For The Most Cost Effective Chicken Dinner, Buy Drumsticks

Inflation may be cooling off a little bit in early 2023, according to Forbes, but unfortunately over the past two years, the price of many kitchen staples has gone up and stayed up due to the worst inflation on food that the U.S. has seen in more than 40 years. The cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, beef, eggs, and chicken are significantly higher than before the pandemic, which is putting a squeeze on everyone's budgets.

Now more than ever is the time to get savvy about saving money. More people are clipping coupons and finding deals online, stocking up in bulk at warehouse stores like Costco, buying generic store-brand foods instead of name-brand labels, and trying to prevent food waste.

One of the products you may have noticed that's taken a hit is chicken. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of chicken jumped 20% in 2022. A whole chicken is averaging around $1.80 per pound, per a news release by the U.S. Department of Labor, and chicken breasts will cost you more than double that. This doesn't seem to be slowing chicken lovers down, however. Supermarket News reports that chicken sales are actually up, which means prices probably won't be coming down very much in the near future.

Just because chicken is more expensive lately doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a good chicken dinner on the cheap, however, you will need to buy chicken pieces that are less costly. If you're used to cooking with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, there is no time like the present to broaden your poultry horizons and start enjoying some of the other tasty cuts of the humble hen.

One of the most economical cuts of processed chicken — that is, chicken that a butcher has cut up and packaged for you — is drumsticks, according to America's Test Kitchen. In a side-by-side comparison of cooked meat from the bone, the ATK crew determined that these lower leg parts are the cheapest. But that does not mean that they are any less tasty than other parts of the bird! In fact, drumsticks can be a bit of the best of both worlds in that they are meaty enough for making recipes that require a good amount of chicken as an ingredient, like chicken enchiladas, while also having a lot of skin, which makes them perfect for swapping out in any chicken wing recipe, such as spicy Japanese grilled wings, which is good to know in case wing prices spike again (per QSR).

Drumsticks are super versatile for being so economical. Currently, they cost around $1.69 per pound according to America's Test Kitchen. They are equally at home on the grill slathered with barbecue sauce, or roasted in the oven with a little rosemary and thyme. Drumsticks are also a staple piece of any fried chicken dinner (either classic or done in the air fryer), and they are delicious when braised slowly with wine in coq au vin.

If you want to make the skin on your drumsticks extra crispy, try using a cast iron pan. Avoid crowding the drumsticks, and make sure you get the pan and oil good and hot before you put the chicken in. You can also bread the chicken using a three-step process of flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs. If you're slow cooking, however, make sure you remove the skin from your drumsticks because the slow, moist cooking will release the fat in the skin and create a layer on top of your stew or soup that you'll have to skim off before you eat.