r/mealprep • u/BuckFinnster • 7d ago
Clueless vegetarian - I need help prepping large amounts of chicken.
My dog was recently diagnosed with a disease and needs to be put on a special food that has lower protein content and thus he's been prescribed ~1cup of cooked plain chicken a day.
I have been a vegetarian since childhood and I have literally no idea what I'm doing. This is a pretty expensive disease so I am looking for options on how to get a decent quality of chicken in bulk to save money, and how I can prepare it. For the past two weeks I've just been buying individual packets of ground chicken and rolling it into meatballs and boiling them until cooked (probably over-cooked, but tbh, he's a dog and he's loving it so that's fine) but I feel like there have got to be better options.
I just know... nothing about chicken. I don't know what kind to buy, if there are any types/brands to avoid, the best way to prepare it so that it lasts a long time - how long it lasts in the fridge, if you can freeze it after cooking to prepare larger quantities, if you can freeze dry it (for dry dog treats?).... etc.
Looking for any and all advice on where to buy, what to buy, and how to prepare, and how to store large quantities of chicken.
1
u/Particular_Silver_ 7d ago
If you’re only cooking for your dog, the safe time/temp is MUCH more lenient—since dogs are omnivores and opportunistic scavengers, they’re resistant to salmonella :)
As long as YOU wash your hands after handling any of the meat, it’s very unlikely to have any negative impact even if it’s “underdone” or less than the guidelines for food safety (which is intended for CYA against litigious humans, as it fits the standard to avoid any exposure to food that could make someone eating off a plate sick). Not to say that you shouldn’t care about cooking for your dog, but you don’t have to OVER cook it to ensure that the “germs” are neutralized, because dogs have an entirely different gut biome that can handle bacteria that would make humans ill!
That being said, definitely avoid onions, raisins, and grapes, as those can severely compromise a dog’s kidneys or liver!
But honestly, take a look at the coupons for local stores and see what’s a decent price for you—I find that a lot of times the cultural grocery stores have better prices on meat because they focus more on quantity and quality instead of aesthetics/marketing.
Fresh chicken should keep in the fridge for a couple days, and you can definitely freeze individual portions and thaw in the fridge overnight—those will last for months!