Chicken Recipes for a low cost meal
Chicken is an excellent low cost meal ingredient which can be purchased in bulk and stored in manageable quantities in the freezer until required. Try these chicken recipes using various cuts of chicken.
1. Chicken Breasts with Yogurt Marinade
These have an Indian flair to them. Mix up the marinade in the morning and let the chicken sit all day. When it's time for dinner, just grill them for 10-15 minutes and you've got a very tasty main dish!
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs honey
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Mix up the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, tarragon and salt. Put 1/2 cup of this into a small bowl, stir in the honey, and set aside to use as a sauce on the cooked chicken.
Marinate the chicken in the rest of the yogurt sauce. When you're ready to grill, wipe or shake off the excess yogurt and discard it. Grill the chicken until done, about 10-15 minutes total, turning once about halfway through.
Make it an all-grill dinner and serve with grilled squash or skewered vegetables.
2. Chicken Quesadillas
You can make this with leftover chicken or canned chicken. The canned chicken makes for a nice quick pantry dinner.
- Diced cooked chicken
- chili powder
- garlic or garlic powder
- leftover broth or water
- flour tortillas
- Cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend
- sour cream
- salsa
In a small pan, mix the cooked chicken with some chili powder and garlic. Optionally, if you have some taco seasoning mix you can use that instead. Add some water or broth, just enough to make everything moist without being too soupy. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let it heat through, stirring now and then. In the meantime, grate some cheese.
You can bake these quesadillas or heat them in a frying pan with a bit of butter on the outside surfaces. If you're going to bake them, preheat the oven to 450. Set the tortillas on a baking pan, spread the chicken mixture across the tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. Top with another tortilla, then bake for 5 minutes or so.
If you don't want to bake, spread one side of the tortilla with butter and lay in a warm frying pan or on a griddle. Spread the chicken mixture over it, sprinkle grated cheese on top, and place another tortilla on top. Spread butter over it as well. Cook a few minutes until the cheese is melted and the outside of the tortilla is a lightly browned. Carefully flip it over and cook the other side.
Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa on the side. Refried beans make a nice side dish, of course.
3. Baked Chicken Parmesan
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or equivalent chicken tenders
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or probably a couple of minced garlic cloves)
- 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup dried parsley
Mix together the butter, garlic powder, Dijon, and Worcestershire in a dish. (I typically use old pie pans for this.)
Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley together in another.
Dip the chicken in the butter, then in the bread crumbs, then place in a buttered or greased 9x9 or so pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until done through.
4. Paprika Chicken - for 2 or more
Here's an easily adjustable recipe for bone-in chicken pieces. I'm listing my approximate measurements for 2 bone-in breasts and a lot of soupy sauce that tasted delicious on the rice I made at the same time. Adjust accordingly to fit the number of pieces you're cooking.
- 3 Tbs butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 Tbs paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk or water
- 3 Tbs sour cream
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts or other pieces
Melt the butter in a deep skillet large enough to hold your chicken. Salt the chicken pieces. Mix the flour and paprika together, then roll the chicken in it until well coated. Brown the chicken in the butter, turning frequently and moving around in the pan so it's evenly browned, about 10 minutes. If you're doing a lot of chicken you may want to do this in batches.
Heat the milk or water a bit in the microwave and pour it in the pan. You basically want enough liquid to cook the chicken in. Bring the liquid to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Turn the heat off and stir in the sour cream. Serve with rice or noodles and a simple side dish of vegetables.
5. Garlic Chicken with Parmesan
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cloves chopped garlic
- 3-4 boneless skinless cihcken breasts
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Melt some butter and and add the chopped garlic to it. Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in a baking dish. Cover them with grated Parmesan cheese and pat it down a bit, then pour the butter and garlic over them.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so, until done.
6. Baked Crispy Chicken Breasts
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 egg whites
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
Mix the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic powder and garlic salt in a pie pan or other flat dish. Whisk together the egg whites and vinegar in another pie pan. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Dip the chicken into the vinegar and egg white mix, then the bread crumbs. If you like it extra crispy, dredge the chicken in flour, then dip in the egg mix, then the bread crumbs. Press the bread crumbs in. Lay the chicken pieces on the cookie sheet, spray with the cooking spray, and salt and pepper to taste.
Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.
7. Creole Chicken for Two
I often end up with leftover cooked chicken, which I freeze in 1 or 2 cup portions for recipes like this.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- dash of cayenne
- 2 Tbs oil
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 cup cooked chicken or turkey
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
Heat oil and cook the onion, garlic, and celery for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce, water, bay leaf, salt, and cayenne and bring to a gentle boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about an hour. Stir in the green pepper and chicken, cover, and simmer another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve over steamed rice.
Serves 2.
