As I'm on a tight budget, cooking my own meals is a necessity. Over the years I've tried to collect a stable of recipes that are:

• Cheap.
• Fairly easy to make.
• Produce enough leftovers for a  few lunches.

So, in our new blog series Brass’ Cheap Eats, we’ll share some of our favorite cheap meals.

Today’s epicurean extravaganza: Roast Whole Chicken

This was one of the first things I learned to make when I decided to graduate from ramen and mac and cheese. While it may sound complicated, it’s actually surprisingly easy to make. I mean, I can do it and I can barely summon the effort to dress myself most days. The great thing about this meal is you’ll most likely have leftovers to use for tacos or some other use. And you can use the leftover bones and skin to make chicken stock for soups. I easily get three meals out of a whole chicken, which only costs around $5.

Ingredients
- 3½ to 4 pound chicken
- ½ cup salt
- 2 quarts water
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper

Equipment
- Chicken-sized bowl, pot, or resealable plastic bag
- Roasting pan
- V-rack
- Meat thermometer
- Cutting Board solely used for cutting meat
- Carving knife

One step you don’t need to take, but will help keep the chicken moist, is brining. Add the water and salt to your chicken-sized container and stir until the salt dissolves. Remove chicken from its bag and take out the neck and giblets, storing them in the fridge for stock. Add the chicken to the chicken-sized container, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the chicken from the brine and dry with paper towels. Melt the butter and coat the outside of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Put the v-rack in the roasting pan and set the chicken on it, wing side up. Roast for 15 minutes in the lower-middle part of the oven. Flip the chicken so the other wing faces up. Roast 15 minutes.

Remove chicken and flip so the breast side is up. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees and roast for 30-35 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove chicken, place on a platter or chicken-sized plate, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve your chicken and enjoy.

Check back for more cheap recipe ideas.

--Cody

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