I bought an 8 pound (3.6 kg) chicken the other day. I partially deboned it, placing the wing tips, neck, and carcass into a stock pot with some vegetables and aromatics, and made some stock, and set aside the meat.

Dinner 1: One boneless breast, probably about 1.5 lbs (0.7 kg), got cut up into cubes to cook into a soup noodle dish (think fancy ramen, but lazier).

Dinner 2: The 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wing drumettes, 2 wing flats were deep fried (breaded for the big pieces, naked for the wing parts) and served as fried chicken with some sides.

Dinner 3: The remaining boneless breast was cut up into cubes for a homemade kung pao, using a modified recipe from Kenji Lopez Alt. I served it with rice and a separate stir fried broccoli dish.

Each meal fed me, my spouse, my 2 young kids (who eat slightly smaller portions). I didn’t set out to be frugal with it, but I think each meal cost less than $10 for 4 portions. And I managed to pull it off on weeknights after work, after picking up my kids from school/daycare, so I’m pretty proud of that.