LegendKillerJosh
08-27-09, 5:54 pm
Let's face it. A lot of us are on a fixed budget, whether it be due to layoffs, cutbacks, and all the other horrible things people are facing in the current economy, we can't all eat portherhouse steaks every night like we'd like to. Bags of frozen chicken are generally cheap, as other chicken parts as well.
Note, many of these aren't contest-diet-worthy, and involve (gasp) carbs.
My personal favorite is to slice the breasts in half, or into strips if they are thick, dip them in ranch, then dip them in bread crumbs and bake in the oven. The ranch, breadcrumbs, and chicken provide fat, carbs and protein for a meal. Add rice or veggies if you want a nice dinner.
Of course the best way is to grill in (preferably a charcoal grill) with some layers of barbecue sauce added as it cooks.
Another of my favorites is to use it in place of ground beef for pasta. I like to throw 1.5 pounds of breads, sliced into very small pieces, in a frying pan with some olive oil and garlic powder. When it's white all the way through, drain the grease, add a jar of pasta sauce (or make your own if you want to get really fancy) and add some fresh veggies likes carrots, mushrooms peppers to the sauce if you want. Pour over pasta for an excellent dinner.
Another variation of that is to get some pasta-roni, the brocolli cheese flavor, and add diced chicken breast to it.
A rotisserie is another way to go if you have a toaster oven. Buy a whole chicken, or a breast with the skin on and follow the instructions from there.
The bake-in bags make a nice way to cook chicken in the oven. They work better for larger turkey breasts, but can definitely be used for a whole chicken as well. They come with a seasoning packet and all the chicken juices simmer in that bag while it's in the oven. Guaranteed delicious.
Dirty rice mix is delicious, and while it is intended to be cooked with a pound of beef, a pound or more of chicken will work just as well. Very delicious and a complete meal.
If you've never bought lean ground chicken and made burgers out of it, I would highly recommend you try that. By the time you dress it up with cheese and ketchup on a bun, it taste the same as a beef burger. Ground chicken is usually pretty cheap.
Note, many of these aren't contest-diet-worthy, and involve (gasp) carbs.
My personal favorite is to slice the breasts in half, or into strips if they are thick, dip them in ranch, then dip them in bread crumbs and bake in the oven. The ranch, breadcrumbs, and chicken provide fat, carbs and protein for a meal. Add rice or veggies if you want a nice dinner.
Of course the best way is to grill in (preferably a charcoal grill) with some layers of barbecue sauce added as it cooks.
Another of my favorites is to use it in place of ground beef for pasta. I like to throw 1.5 pounds of breads, sliced into very small pieces, in a frying pan with some olive oil and garlic powder. When it's white all the way through, drain the grease, add a jar of pasta sauce (or make your own if you want to get really fancy) and add some fresh veggies likes carrots, mushrooms peppers to the sauce if you want. Pour over pasta for an excellent dinner.
Another variation of that is to get some pasta-roni, the brocolli cheese flavor, and add diced chicken breast to it.
A rotisserie is another way to go if you have a toaster oven. Buy a whole chicken, or a breast with the skin on and follow the instructions from there.
The bake-in bags make a nice way to cook chicken in the oven. They work better for larger turkey breasts, but can definitely be used for a whole chicken as well. They come with a seasoning packet and all the chicken juices simmer in that bag while it's in the oven. Guaranteed delicious.
Dirty rice mix is delicious, and while it is intended to be cooked with a pound of beef, a pound or more of chicken will work just as well. Very delicious and a complete meal.
If you've never bought lean ground chicken and made burgers out of it, I would highly recommend you try that. By the time you dress it up with cheese and ketchup on a bun, it taste the same as a beef burger. Ground chicken is usually pretty cheap.