Frugal Living: Get The Most Out Of 10 Lbs. Of Leg Quarters

Are you tempted to buy the inexpensive chicken leg quarters sold in 10-pound bags, but hesitate because they are so gross to handle? Here is a streamlined method to process and store one of these packages in family size portions to use in a variety of meals. A major consideration when working with raw meat, especially poultry, is the risk of salmonella and other bacterial contaminants. It is very important to clean everything that touches the meat with hot soapy water when you are finished.

When you first get the legs home, put the bag down into a clean sink and cut the bag open. Have two stainless steel bowls nearby, as well as a stockpot. Using stout kitchen shears, cut the legs from the thigh/back pieces, and sort them into the bowls. (Look for a little line of fat on the inside of the leg quarter that shows you where to cut.) You can use a cutting board for this task, or you can hold the quarter up with one hand and cut with the other. This is kind of tricky because the chicken is slick, but this method might reduce germ spread, since you don't have to clean a cutting board. Snip some of the meat off the thigh pieces, avoiding the fat and skin. Cut this into strips and freeze for a future stir-fry or two. A recycled cottage cheese container makes a good container for this meat. Place all skin, fat, and the still meaty thighbones with backs into the stockpot.

The chicken stock recipe in the Ball Blue Book (a canning how-to classic) is very tasty, or you can create your own using what clean vegetable scraps and seasonings you have on hand. Cover the chicken and seasonings with water and boil gently for an hour and a half. While the stock is cooking, take care of the legs. Most of the fat on a chicken is on the back, wings, and thighs. The legs are actually almost as low in fat as the breasts, even with the skin left on. Freeze the legs for future meals of oven-fried chicken. Recycled bread bags can be used for this. Make sure the printing is to the outside, where it won't touch the meat. (The paint contains toxins.) Double bag to avoid freezer burn. It helps to get someone else to hold the bags open, since your hands are by now contaminated with raw meat juice. Close with a twist tie. These legs can be used for oven-fried chicken, barbecuing, etc.

The next step is to clean everything that has touched raw meat with hot, sudsy water. This includes hands, table, sink, counter, shears, knives, and bowls. Any dishtowels used go directly to the washer. When the stock is done, let it cool off, and then strain it into a big bowl. Store the stock in the refrigerator in quart canning jars. The fat rises to the top and hardens somewhat for easy removal. There will be a LOT of fat. If you wish to avoid this extra fat, discard the skin and fat before making the stock. If you're REALLY frugal, however, this fat can be used in cooking, much as one would use lard. It can also be combined with saved hamburger grease and used in homemade soap. It's a good idea to label the stock with the date. It can be kept refrigerated for two weeks. It will seal just as if it had been canned, but unless you process it in your pressure cooker it will not be safe to store in the cupboard. To freeze the stock, use several layers of plastic wrap instead of the canning lid, and then screw on the ring. This allows for expansion when it is stored in the freezer. When the cooked chicken is cool enough to handle, separate out the usable meat from the skin, bones, and gristle. This cooked meat is ready to be used in dishes like chicken and noodles or chicken potpie. Use a reusable zipper freezer bag for it, since it doesn't have the raw meat germs.

That's all there is to it! You now have meat ready for several baked leg meals, stir-fries, and cooked chicken meals, as well as 2 or 3 quarts of soup stock, and a very happy dog (who gets the cooked skin and gristle!)