Chicken Recipes Will Delight Your Family and Your Budget!

Chicken! It deserves its own page because it is the ultimate budget meat. Chicken recipes are plentiful and while you can get carried away and create an expensive meal, most are very economical and tasty.

While being the ultimate budget meat, chicken is also easy to ruin. I’m sure we’ve all had our fair share of dried out chicken, but with a little practice and a little technique, you will be wowing your friends and family with your delicious chicken recipes.

Chicken Options

The most expensive way to buy chicken is in boneless, skinless chicken parts. You’ll pay much more for this variety than you will any other form of chicken, but compared to steak, it’s still very affordable. I’m not trying to fool anyone here. I know a chicken breast doesn’t compare to a juicy rib eye – in most opinions -- but the point is you can make chicken the back bone of your menu planning and sprinkle other meats over a couple nights so you don’t get burned out on our friendly bird.

In addition to boneless/skinless, you can also buy whole cut-up chickens, parts, whole chickens and the ubiquitous sales item leg quarters.

Whole chickens are very affordable and are great for stuffing and rotisserie. Recipes which utilize these two techniques are usually over the top delicious and affordable. I have a handful of Sunday Dinners that include whole chicken recipes. Keep checking back as I’ll be posting some of those recipes occasionally. They are special meals that are affordable – double whammy!!

Leg quarters are frequently on sale and can be used for a variety of recipes. They can be used in any recipe which calls for parts. They can also be used for any recipe which calls for shredded chicken, such as chicken tacos or chicken soup. They can be a little awkward to use because the spine is left on the thigh, but you can easily cut the spine off while the part is still somewhat frozen using a cleaver or heavy knife.

Include It Three to Four Times in Your Weekly Menu

As I mentioned in my section on menu planning and in my strategy overview, I try to plan chicken for three to four nights a week. In this way, I capitalize on its affordable price, but don’t get tired of it by having chicken every night.

Brining Chicken

Brining is a technique which involves soaking your chicken in a salt solution. This aids in keeping your chicken from drying out. You can brine any form of chicken from boneless/skinless and parts to whole birds. I’ll be posting some chicken recipes which include brining from time to time, so check back.

Chicken Recipes

Chicken Rice

Brined Chicken Breasts

Whole Chicken With Stuffing Recipe

Chicken Parmesan Recipe with White Sauce

Cornish Game Hen Recipe With Honey Mustard Glaze

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