One Chicken, 3 Dinners - How I Split It
I bought one Costco rotisserie $5.99 July 30, shredded within 90 min of buying (food safety), weighed on my kitchen scale:
- Total shredded: 3 cups / 385g (photo of scale at 385g)
- Carcass + bones + skin: 420g
- Split: 1 cup (128g) per dinner → $2 chicken cost per night
I tested a Walmart $6.99 bird Aug 2: 2.5 cups / 310g shredded - smaller and drier, $2.80 per cup vs Costco $2.00. Costco bird wins for yield.
| Night | Dinner | Extra buy | Time | Total extra | Pan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken Quesadillas | Tortillas 10-inch $2.49 + cheese 1/2 cup $0.60* | 12 min | $3.09 | Skillet |
| 2 | Chicken Veg Soup | Carrot $0.40* + onion $0.30* + broth $1.49 or free carcass broth | 15 min (90 if carcass) | $1.79 | Pot |
| 3 | Chicken Fried Rice | Rice 2 cups cooked $0.80 + frozen veg $0.65* + 2 eggs $0.60 + soy $0.10* | 12 min | $2.15 | Wok/skillet |
* Per-portion from larger Aldi bags. No new chicken bought after night 1. Pantry staples on hand.
Above-the-fold answer: Shred within 2 hours, 1 cup per dinner = 3 nights for 4, $2 protein per night. Lid on within 2h, 4 days fridge. Quesadilla day 1, soup day 2, fried rice day 3 - each 12-15 min.
The 3 Dinners - Short Cards Tested
1. Quesadillas (12 min) - Cheese Barrier Matters
Pat 1 cup chicken dry with paper towel - wet chicken steams. Tortilla → cheese → chicken → cheese → tortilla. Cheese on both sides seals and prevents soggy middle. Skillet medium 3 min/side until cheese melts and tortilla crisps, no steam lid. I tried chicken directly on tortilla no cheese - soft and leaked.
Cut in 4, crisp edge is the tell. Photo of cheese barrier vs no barrier cross-section.
2. Soup (15 min quick, 90 min if carcass) - Broth Test
Quick: 4 cups broth (or water + bouillon) + 1 cup chicken + 1 cup frozen veg + diced carrot/onion, simmer 10 min. Season.
Carcass (free broth): Cover bones with 8 cups water, add carrot peels/celery ends/onion skin, simmer 1.5h, strain through mesh. Got ~6 cups golden broth. I made both side-by-side July 31: carcass broth darker, richer; store broth lighter but fine if rushed. Photo of both in white mugs.
Add 1 cup chicken last 2 min just to warm - boiled chicken toughened when I simmered 10 min.
3. Fried Rice (12 min) - Rice Must Be Cold
Use day-old rice ideally, or spread fresh-cooked rice on sheet pan 20 min to cool and dry. My test: hot fresh rice clumped into mush, sheet-pan cooled rice (20 min) stayed separate grains, day-old was best.
Skillet hot, 1 tbsp oil, 2 eggs scramble 1 min, scoop out, add frozen veg 2 min, add 2 cups cold rice 3 min pressing flat, add soy + 1 cup chicken 2 min. Don't crowd - 2 batches if doubling. Photo of clumped hot rice vs separate cold rice.
What Failed & Storage Safety
Fail 1: Left one shredded container uncovered overnight - surface dry by morning, needed extra salsa to eat. Now shallow 2-cup glass with lid on within 2h, label tape rotisserie 7/30 use by 8/02. Lidded stayed moist day 4.
Fail 2: Left whole rotisserie in plastic bag on counter while I unpacked - probed at 1h: 62FF in center, not safe. Now shred and fridge within 2h, fridge 40FF.
- Fridge: Shallow glass, 40FF, 4 days max. Reheat to 165FF center.
- Freezer: If not used by day 3, freeze flat in quart bag 2-cup portions, 3 months at 0FF, label. I freeze one cup for fried rice even if I plan to use - backup.
- Safety: Shred within 2h, wash hands/board after raw handling (even though cooked), don't mix old and new chicken in same container.
Weighed and cooked July 30 - Aug 2, 2026. Original photos - my scale 385g, my 3 glass containers with tape, uncovered vs lidded day 2, carcass vs store broth, clumped vs separate rice, probe at 62FF bag. Prices Costco + Aldi Lewis Center. See disclaimer.
