Chicken,  Under $2,  Western Food

Spiced Chicken Chop

27 June- Spiced Chicken Chop

I made this for dinner on Thursday- one for ah-mm, one for 88, one for me and two for Jason. Two portions of chicken thigh that is.

Makes 4-5 servings

What I used:

5 chicken thighs
1 packet Seah’s Spicy Fried Chicken Spices
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Combine all ingredients except chicken
Coat chicken with mixture (remember under the skin too) and marinate overnight in fridge
Preheat oven to 190 degrees
Place chicken in pyrex/ glass dish skin side down and cover dish with foil
Bake for 35 mins, then remove foil
Flip the chicken over so that the skin faces up now
Bake uncovered for 10 mins or until skin is brown and crispy
Rest for 10 mins before serving

How much I spent:

$3.93 for chicken (i bought frozen chicken thighs 2 kg for $8.65)
$2.80 for Seah’s spices
All other seasonings from my pantry
$1.20 for fries (1/3 pack of farmland crinkle cut fries)
$1 for broccoli (half a head of broccoli)
$0.70 for Ayam Brand baked beans (1/2 can)

Total cost per serving: $1.93

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This recipe is super easy and I love to marinate meats overnight and just pop into the oven the next day. No mess, no excessive oil, no clean up and so delicious! For a full time cook like me, I know it will start to get dreary if the cooking process is complicated, takes up too much time for so-so results (my creamy mushroom risotto is another story! the time spent is so worth it!), and requires big-time wash up afterwards.

Since I am now cooking for the family on a limited budget, I choose to buy frozen meats which I defrost the night before. This meal just costs 1/3 or 1/4 of the price outside. I am such a budget cook- can you believe I am challenging myself on a $25 MAX weekly budget for Mon-Fri (sometimes Saturday) lunch AND dinner for 3-4 people? After two weeks at it, I just wanna say YES it can be done! One ingredient can be used many ways in a number of meals throughout the week, like I can buy a brinjal and use it to cook assam fish on Monday, then a brinjal and cheese gratin on Wednesday. Ah-mm and 88 are eating chicken, fish, pork, tofu, soups, and lots of vegetables- cooking at home helps your health and wallet!

I feel heart pain when I got to know people were throwing away the McDonald’s meals after buying Hello Kitty. Do you know that your 4 meals = my 1 week budget for my whole family lunch and dinner? Time to plan my meals for next week!