Don’t Be a Chicken

Posted on: January 18, 2010

Don’t Be a Chicken

Save money at the meat counter. We dare you

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

To save a little grocery money you’ve got to give up a bit of convenience. That’s the standard advice. In most cases, it’s easy to follow and makes sense. You’ve probably read similar tips to get the best buy in chicken breasts. Bone-in costs half to two-thirds as much as boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Apply a bit of knife skill and you can save a bundle. But, let’s face it; boning a chicken breast is a messy operation. Is it worth it, especially when you could be unwinding from work with “Law & Order” reruns?

For the answers I purchased a pound each of bone-in and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Bottom line: Price tags can be deceiving.

A fully loaded 12-ounce chicken breast half stripped down to the edible portion weighed only 8 ounces. If you choose chicken according to the number of servings you’re getting per pound, the price difference between bone-in and boneless shrinks.

Boning a chicken breast shouldn’t be an obstacle, however. With a little practice (see steps that follow) you should be able to bone one chicken breast half in a minute.

Here’s how to bone a chicken breast half, if you prefer to do it yourself:

1. Step away from the martini. You need a clear head and steady hand.

2. Work the skin free of the chicken with your fingers and a paring knife. Discard skin.

3. Hold a boning knife parallel to and as close to the breast bone as possible. Work the knife into the chicken along the bones with one hand, while pulling the freed chicken back with the other hand. Use the chicken bones in a soup or discard. You can freeze the bones until you have enough to fill a Dutch oven, then make soup.

4. Sip your martini as the following chicken dish simmers.

Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce over Spaghetti

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cut into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 red jalapeno chile, cored, seeded and minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably roasted, diced tomatoes

6 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained

2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Lightly season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown in oil over medium heat, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet. Add onion, garlic and chile. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Pour in wine and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon.

2. Add canned tomatoes with juice to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes or until tomatoes are pulpy. Return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Adjust sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon spaghetti into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 3.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"