10 Chicken Dinner Recipes for $7 or Less

10 Chicken Dinner Recipes for $7 or Less

These are some of our favorite recipes to help give you an easier start to dinner. For me just thinking of what to make is the hardest part of dinner, so picking the recipe is a major step to done! These recipes are cheap, easy and fast so pick one and have it for dinner tomorrow!

Roasted Chicken Recipe (from Dining On A Dime)

Chicken pieces
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Butter

Lay chicken in a greased pan. Sprinkle with spices. Bake at 300 – 350 degrees for 30 minutes to an hour until the meat falls away from bone easily or the juices run clear. The cooking time depends on how big the pieces are, the temperature  you use and your oven. Sometimes, half way through the cooking I will place a small dab of butter on each piece or brush with butter.

You can also add your favorite veggies like carrots, potatoes, onions, etc.

Garlic Roasted Chicken Recipe

3-5 lb. chicken
salt
pepper
paprika
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
about 1/4 lb. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth

Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika. Rub the bird inside and out with garlic. Place in the crockpot. Lay a couple of pats of butter on top of the breast and pour in broth. Cook on Low 6-8 hours. Serve with the garlic butter sauce.

Maple Glazed Chicken Recipe (from Dining On A Dime)

1/4 cup maple syrup
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
Salt and pepper (to taste)
4 pieces chicken

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Add salt and pepper to the chicken. Bake 10 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and pour on glaze. Bake 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.

Chicken Soup – Homemade Version

Make this warm and comforting soup with your chicken leftovers. The roasted chicken adds a little different and yummy flavor. Don’t be frightened by all the ingredients. You can chop a lot of it the day before you make it and just dump and add the rest.

1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. olive oil or canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
8 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups wide egg noodles
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Saute* first 4 ingredients in oil in a large Dutch oven (big pot or pan). Stir in flour, oregano and thyme. Gradually add chicken broth, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Add chicken and noodles and simmer 10 more minutes. Reduce heat and add milk. Do not boil.

*Saute means to stir and cook until tender, usually about 3-5 minutes.

You can change this recipe to suit your taste. Add other veggies like peas, corn or broccoli. You can leave out the potatoes or substitute them with something like sweet potatoes or squash. You can leave out the milk (but the milk makes a nice creamy soup) and/or add more or less broth. You can also adjust the spices, for example you might add a little Tabasco sauce to give it a little kick.

3 Ingredient Chicken Tacos

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
taco seasoning to taste (homemade or 1 packet)
1 can Rotel tomatoes*

Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and use in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or in a salad. You can also serve it hot or cold so it would be great as leftovers to take in a lunch.

*Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with chopped green peppers or jalapenos. Any brand that is labeled “tomatoes and green chilies” should be OK or just used canned tomatoes and add the kind of peppers you would like.

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Boneless, skinless chicken, cut into strips
1 egg, beaten
Parmesan cheese (the stuff that is already grated in the green can) and fry in your favorite oil.

Roll strips of  boneless, skinless chicken in beaten egg and  Parmesan cheese (the stuff that is already grated in the green can) and fry in your favorite oil.

You can adjust this next recipe to your taste. Cut back on the cheese, add a cooked pasta for a more substantial  meal or add a few black olives. Salt and/or season to taste.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (from Dining On A Dime)

2-3 lbs. chicken pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes
2 cups mushrooms sliced
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1 tsp. fresh basil, crushed or 1/4 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups pasta, cooked

Brown chicken in oil, 10 minutes, turning occasionally; drain. Add the rest of the ingredients except pasta. Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Apricot Chicken Recipe

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. oil, olive or vegetable
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. onion soup mix

Cook chicken in garlic and oil until brown. Place in an 8 inch baking dish. Combine everything else and pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until juices run clear. Serve over rice.

Summer Chicken Fruit Salad

Spinach leaves
1 cup chicken chunks, cooked
1 cup mixed fruit (strawberries, grapes, oranges, kiwi, blueberries, apples), sliced
1/4 cup celery, sliced
1 Tbsp. nuts (walnuts, sliced almonds)
1 Tbsp. green onion, sliced

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
4 tsp. orange juice

Arrange spinach leaves on 2 plates. Layer other ingredients in order. Mix the mayonnaise and orange juice and drizzle over salad. Makes 2 servings.

Oven Fried Chicken With Biscuits

4 -5 Tbsp. margarine (not butter)
4-6 pieces of chicken
1/2 cup baking mix
Salt and pepper
1 can refrigerator biscuits

Melt the margarine in a 9×13 pan. Pour the baking mix on a plate or in a plastic bag. Roll the chicken in the margarine, then into baking mix and place back into the pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the juices run clear.

About 5-10 minutes before the chicken is done, push the pieces of chicken tightly against one side of the pan and lay the biscuits into the pan on the opposite side. Finish baking until the biscuits are brown.

Note: It’s okay to lay the biscuits in the margarine and all in the bottom of the pan. That makes the biscuits margarine soaked and crispy. Oh, yum!