Whole Chicken Cost
On average, a whole chicken should be priced around $4.5 to $7 per pound, and this is for organic chicken. If you want to buy non-organic chicken, you can get between $14 to $28. It depends on weight, chicken type, place, promotion, and discounts at the time of purchase. There are different chicken types available for you to select from. Cornish game hens, roosters, and broilers.
A broiler would weigh between 2 to 5 pounds when it’s almost 7 weeks old, but a game hen weighs lower and is younger. The largest is the rooster, and it can weigh more than 5 pounds. These are factors that would determine the chicken cost.
Types Of Chicken
There are different types of chicken available for purchase, the most common is the free range, these types of chicken are allowed to roam around freely and peck around, but at some point, they are locked away. The male breed is the Capons and they are large in size, they easily weigh up to 15 pounds.
Local chickens live free and stay within a certain area, they lay their eggs in a nest rather than getting confined to a cage. This is the same way they would live if they were alone. Pastured Chickens are not contained to a small area but they get access to fresh grass feeds. This is why the meat from pastured chicken has a different flavor and it is always tender. Organic Chickens are more expensive because they are raised with expensive natural feeds. This means no hormones or growth antibiotics were given to these classes of chickens, which results in healthier meat. Natural chicken does not have to be fed expensive organic foods, but it means no additives or artificial preservatives were added.
Where to Buy Whole Chicken
It is highly recommended that you analyze any whole chicken purchase you make to ensure that you are buying quality original meat. If you buy from authorized dealers, you are safe because they sell only products that adhere to food and drug regulations.
Factors to Consider when Shopping for Whole Chicken
If you want to buy a whole chicken, you can slightly press with your finger, and if it is fresh, it should return back to its original position. If this does not happen, it means it has been on the supermarket shelf for a while. According to USDA regulations, it is recommended that you double-wrap your plastic foil before freezing chicken.
Conclusion
If you want to be economical while shopping, it is advisable you buy a whole chicken instead of the little individual sizes. If you do not need to cook all the chicken in one dish, you can cut it into different bits and store it in your freezer. If you have yellow chicken, you do not need to fret, it is the skin pigmentation reflecting the true color of the chicken. It also does not mean that the chicken is fatty.
Are there any extra costs?
If you buy your whole chicken from a professional butcher, extra costs might be incurred, like the cost of cutting it into tiny bits like thighs, wings, and legs.
How to Save Money while Shopping
If you want to purchase organic chicken, you can head to any local grocery store and find out if there are any special offers that you can leverage. There is always chicken available for sale, so you can check up for special sales. Some stores would reduce their product price if it is near expiry. You can utilize this by buying in a minimal quantity and storing it in your freezer for later use. It is cheaper to buy in bulk than to buy in individual units.
Where Can I Buy Whole Chicken from?
If you do not want to buy from your local grocery store, you can buy from local wholesale clubs like Costco, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. Some stores give coupons and there are special sales and promotions.
How to Cut Chicken ?
Learning how to cut a chicken yourself is quite easy, you must unwrap it, remove the gizzard and neck, then rinse it properly. You can then spice it to your taste and put it in the pot, grill, or oven. You can use any preferred method to get your chicken cooked. When you cut into individual pieces, you would save more money than buying already cut pieces.
