I wanted to make some chicken curry fried rice and figured I needed a couple of chicken breasts for the meat in the dish. Just for grins I had the butcher weigh out a couple of breasts which came to a total of $7.19 for 1.2 lbs of meat. I opted to get a whole 5.5 lb. roaster which costed me $10.40. (The butcher would have parted the bird for free but I declined because I need the practice).

Using the breasts from the roaster made four chicken curry fried rice meals, plus four barbeque chicken meals (using the legs, thighs, and wings), plus two quarts of stock (using the cacass, wing tips, and neck). And I also get the giblets which I freeze until I have enough for making giblets gravy or dirty rice.

So for $10.40, instead of $7.19, I got chicken in eight meals instead of four - plus stock and giblets. Which is why I say buy whole birds - not pieces - most of the time.

The "most of the time" comes from when you can get the good deals on piece sales. Every now and then and especially after holidays I can usually pick up 10 to 20 lbs. of turkey and/or chicken necks, backs, and wings for under $0.79/lb. which I use to make large quantities of stock.