Who doesn’t love a rich, flavorful, juicy piece of Roasted Chicken to dig into? I definitely do! But, I can tell you what I don’t like – prices of chicken, beef, bacon, etc.

As a stay-at-home Mom (and just a normal human being), saving money is usually at the forefront of my mind. This is one of my favorite ways to do that!

seasoning blend
chicken and rice

Saving Money: Chicken

We’re going to get right to it. Here it is, my number one tip on how to save money on Chicken.

  1. Buy whole Chickens

That’s it.

When you buy already processed and cut up Chicken, you’re paying for that extra labor. It may be more convenient at times, but if you really want to just focus on cost, a whole Chicken is the way to go!

I used to be able to get a whole Chicken for $.99/lb, so around $5. I miss those days……Now it’s up to around $7 or $8, but still well worth it when you see that a small pack of 3 or 4 Chicken breasts is averaging $12!

Nope.

Now, this isn’t counting sales and coupons, which by all means if you can find them, take advantage of it! Also another great option is Costco. They are still selling their Rotisserie Chickens for $4.99, and when I have a busy week, you better believe I’m gonna pick up a couple of those to eat, freeze, and make broth from!

Speaking of saving money…..did you know you can make your own Chicken broth from store bought Rotisserie Chickens? Well you can. It’s crazy easy and takes no babysitting time at all. More on that later.

How Do I Cook A Whole Chicken?

I feel like the idea of cooking a whole Chicken can be daunting. I was right there too until I tried it. It’s literally as easy as putting the Chicken in a baking dish, rubbing it with some seasoning, and putting it in the oven. Now, there’s plenty of delicious ways to spice up that basic recipe – surrounding it with veggies, throwing some aromatics like herbs, lemon, or garlic, inside, or slathering it with herb butter, but that’s the bare bones of it.

Cooking Tip

Rule of Thumb for cooking chicken – estimate about 20min per pound. So a 5lb bird should take a little over an hour and a half
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Let’s Cook Some Roasted Chicken!

  • Take the Chicken out of the package (make sure to check and see if there’s any giblets to remove from the cavity) and pat it dry with a paper towel. You’ll get crispier skin that way.
  • Place the Chicken, breast side up in your dish
  • Wash your hands. No need for salmonella issues ruining your day
  • Assemble your seasonings or veggies
  • Rub or brush butter or olive oil over the skin of your Chicken, then add your seasoning. You can also rub fresh garlic on the skin, cuz YUM….garlic!
  • Add seasonings and aromatics to the cavity if you like. Some popular options are lemon wedges, MORE GARLIC, herbs like rosemary or thyme
  • Some people like to tie the legs together with kitchen twine, but I never bother
  • Put it in the oven! This should take anywhere from 1hr 15min to 1hr 30min, depending on the size of your bird. Check the interior temperature with a meat thermometer – Chicken needs to be fully cooked and reach the temp of 165 degrees

Cooking Tip

I love basting the Chicken a couple times in the last 30min of cooking. I just take a large spoon and ladle the juices over every bit of the chicken. This keeps it moist and helps from drying out.
chicken on stove
cooked chicken

Cooking Tip

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, another trick to see if your chicken is done is to poke it and the juices run clear. Or just cut it open.

Here’s my go to seasoning blend that I use on all our Roasted Chicken

Gather It!

  • Half pint Mason jar
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Salt
  • White and Black Pepper
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Paprika
  • Cayenne
  • Chipotle Pepper Powder

  • 1½ T Salt
  • 1 tsp White Pepper (optional, but I love the flavor!)
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • 1½ T Garlic Powder
  • 1 T Onion Powder
  • 1 T Paprika
  • 2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 tsp Chipotle Chili Powder – my secret ingredient! This is also optional, but the smokiness really boosts this blend

Add all your ingredients to the jar, shake or stir, and voila! Your own homemade Rotisserie Chicken seasoning! Feel free to adjust the amounts based on your tastes, or even the ingredients if you like a more herbal blend or don’t like as much spice. I use about 2-3 T of seasoning on our Roasted Chicken, but we like heavy seasoning.

Using Roasted Chicken Throughout the Week

Once you have your delicious Roasted Chicken cooked up, you’re going to need some ideas for ways to use said meat throughout the week! One whole Roasted Chicken is more than enough for several meals, which in turn does what? Saves us money. One of my favorite pastimes.

  • Cashew Chicken Salad – a summertime favorite in our house. Or anytime of the year. Especially good on croissants!
  • Burrito Bowls
  • Add into any soup towards the end of cooking
  • Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Chicken Enchiladas
  • BBQ Chicken Pizza
  • Freeze a portion of meat to use later
  • Freeze the bones to make Chicken Stock later! So you get to use your Roasted Chicken TWICE – making that money stretch even further!

Do you have any ways you like to save money with chicken?

What’s your favorite way to season Roasted Chicken? I’d love to try out some new ideas!