Late Saturday afternoon, I was craving hot dogs with sauerkraut, a box of red vines, and chicken tacos.  I decided to stop and buy a hot dog while strolling through the park at Doo-Dah Day, skip the red vines, then head to the store to buy some chicken for my tacos.  Shopping in the store with red bull's eye, I came across a package of three boneless skinless chicken breasts for an amazing $3.49.  At this point my evaluative thought process vanished as convenience was a primary objective in order to satisfy my craving as quickly as possible.  But given the fact that I make such a big fuss to my family and friends about buying single chicken parts vs. doing the work and breaking down a whole chicken, I re-examined the shelves and found that a whole chicken was the exact same price.  Next came the dilemma: should I save time by just buying the chicken breast or get almost 3 times the meat out of a whole chicken which I am going to have to take the time break down?  

After 5 minutes of pacing around the meat case I made my decision, checked out, and went home.  As I cut the wrapping from my  whole chicken, rinsed it, and patted dry with paper towels I began to appreciate my choice.  I broke down the chicken into 9 pieces: 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 legs, and 1 back.  I used the breasts to make my tacos, then made a quick chicken stock from the back, and bagged up the remaining pieces into 3 separate bags and tossed them in the freezer.  I was surprised that after my desire for instant gratification wore off the answer was clear.  This fact makes me question how many times I don't take the time to evaluate my purchases in the store and how much further my money could go by stepping back and using some brain power vs. going with the desire to get things done in a hurry. I know everyone is not going to take the time to break down a chicken, but with 3 times the uses as compared to chicken breasts, maybe some should consider learning.  Click HERE to learn how-to cut up a whole chicken.