Turkey is the cheapest forms of protein in the US during this time of year and can replace chicken in any dish. $.50/lb at my local market. A guide to maximize savings and flavor.

Every year around Thanksgiving, turkey goes on sale for under a dollar per pound. At my local Kroger it is $.50 per pound this week. This is even cheaper than legumes which regularly take the cake for frugal value. Turkey can obviously be prepared in the traditional, whole roast bird preparation, but it can also be prepared in any way that you would use chicken.

If you were truly trying to maximize the value of the meat, assuming your market allows I would buy 2 to 3 birds during this sale time of year. If it doesn't allow multiple in one visit, just make multiple visits. Once you're home and you have a thawed bird (multiple days later), look up a video on how to butcher a full chicken/turkey. Most cooking Youtubers have them, but if you don't know where to start, Brian Lagerstrom or Kenji Lopez-Alt are particularly good instructors. Separating the bird into individual parts allows for less bulky freezer storage so you can really maximize the sale.

This list is absolutely not exhaustive, just what came to mind off the top of my head. A few ideas for use on each part of the bird:

• Breasts (These and thighs can interchange recipes, but be mindful of things that do well with different levels/types of heat)
  • Literally anything you would use chicken breast for. Traditional pan fry and serving with sides, lunch meat, enchiladas, cold turkey salad, noodle soup topping, stir fry protein, tacos, salad topping
• Thighs
  • Eaten on their own dry brined, cooked with beans, fried rice, soups, turkey and rice bake, turkey and broccoli pasta, any type of curry, rice bowls
• Wings
  • Roasted and eaten like buffalo wings, added to soup for great flavor and body, congee add in? (never tried but sounds good)
• Carcass
  • Stock, stock, stock, stock. Make yourself some turkey stock. Indefinitely freezable and delicious, then use that stock to make soup or bean recipes. If you don't want your turkey to always have the mirepoix flavoring you can leave it as a blank slate and just do turkey + water, then add your flavorings for different types of stock use at a later time. For example, ramen, turkey noodle soup, different preparations of curry, and tom kha gai all have very different flavor profiles.
• Neck
  • Add to the stock or roast and eat. Turkey neck is my favorite piece of meat on the bird.
• Skin
  • Watch a video on rendering fat and you can keep this in your fridge indefinitely. You'll also get some delicious fried turkey fat skin afterward.
• Other organs that come with the bird
  • Someone else will have to comment on good uses for these. I know they can fortify sauces but I'm not particularly well versed with this.

Buy all the turkey. Freeze all the turkey. Profit. Add your ideas of what to do with each part and as Jacques Pepin would say, happy cooking!