Now is a good time to start saving money, in fact, any time is really. Whatever your reasons, however, quick chicken recipes can help you eliminate a lot of overuse and excess spending when it comes to providing healthy, hearty meals for your family. With a small investment of time you can start diverting money from your grocery spending directly into your rainy day fund.
Usually bone-out, skinless chicken breasts cost far more than the alternatives. Meat shears however can help you make the most of this lean meat. Another great recipe starter is boneless, skinless thighs. You can use your shears to trim off extra fat as well as in cutting the meat down to size.
You can save a considerable amount of money by cutting the meat that you use for each meal in half. Most families consume more meat than is necessary for a healthy diet. With the right cooking techniques you can reduce the amount of meat that you cook with and provide healthier fare for your loved ones. You can use cooking shears to thinly slice chicken breasts or thighs down to bite-sized strips. These can then be cooked and incorporated into a larger recipe.
The rest of the meal will consist of inexpensive additions that will be filling and flavorful. A steamed pot of jasmine rice can be added to the finely chopped chicken that has been seared in a pan of olive oil. Diced scallions, chopped garlic, sliced olives, tomatoes and bell pepper can be added as well. With the desired herbs and seasonings you can spice this dish up and served with a fresh green salad.
If you are in the mood for comfort food, pan sear the cut chicken with mushrooms that have been sliced, and fresh chopped or minced garlic. This can then be combined with white wine, marsala sauce and a generous dose of cracked black peppercorns. The perfect side dish for this is mashed potatoes and a steamed vegetable such as broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots or summer squash. With little money you can create a hearty feast that is flavorful and filling.
You can in fact prepare an endless number of dishes with chicken that has been thinly sliced and pan seared. It can be used to create any number of vegetable dense, vitamin packed, soups and stews. Once cooled this meat can also be added to romaine lettuce, croutons, romano cheese and then tossed with a homemade Caesar dressing.
With a small bit of imagination you can turn quick chicken recipes into wholesome, delicious fare for your family. You can even trim your grocery bill a bit, when you implement techniques that enable you to decrease the household meat consumption. This way, everyone feels healthier, and you have more money in your wallet to boot.