At home we eat so much chicken that the kids just roll their eyes and complain, “Again?”
They can complain all they want but they always devour it. And besides, chicken is easy on the wallet, especially if you stay away from processed chicken breasts or pre-cooked meals. As a matter of fact, one of the best deals when it comes to chicken is a whole bird.
A NATURALLY FLAVORFUL CHICKEN
I usually buy the all-natural chicken; the one that hasn’t been pumped up with antibiotics and drowned in saline solution. If it’s free-range, even better. Now, I’m not Joe-Nature or anything, but trust me, these chickens are better for you and they taste way better. I know these birds are more expensive than the chickens raised in a factory. But think about it, for the price of a package of two large, boneless, skinless (and might I add tasteless), chicken breasts you can buy a whole natural bird with dark meat, skin, and bones and all the flavor that nature intended.
STRETCHING THAT BIRD
If you’re with me on this, let me share something else with you: A complete meal for a family of five for less than $12.00. And, I guarantee you’ll have enough leftovers for a nice lunch plus a chicken carcass you can freeze and use at a later date for making soup. As an added bonus, preparing this meal is a breeze and the cleanup is minimal.
Read Related: Fast & Fabulous Fridays: Peruvian Chicken Cilantro Soup
CHICKEN RECIPE FOR SINGLE DADS
Ingredients
Whole natural chicken ($8)
Bunch of Broccoli ($1.79)
Box of Couscous ($2)
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt, garlic powder, and oregano. Then, place the seasoned bird in a Pyrex or other oven-safe container and cook at 350 degrees for approximately 1 to 1½ hours. You can tell the chicken is done if you can easily twist the leg bone.
- Once the chicken is done, it’s time to attack the veggies. Break up and wash the broccoli. Place the pieces in a metal pan sprinkle with olive oil and salt and place it in the oven to broil for like approximately 10 minutes.
- While the chicken is resting and the broccoli is cooking, boil water in a pot for the couscous, (follow the instructions in the box). Add couscous to the boiling water, stir and set aside well covered for at least five minutes.
- When the broccoli is done, pull it out of the oven. (Ideally, it should have a bright green color and be charred here and there near the top).
And that’s it. That’s how we roll in this house: cheap, easy, and delicious.
The best part is that the kids will only have two pans and a pot to wash. Remember to wrap the leftover chicken in tinfoil so the next day you can tear off some meat and mix it with fresh, diced tomato, Kalamata olives, and basil and toss over pasta for a scrumptious lunch.
Wrap the rest of the chicken and freeze it for future use in soup.
Cheers!
