Deanna’s Recipe(s) of the Week #9 - One Chicken = Three Meals.

I’m on the radio again this week and will be talking about budget food shopping and cooking tips.

It seems to me that this is the perfect subject for this time of year given that students are now starting or returning to university, and some folks will away from home for the first time. Eating properly is so important, especially if you need to keep your brain power at its optimum, and good eating does not have to entail lots of time or lots of money.

Here are a few useful tips that will help you to eat well on a budget.

Shopping

1) Seek out local ethnic shops. For Mancunians,here are some wonderful and amazing Indian shops in Chorlton, Cheetham Hill and Rusholme and they'll usually have a superb range of fresh vegetables and fruit at a fraction of supermarket prices. Fresh herbs are especially good value. Buy as much veg as you think you’ll need, but avoid the pre-packaged ones - you can’t test their quality anyway.

2) The Chinese supermarkets are great value too (we love the Wing Yip), and as well as a wide range of really fascinating snacks and sauces, they often sell bargain boxes of Chinese beer (but remember to drink responsibly). These stores are also the best places to buy great value frozen seafood.

3) Buy in bulk if you can afford it. You’re bound to go through a sack of rice in a term for example, and you could always split the cost with your house mates.

4) Everybody knows which are the cheaper supermarkets but whichever chain your local is, look for special offers like discounts on the meat and fish counter. The best time to go is in the evening when things are reduced, especially on a Sunday.

5) Buying from independent delis isn’t always more expensive - you can just buy the amount of meat, cheese and salads you want instead of having to buy a bigger tub. Some also have regular sampling and promotions, or reduce the price of things like fresh bread at the end of the day.

6) MOST IMPORTANTLY – decide on your weekly shopping budget and stick to it!

Cooking

There are loads of ways to eat delicious, healthy food on a budget, but here's how to make a chicken last a good few delicious meals.

Buy the biggest chicken you can afford - I’d love to wax lyrical about organic, hormone-free, farmer-friendly birds here, but let's save that for another blog entry.

Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about an hour and a half in a medium hot oven, basting with the juices every now and then. I like to pour a little bit of hot water into the bottom of the roasting tin to keep it moist and help with the gravy. Serve with delicious veg, roast potatoes and gravy.

The next day, assuming you have any left, strip the meat off the carcass. I’m not really sympathetic with people who are happy to eat food, but not handle it - pretend you're a caveman or Henry VIII and get into the spirit! Discard the skin, put the bones in a pan and the meat in a separate bowl.

It's easy to make some chicken stock with the bones. Add a chopped onion, carrot, stick of celery, parsley, bay leaf and a few whole peppercorns. Cover with water, bring to the boil and then turn it down to its lowest heat. Simmer for about an hour and a half, skimming off any scum with a metal spoon. We’re going to use this as a base for a soup. (If you want to make a Chinese style soup, add a knob of ginger and some spring onions instead of the veg listed above.)

Drain the liquid into a bowl and, after it has cooled, refrigerate if not using immediately.

To make a Hearty Chicken and Vegetable Soup, in a pan, gently fry some roughly chopped onions, carrots, celery, peppers – whatever veg you want really, add a can of chopped tomatoes, the chicken stock, some dried herbs like oregano or thyme and cook for about 25 mins. You can also add a can of drained beans if you like, or some chilli to make it spicy. Add salt and pepper (and a pinch of sugar if it needs it), some of the chopped up chicken (leaving half for the recipe below!) and serve with bread.

This last recipe is a delicious Chicken Stir Fried Rice. if you have left over chopped bacon or a few frozen prawns, you can turn it into Special Fried Rice.

For this, you’ll need about 400g of cold cooked rice (great for leftovers) – oddly, this doesn’t work so well with rice that has just been cooked. Cook about 100g of frozen peas in the microwave covered with water for about 3 minutes. Heat about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok until really hot. Stir fry the rice for about a minute, then add the drained peas and the chicken (plus the bacon &etc. if you're going for the full "special" version!).

Continue to stir fry over a high heat for about 5 mins. Add 2 beaten eggs and about 100g of fresh beansprouts and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes or until the eggs have set. Sprinkle over some soy sauce and garnish with chopped spring onions. There’s no reason why you can’t throw in some other vegetables too.

So there you go - three fulsome, hearty meals from a single chicken - good eating, good value... and good luck!