is three or four dinners.

A whole chicken can also be roasted whole: it looks good on the table, the skin crackles, the meat is juicy. The leftovers go into salads, pies and fillings. If you like cooking, a whole bird is the best value. If time is short, take parts.

Here is where in the shops the best chicken offers are now:

Where it is cheaper: chicken

All offers

What to do with the bones

Do not throw away the carcass, bones, skin and wings. Cover with water, add onion, carrot, a bay leaf and simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. You get stock: the base of soup, zama, rice and sauce. It is a free lunch from what usually goes in the bin.

Stock can be frozen in portions. Skim the fat from the top and use it for frying onion or potatoes: it is more fragrant than oil. More on using everything and not throwing it away is in the article on storage and leftovers.

When to take what

A simple hint by task. You need a quick dinner and have little time: breast. You need a filling juicy dinner without fuss: thigh. You need several dinners in a row and have time: a whole bird. You need soup: thigh or a whole bird. You need salad: boiled breast.

If one of the parts is on offer, take it and rework the menu. For example, thighs are on offer: make pilaf and stew, and take breast next time. Dinner ideas with chicken are collected in the article on ten dinners.

Storage and freezing

Fresh chicken keeps in the fridge for a day or two, so put the rest in the freezer at once. Divide it into portions so you do not have to thaw everything. Write the date on the bag.

Thaw in the fridge overnight, not at room temperature. Do not refreeze what has thawed. Make sure raw chicken does not sit above other food and that you wash the board and knife after it. For other storage methods read the article on storage and leftovers.

A simple rule

  • Want it quick and simple: breast.
  • Want it tasty and filling: thigh.
  • Want to get everything from the bird: a whole chicken and stock from the bones.
  • Look at the price of the edible part, not of the kilogram.
  • Take what is on offer and adapt the dish to it.

For a week's menu with chicken see the article a week's menu for a family, and the current offers are collected on the chicken page.