I know it’s hard to justify paying $13 for a small organic free range chicken when you can get two for that price. So I wanted to share an amazing herbal chicken meal that will feed your family at least twice, if not more. My husband’s parents were in the desert to visit us recently and my mother-in-law made it for us. I think she got it from Ina Garten, but she loves the foodies, so it could have come from somewhere else. In any case, we’ve modified it a bit and it has now become part of our weekly meal schedule. It’s as easy as can be and utilizes the whole bird. For about $25 we get the baked chicken that serves a primary dinner with leftover meat for sandwiches the next day, an onion gravy that is amazing on eggs, and a warming noodle soup that will last several meals or does well in the freezer.

Besides being seriously economical and delicious, my favorite part is what a great canvas it is for amazing herbal combinations. So far I’ve done a Greek (lemon, rosemary, dill, kalamata olive oil), a Mexican (cumin, ancho chili, lime), and an Italian (rosemary, oregano, lemon) version. They’ve all been fantastic, but the Mexican one was the best. But honestly, it’s so much fun to mix and match, I look forward to each one.