The One About The First Time I Bought Chicken With BONES In It
When composing an entry intended to keep the attention of your readers, it’s best to start with some sort of shocking hook. Something to grab them and make them want to hear the rest of what you have to say. My hook is actually something I tweeted yesterday:
Anyone who has been reading this blog for more than a few months knows that the above tweet? Must have been written by someone else because…me? COOKING TOO MUCH? Never have I uttered those words in my entire life. And if I have? It’s because I had to open two boxes to prepare dinner instead of one. And the extra effort exhausted me.
But…if you’ll recall. I was laid off recently. And this – not surprisingly – has made me feel like a total asshole. I mean, I thought I had security issues before. Turns out getting laid off…again…made my previous security issues look healthy. Now? I kinda feel worthless. Combine that with the last few weeks tooth pain which kept me from eating, and suddenly I felt the urge to cook. It’s like knowing that I couldn’t eat what I made…somehow made me okay with cooking. Because I am batshit crazy.
In summary: Since last Friday I have baked two pumpkin spice cheesecakes, two loaves of zucchini bread, one dozen extra giant pumpkin spice muffins, and Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. And that’s what we’re hear today to discuss…that project. If you’ll recall, I attempted the recipe another time but only after Zoot-i-fying it. As in…taking out the hard stuff and replacing it with A) Nothing or B) Something Easy. But yesterday? I decided to brave the real recipe. And this is the story of that adventure.
I will start by saying that the reason I braved that recipe is because PDub is amazing with her documentations and I felt confident her photos and instructions could guide a novice like me. For that, I want to have Ree’s babies.
Let’s start with the ingredients and the trouble I had there. Because, of course, I had trouble there. What I did was print up the printable version of the recipe which is not really for novices. It called for 2 Cups of Cooked Chicken and the instructions to create those two cups simply mentioned cooking a “Cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups.” I had no idea what that meant. So, I ditched the printable version and just stared at her actual blog entry for the rest of the adventure. Since she photographs her ingredients (thank god) I saw that I had to buy something I had never bought before. Chicken with BONES in it. BONES! I didn’t even know they sold something so weird at a regular grocery store. Did you know they did? I almost photographed it I was so proud of the purchase. Kinda like the first time I bought a pack of cigarettes with my real ID.
The other thing on the ingredients list that threw me for a loop was 1-4oz jar diced pimentos. Luckily, when I made the Zoot-i-fied version last time I figured this one out. Did you know that pimentos do not originate in the green olives? I thought that someone sat and picked them out of the olives and put them in a jar just for me. Because I’m stupid.
I made it home from the grocery store with only one more struggle. The recipe called for onion but it did not tell what kind. And there are a LOT of different kinds of onions. Did you know that? I was terrified I bought the wrong one but when I got home and compared the one I bought to the picture of her ingredients…it matched! Yay! So I made a note on the recipe card that says, “Not the all white kind…get the kind with a brownish tint.” Look out for my recipe book coming soon!
Next I had to COOK the chicken WITH THE BONES IN IT. I was so proud I texted my friend Shannon just to say, “Hey! I’m cooking chicken with bones in it! RIGHT NOW!” Of course, I had to google “Rolling Boil” to make sure I cooked it right. I’m sure those type of revelations no longer shock you.
I cooked the chicken, let it cool, and then pulled off two cups of meat. And then I jumped up and down with pride because I was SO AWESOME. I felt like a settler back in the old days before microwaves. Chicken…WITH BONES IN IT! The rest of the recipe went relatively well and everyone that ate with us last night (we had 8 people for dinner instead of our usual 5) was totally impressed with my mad cooking skillz. And also wishing I would quit talking about the Bones! in the Chicken! Because…for some reason…none of them were quite as impressed as they should have been.
Next up…Why Are There So Many Different Types Of Flour?
Hilarious. I recently read Julie and Julia (a fun read, not earth shattering) but she has some pretty funny stories that are similar to your chicken bones. You might enjoy. xo
dude! you are TEH AWESOME, but why not buy an already cooked-on-the-bone rotisserie chicken from super target and just pull the meat off the bones?
way to go on being a good homemaker!
Zoot? You are adorable. I’ve also started buying chicken with BONES in it, but I’m doing it because it costs less than boneless. Basically, the more prep they do to the chicken, the more it costs. Bone-in chicken is less than boneless chicken, which is less than boneless chicken tenderloins (which is what I’d BEEN buying. I am all about saving a dollar.
@andi – I think I was challenging myself because I always Zoot-ify recipes to make them easier…the challenge this time was to do it the HARD way! heh
Girl, if you can boil a chicken with BONES in it, you got it going on!! Great base to tons of recipes! And that 10 lb sack of chicken quarters will feed your family three times for less than $5.
Just to throw another wrench in the works…the brownish tinted onion is called a Yellow Onion. (I know!)
(I’m leaving another comment just so I can be the number one Monthly MVP.)
I’m so proud of you! No, really. It really is cheaper to cook things from scratch instead buying all pre-made items. Better for you too. Now if only I had some of your
pumpkin spice cheesecake, sounds delish!
Nice work! I would so buy your cookbook. As long as you explain what to DO with a chicken with bones in it!
I LOVE this post.
I’ve felt the same way many times. My mom’s ability to cook apparently came naturally or something and instead of teaching me, she told me to get out of the way or fix the salad. As such, I missed almost all of the steps for cooking ANYTHING.
When I went to college, she worried that I wouldn’t eat because “I didn’t know how to cook” Ehhh- I figured it out. Once you make a box of mac-n-cheese, you just grow from there.
I’ve been in your out-of-the-box situation for years and have finally started to branch out some too.
Congratulations on that first Chicken WITH BONES, I feel your joy and accomplishment!!
YAY!! A cooking mad woman is born!! I want to cook more….I made a really awesome pulled pork for my birthday dinner…it was YUMMY!! Most of it is in the freezer right now…as well my housemate doesn’t eat meat. We ate a lot at the party….just had a lot left over….so yeah…cooking for one is hard.
I love the chicken story and I am absolutely on board for a discussion/rant session about the ridiculous number of flours available. WHAT ARE THEY FOR???!
You are my cooking heroine. Because, really, chicken with bones? That just SOUNDS hard, dude. And I even watch the Food Network religiously.
I’m impressed! I cook and am pretty cook at it (don’t get me wrong – I’m no PW) but chicken (or any other formerly living thing) with bones in it grosses me out. When I cook one, I usually make my hubby clean the carcass because I just don’t like getting that friendly with my food. I tend to boil breasts and shred them because I’m a wuss.
Now despite my love of cooking, I hate to bake. But I’ve been baking bread the last couple of weeks. Never done it before it in my life – I started with pizza dough then moved on to french bread and then honey wheat. I really want to make more today but my butt is begging me to lay off the carbs. So I actually for the first time in my life have 4 kinds of flour in my pantry: regular, whole wheat, bread, and cake. I feel all Martha Stewart. My husband is checking with the Stepford people to see if they accidentally got to me.
The “chicken with bones in it complete with spaghetti and pimentos” was one of the first PDub recipes I ever tried. It turned out fantastic, but unfortunately I was the only one in my family that liked it. Boo!
I have since made a load of her recipes with great success. If you like carrot cake, then try making Siegrid’s Carrot Cake. It’s so good that it’s made me famous among my friends and family. Everyone requests it for birthdays and parties and regular Tuesday nights. Or try her chocolate sheet cake….it’s like a GIANT pan of brownies. And who doesn’t want that?
You crack me up, lol.
I’ve been venturing into other cooking techniques and recipes lately and it is so rewarding when it actually turns out right!
I don’t know about all the flours so I just always buy the All Purpose Flour. If it is all purpose, then why do we need the others? That is my philosophy anyway!
You are so funny – this was a great post and can i just say that i am with you 100% on the chicken bones thing. i can’t say that i’ve ever cooked one either.
congrats on the great meal!!
Congratulations on cooking that chicken with the bones! I have taken the opposite approach to cooking. I used to be a good cook. Then one day I looked in the pot at that chicken and gagged. I could not even throw it out, much less pick it off the bone! I had to cover it to hide it and make my husband dump it when he got home. So I stepped down to using boneless breasts, then tenderloins, and now I can’t cook chicken at all. It just makes me sick to think about it.
I tweeted this to you, but I just wanted to say, again, that I’m very proud of you, you internet stranger. I am a dedicated home cook. I pride myself on being able pull together a great meal out of nothing. It is cheaper, healthier, and all-around better and I think everyone should be able to do it.
So, go you!
P.S. My frugal side hopes you saved the water you boiled the chicken in for stock. Of course, my frugal side also makes yogurt and bakes bread every weekend, so my frugal side is clearly batshit crazy.
Hi, Zoot!
Good on you for cooking! I never do it myself, but I admire it in others.
Just wanted to say there is no reason in holy heck for you to be ashamed of being laid-off–let the CEO’s be ashamed! Let our culture of money greed be ashamed! Let Zoot be all-happy and not made miserable by the awful facts of the economy. I’ll be sending many, many good job-wishes your way. 
My family loves that recipe too. Let me tell you a little secret.
You can buy skinless, boneless chicken breasts or breast tenders. Throw them into a pan with water & a little salt. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Let them sit on the stove, in the pain for awhile (like until you are ready to throw together the casserole) but at least an hour. Then you can take them out with your tongs, cut them with your knife. And you don’t ever have to actually TOUCH the chicken and get your fingers all greasy.
Hhhmmm…maybe not liking to touch meat is just my phobia, not yours. But hey! The recipe for cooking the chicken is really good.
There must be some sort of connection between getting laid off and cooking more, because that’s exactly what happened to me as well. And since I was Princess of Prepared Products, and Goddess of the Boxed Meals, this turned out to be quite an undertaking. I made my first meal for other people (outside my family) last night, and they actually liked it! I was stunned. I still get thrown by certain ingredients though. I found this recipe that I’d love to try, but it calls for “liquid smoke.” Umm, exactly where does one procure liquid smoke?
I’m so proud of you. It gets easier. Next you should try her lasagna.
Liquid Smoke ..you can get it at the grocery store either in the spice section or where they have barbcue sauce, etc. Comes in a small bottle (or large if you want it). This is Zoots mom who tried to get her to cook. Yes I cooked for her when she was young. I’m thrilled she is now trying it and…..The only time I’ve cooked chicken w/ bones is with a can of beer stuck right up its butt. Best chicken ever!!!
that’s one of my favorite recipes from her. I actually read your blog about making it last time and that’s how I found PDub–from you! Thank you!
Have you made the apple dumplings?? Those things are to die for. Just make sure and peel the apples or they aren’t so good. That’s written on my printed recipe. Found out the hard way
I happen to be very, very proud of you.
I love Ree’s recipes for the same reason!
Best post ever!
My husband from mexico thinks it is weird when I buy chicken breast…he like all “where are the bones”
I always say that it takes me twice the average time to cook then normal people. But I still try, it is funny I have googled rolling boil as well. One BIG lesson I have learned into my cooking adventures is (for me) never deviate from the recipe…
PS I hope your mouth feels better!!!
Late last year I lost my job and hubby and I made the decision to just cut some expenses and keep me home with the kids. Since then, I’ve had a similar experience to what you’re now describing.
It’s like a rebirth – you finally have time to do the things you wanted to do all along, but were too busy. I’m loving it!! I’ve learned how to bake bread and make actual meals instead of ordering take out or cooking out of a box. I put the kids in shock when I had fresh baked cookies waiting for them after school! LOL We do that a lot now.
And I’ve learned to do it all on the cheap. June Cleaver has nothing on us! =)
P.S. Got any of that pumpkin spice cheesecake left?? How about sharing the recipe?
I second the motion for the pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe! I’ve been wanting to try the PDub chicken spaghetti casserole for a while now, but I haven’t gotten my act together to do it. I have never cooked a whole chicken (or turkey) before, in fact the only thing with a bone in it I’ve ever cooked has been a pork chop. But I looooove crockpot cooking. You just throw everything in there and let it cook all day and then when you come home, it’s like magic!
I may have to use you as my cooking goddess because I am awful at it. Crock pot me and give me boxes to open and pots to stir and I’m happy. Maybe an instructional video on your new skills.
Go Zoot! Did you notice that chicken with bones in it is not only cheaper, but it tastes better – the marrow in the bone helps with the flavor, or something like that. I, too, think you should post the pumpkin spice cheesecake recipe.