Chicken Ala Cheap

Chicken Ala Cheap
 
Here is my recipe for Chicken Ala Cheap which others may enjoy just in case anyone finds
themselves in a downward turning economy with food and energy prices rising, as if that could
actually happen. Anyway frugal people may like it as well. It is cheap, but it tastes good.
 
Ingredients:
 
1.25 to 1.50 pounds of boneless chicken breast (I can frequently find this @ $2.00 a pound
 
1 jar of Alfredo sauce (about $2.00 a jar).
 
8 ounces pasta ( 60 cents or so)
 
That's it, we are trying to be frugal here.
 
Method:
 
This method uses the microwave as it is the cheapest way to cook
 
1 Measure half a box of pasta ( I like large shells or rigatoni ) into a 2 quart vessel. (I use the plastic disposable ones) Fill with water and microwave on high for 15 minutes...test for tenderness. Zap more if needed. Drain and add sauce. Cover and set aside.
 
2 Place chicken breasts on a microwave safe plate. Zap for 4.5 minutes on 75% power, turn and zap again for the same time and power. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so.
 
3 Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and add to pasta mixture.
 
 
When boneless breast is not on sale a good alternative is the supermarket deli, if they sell whole roasted chickens as all the supermarkets in my area do. They usually sell for $5 to $6 per roasted chicken. Reserve legs, thighs and wings for other meals, bone the breast meat and cut into bite sized pieces and generally pick the carcass clean.  Proceed as above omitting #2 as this chicken is already cooked.
 
4 Heat gently to desired serving temperature.
 
Well, that is my basic Chicken Ala Cheap. It makes 2 quarts of delightful comfort food using very little energy with minimal ingredients. It can be a real budget saver.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Add a box (10 oz) of chopped; minimally cooked and excess water removed frozen spinach, a few cloves of minced garlic, and some freshly ground black pepper.  :)

I have been making something pretty close for a while, Only difference  is to add the herbs I grow in my green house. cost 5packets a dollar at the Dollar tree store. I pinch pennies where I can, and proud of it!

Well, you guys are making Chicken Ala Cheap Deluxe. I wanted to keep it basic on the initial post. Thank you very much for your Deluxe versions though, they sound very good. If people are interested in this topic, I will post some of my own Chicken Ala Cheap Deluxe versions.
 
Thanks for the help on this thread, I appreciate it very much.

I buy whole chickens at 99 cents a pound.
Cut the breast meat off and freeze it then cook
the balance of the bird any which way I want to.

Now when I wanna Cheap Chicken a la Greyghost
I open the freezer and grab those 99 cent breasts.
 
Making CC Deluxe a la el Ghost then is a cheap
masterpiece----------or something like that.

Thanks for your wise input Ancient Mariner, but not all of us have freezers or would want one considering energy costs. 99 cents sounds good for whole chicken and you can keep it around for quite a while...then again that freezer is a huge energy drain and every day, every hour, every minute it is running increases the cost of this hoarded frozen food.
 
In addition, an extended power outage can transform all your saved frozen food into garbage in rather quick order. Then it is a total loss.
 
As for me, I will shop the sales for fresh food and let the supermarket pay the energy costs for keeping it fresh. Something to think about, anyway.  

Hey Ghost I don't have no fancy freezer.  I just have a little freezer
compartment over the refrigerator.  Once that chicken breast is in there I go to work on the rest --- bake it, broil it, cut it up into pieces and fry it, or make arroz con pollo or chicken soup or whatever.  Best buy around here. 

And then one day I go get those breasts and make Chicken a la Ghost---
cheap and filling.  Taste great/more filling !!!!!

Bonus Chicken ala Cheap:

Use  chicken breasts with bones and skin.

Now cut them out and off, but save them in a ziplock in your freezer for your future bonus.

Follow the rest of the recipe and enjoy.

Now...  along with those bones and skin, throw in onion peels, celery leaves, etc when you trim vegetables.  When you get a lot or what you think is a lot.... make some stock! You can strain it and freeze what you don't use.  Next time you want to boil those frozen scraps throw them in to the frozen (and defrosted) stock, add water and condense the flavors even more.  Repeat.

No waste soup.

Every time we have a roast chicken...in the pot and a quick soup is made...two meals for the price of one!

I enjoy making alfredo sauce, but in the spirit if the thread, I will provide my system to make Chicken ala FREE. No, not cheap, FREE. Zero, zip, nada.

I cut coupons, because when I do, it is easy enough to get most staples for free, along with bonus incentives.

So, I get the Sunday paper. I am reading it, anyway.

There I find a $.75 coupon for Classico Alfredo sauce.

My store doubles (sometimes triples) the face value of this coupon. Since most of the time, there is a sale, in conjunction with such a coupon, I will most likely find that that jar of sauce is FREE. If it is, I will make sure to use several other coupons, and stock up, for later use. So, it is free, and I will usually  have a jar (or several jars) free, in the pantry, already.

Last week, there were 6 coupon booklets in the paper. There, I found a coupons for Muller's pasta. Save $.55 off any 1 box of whole wheat pasta. A bonus incentive, for the whole wheat, since it is healthier, on sale, and yes, free.

Since I cut coupons so often, the register spits out something called "Catalina" coupons. They are the red and white coupons that are printed right at the register, and handed to you, at the end of the transaction. I always have a Catalina that is valid for $2 off your next shopping order (since I get credit for purchasing so many free items). So, there is the chicken, on sale at $1.99...for free.

Later in the week I will make arrangements with my local candy store guy, to pull the coupon booklets, before he recycles the papers. So, I will be a busy girl, at the store, later in the week. Keep what we use, donate the rest of the free items to charity, and enjoy the....

Chicken ala FREE.

It is time-consuming, but I enjoy it, and I am very used to it, because this is the way I survived many years ago, when I was in school, with two babies to feed. It is something I never stopped doing, because it not only saves me money, it helps many other people, who may find themselves currently struggling.

My babies are not babies anymore. The are young men, with healthy appetites. The have learned this system, from the time they knew basic math. So, they can easily do what I do (even better at times) as long as they stay motivated. Motivation is the "fun fund" Since they are saving money, which would otherwise cost me money, the total savings is designated into a fund, to use for their vacation. They usually vacation, in California, and if they want good additional  spending funds, they stick to the program.

I would just add extra parmesan or romano.

Your refrigerator has no freezer compartment? You do have a refrigerator, don't you?

If I were making a budget chicken dish I wouldn't be buying boneless/skinless chicken breasts or bottled Alfredo sauce.  I might make an Alfredo from scratch since I usually have the ingredients on hand but more likely I'd make a chicken spaghetti, a great Depression era dish that can go a long way.

I almost always buy whole chickens, sometimes just the leg quarters (I like the dark meat best).  B/s chicken breasts are on special this week at one store for $1.77/lb; whole chickens $.99/lb at 2 stores, $.69/lb at one, and that's not an unusual special price.  Leg quarters are $.49/lb in a 10 lb bag but I've tried those before and the chicken doesn't have good flavor.

I'd stock up at the sale price on whole chickens.  I have a rotisserie so I'd do one that way rather than buy a ready-to-eat store product.  The others I'd stew, pick the meat, skim the fat off the broth when cooled and save it for other uses and save the broth.  The meat is good for tacos, enchiladas, stews, casseroles, sandwiches or just a protein snack a la Adkins.

Michael Hoffman


Your refrigerator has no freezer compartment? You do have a refrigerator, don't you?

Quit being such an ass.