Easy and cheap chicken recipes wanted :)

Karasene
Karasene Posts: 140 Member
edited October 4 in Recipes
Hello all :) I am looking for recipes that I can make that our healthy that my husband will eat. I am trying to get him to eat more chicken and not so much red meat. I am done making two different meals a night. I would love it if ya'll could help me come up with easy and affordable ways to cook chicken. We are on a very strict budget and the one thing i have always said is I won't allow my food budget to go up. The one thing i hate is how healthy food is so much more expensive than crappy unhealthy food. It is a big challenge at times to come up with new ideas. My husband dosen't like eating the same things all the time. I can and pretty much do.

Thank you so much.
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Replies

  • if you have a crock pot, you can put chicken breasts on the bottom, throw in carrots and quartered red potatoes, add a small can of cream of chicken, and enough chicken broth to cover everything and cook all day. So easy, so cheap, and sooo good =)
  • At my house we buy alot of "rice and chicken" types of meals, they're pretty cheap and you can get at walmart. They come in little packages or boxes, just add the chicken to them.
  • I receny started buying turkey breasts and using them in place of chicken, it's a little cheaper. One breast will do 2 people & I couldn't taste a difference. I find chicken a bit of a tasteless meat anyway and it's what you add to it that gives it flavour (it's like the pasta of the meat world lol). No recipes I'm afraid, I tend to just throw things together.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Easiest chicken recipe that my husband always asks for. Throw a package of chicken breasts in the crock pot with a jar of salsa. Let it cook all day on low. Perfect for tacos or just eating as is with a side of veggies or over a salad. I have more. Add me as a friend and I can help you!
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    I do a lot of foods in the crock pot, I also like foods that freeze and can be used later.

    This one has gone into a "family favs" pile. Its easy, cheap (as long as the chicken is on sale), and makes a lot. I also froze the leftovers and they tasted good a month later, I made enchiladas with the leftovers.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/NeuroticVirgo/view/crockpot-chicken-tacos-65-cal-145546


    And what man doesn't like BBQ? So here is some BBQ chicken. I'm thinking about altering the sauce a little bit to get the sodium down, but haven't got that far yet.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/NeuroticVirgo/view/bbq-shredded-chicken-crockpot-108-calories-137047
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    A way to grill or bake chicken and have it be very moist is to wrap in foil. I bought several different dry rubs, rub the chicken breast liberally with them, wrap in foil and cook. They come out very moist and yummy. If you don't have or want to buy rubs, just sprinkle with some spices (onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, etc)

    Also, an easy crock pot recipe is:
    Chicken breasts
    Can of Reduced Fat Cream of Mushroom or Chicken soup
    Cup of Salsa
    Taco seasoning (one packet)

    Dump all in crockpot and cook on low 8 hours or high 5-6. Shred chicken and add 1/2 cup light sour cream. This can then be eaten over rice, noodles, as enchilada filling, on baked chips as nachos. You get the idea. :)
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Toss a half dozen chicken breasts in the oven, sprinkle some with paprika, some with another dry spice maybe lemon-pepper.... it's baked chicken but it's different flavours.

    Or.... take a crock pot (slow cooker) toss in half a dozen diced onions in the bottom layer, put chicken (thighs or breast) on top then cover with another half dozen onions, add 1/2 cup of cooking sherry or if you don't have the cooking alcohols like me substitute 1/4 cup vinegar with 1Tbsp sugar and 1/4 cup of either chicken stock or water....and cook on low all day while you're at work or for a couple hours in the evening. The onions will release a ton of moisture making this one tasty moist dish vs the baked chicken.
  • sandi228
    sandi228 Posts: 72 Member
    Garlic Balsamic Chicken

    • 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • 8 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 cup low or no-sodium chicken broth
    • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch
    • 2 tbsp water
    Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with Pam. Cook breasts for 3 minutes on one side; add garlic. Turn chicken and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Add stock, vinegar, and a little pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a platter. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water, stir until smooth. Add to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth. Pour sauce over chicken.

    This is very flavorful and great over rice. You can reduce it down instead of making so much but once you taste it you won't mind eating it more than one day. I haven't put it in the recipe builder to see what the calories are. This is a recipe from Michael Thurmond's 6 week body makeover site that was a regular staple in my house when I did that plan. YUMMY!!!!
    For me I would eat 1/2 a breast per serving so list it at 16 servings in recipe builder. Men can eat more than us ladies.
  • JS70
    JS70 Posts: 95 Member
    These all sound great! Thanks for sharing!!
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    We eat a lot of shredded bbq chicken--you can do it on either the crock pot or in the oven, and we take several chicken breasts, season and bake them, shred them, and then top them with bbq sauce and let them bake a bit longer. I eat it by itself, but my husband will make sandwiches or tacos with it. Sometimes I'll make a stuffed baked potato with the leftovers.

    I also like a good homemade chicken noodle soup, which we make with a whole chicken, cubed, celery, carrots, chicken broth and water, and noodles. I don't eat the noodles, but my husband likes them, and it's relatively low-cal.

    I also do a lot of simpler things--baked chicken with rice, gravy and some sort of veggie. Chicken Fricasse, which I make by boiling chicken breasts and thighs until they're about half-cooked, and then adding a roux to it and letting it simmer until it's finished cooking. We usually have that over brown rice and with a veggie of some sort. I also like doing a marinated chicken breast on the grill, and usually we'll put some veggies wrapped in foil on the grill so they can cook together.
  • dargytaylor
    dargytaylor Posts: 840 Member
    Check out this website, awesome recipes!!

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    I love chicken veggie soup

    4 ck breast

    5 oz carrots chopped

    3 stalks celery chopped

    1 32 oz container low sodium broth

    1 can diced tomatoes

    1 med onion chopped

    2 tsp garlic (minced)

    Cook chicken seperately first. then chop everything and put in pot for about an hour. It is delish and low cal. Makes 8 1 cup serving. 75 cals per 1 cup.
  • abronowski_611
    abronowski_611 Posts: 17 Member
    My husband absolutely loves his chicken cooked this way! And it was in a Muscle Fitness article that he read to use for Talapia, and I use it for chicken, even pork chops! It's so yummy!

    All you need is
    1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
    2 TBLS of Italian Seasoning
    1 TBLS of Garlic SALT

    Mix all the seasoning together and bread two chicken breast. Make sure both sides are coated well and evenly.

    Heat 1 TBLS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a skillet or frying pan and sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown and crispy, usually takes about 2 minutes per side. (I always poke holes in the chicken breast to help the cooking process on the inside of the chicken. I think a steak knife works great for the holes.)

    After the chicken is golden brown on both sides, place on a baking dish and bake the chicken at 375* for roughly 10 to 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. (Cooking times may vary depending on oven type)

    When the chicken is done cooking, I like to squeeze a little lemon juice on the chicken to give it a little extra kick! It's so good. :o)

    I like to serve it with mashed potatoes and spicy corn. It is such an easy and VERY tasty meal everyone will love!
  • I make this for my husbamd at home cause he gets sick of chicken ;)

    4 chicken breast (boneless)


    1 1/2 cups of Fiber one cereal or special k corn flakes (crunch them up)
    3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
    1/4 tsp. salt and pepper

    Mix all that together that is gonna be your breading for the chicken

    then in another bowl put
    1 egg white

    then dip your chicken into the egg white and dip into the batter

    Spray your baking pan with fat free non stick to your baking sheet
    Set oven to 350
    Bake for 25 mins

    I even had my kids chowing on it, taste like fried chicken almost :)
    good luck
  • laurielie
    laurielie Posts: 133 Member
    parmesan crusted chicken,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    1/2 c, mayo
    1/4 c, parm cheese
    bread crumbs ( I like panko)
    3 or 4 chx breasts

    cover chx with mayo, coat in parm cheese & bread crumbs, cook about 30-45 minutes on 425. yummy!
    hope you both enjoy;-)) my "fussy" hubby likes it~~~~~~
  • annhjk
    annhjk Posts: 794 Member
    These sound good. Bumping to read later.
  • trishlambert
    trishlambert Posts: 213 Member
    All these suggestions are great!

    I do a dish I call "Mediterannean Chicken" ... put in amounts of each item that work for you (I often adjust amounts based on where I am in my calorie budget for the day):

    Diced cooked chicken
    grape tomatoes, halved
    lime or lemon juice
    minced garlic
    olive oil
    crumbled feta cheese
    dry basil
    chopped walnuts

    Gosh...that looks like a lot of ingredients! But I keep a jar of minced garlic in oil in the fridge, and the oil and basil live in a rack on my kitchen counter,so it's pretty easy to put together. Throw everything into a baking or casserole dish, then cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (it's done when the cheese is brown).

    I eat this by itself, kind of like a stew because the water in the tomatoes and the juice turn into a nice broth. It would also be great on pasta, orzo, or perhaps rice.
  • 1 jar of your favorite salsa
    1lb of chicken breast
    1 package of fajita seasoning
    1 cup cheddar cheese.

    thats all

    place salsa in 9 x 13 casserole dish, sprinkle chicken with seasoning (just a little), lay chicken on top of salsa
    cover with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes @ 375F. Add cheese on top cook uncovered 5-10 more minutes til melted.
    serve with rice or fajita shells .or just enjoy.
  • stevwil41
    stevwil41 Posts: 608 Member
    Chicken and Green Peppers

    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    2 green peppers, chopped
    1/3 low sodium soy sauce

    Put the peppers on top of the chicken in a baking dish. Pour the soy sauce over it. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes. It tastes great directly out of the oven and even better as leftovers the next day.

    I've also made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or substituted an onion for one of the peppers. Last Sunday I used a pepper, an onion, and 4 pineapple rings and served it over rice.
  • These recipes sound great. Can't wAit to make some.
  • Hi!
    See my thread on chicken drumsticks recipes, I got alot of great ideas!
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Cut some chicken breast up into strips or chunks, whichever you prefer. Brown it. Add a chopped tomato, some chopped bell pepper and onion to your skillet until they are nice and cooked. Add whichever spices you want, and voila a yummy, super easy and healthy meal.
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    Buy chicken breast tenderloins and cook them in a frying pan on the stove with a little EVOO.

    Once they're nice and browned, add some salsa to the pan and let it warm through.

    Delicious, and flavorful, and good for ya. :happy:
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    My other standby is to buy large, boneless skinless chicken breasts.

    Marinate about a half hour in EVOO/lemon/garlic.

    Bake them for about 20 minutes, pull 'em out, cut a slit in the side and stuff them with a diced tomato/italian breadcrumb/onion/other veggies/mixture.

    Sprinkle a smidge of parm on top and put back in the oven until cooked through--

    Delish!
  • auntdeedee87
    auntdeedee87 Posts: 706 Member
    Sorry if I'm going overboard-- chicken is my favorite thing to cook with, haha--

    Chicken kabobs! Google recipes-- most of them are healthy because the chicken is either grilled or baked, and your other main ingredients are veggies.

    Ground chicken formed into patties and grilled makes delicious 'burgers'.

    And any of your favorite dressings probably makes an excellent marinade for baked chicken-- My favorites are zesty italian & Cardini's brand Caesar-- pair with some cous cous and it's a simple, easy meal that tastes great.
  • TIARAR247
    TIARAR247 Posts: 47 Member
    thanks for posting this. i will be using some of these recipes myself
    :smile:
  • k5yac
    k5yac Posts: 1
    Great sounding recipes... thanks for sharing!
  • bmccrory2
    bmccrory2 Posts: 84 Member
    bump
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Simply grilled with salt and pepper.
  • cpotter4
    cpotter4 Posts: 116 Member
    Bump!
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