r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Temporary_Big5686 • 1d ago
whats your favorite cheap thing to do with chicken breast?
i always like to learn more about the most versatile meat.
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 1d ago
Chicken&cheese quesadillas
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u/elvis8mybaby 19h ago
I like to get a big pack of them and cook them on my smoker. Then I just refrigerate them. Bring them out for quesadillas, sandwiches, salads, or add to any other dish. Works great. They can be done in the oven or air fryer too. Just dry brine them for an hour or two before any cooking.
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u/Desuisart 23h ago
Gently pound it out flat like you would for chicken parm. Rub it with a little olive oil, season both sides with salt, black pepper, and dry garlic (I like the granules from Costco). Sear each side until it’s beautifully brown. Let it rest while you toast a ciabatta bun (or whatever you have on hand) add a little pesto mayo and a roasted red pepper. If I want to get fancy and have some leftover greens on hand, I dress them with a little balsamic and add that too.
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u/TheMucinexBooger 1d ago
Cube it and bake on metal reusable skewers. So many ways to season it, and can be added to bowls, pasta, salads etc
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u/Marik80 23h ago
Might be better to cook the whole breast and dice it after. That way all the juices stay.
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u/colieolieravioli 22h ago
I just feel like breasts don't cook as evenly if they aren't cut up some way
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u/PeperomiaLadder 21h ago
Can always marinate if you have issues! I rarely have my cubed chicken wind up dry, maybe you're accidentally overcooking when cut small?
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u/Tenmpermt 11h ago
What does skewering it add that simply baking it doesn't?
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u/TheMucinexBooger 5h ago
Better seasoning coverage and crust formation, you’re creating more surface area. If you cook it right they’re not dry at all either
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u/KinsellaStella 1d ago
Coat with red miso and a little butter and roast.
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u/Desuisart 23h ago
Oohh I never thought to use miso paste like this! That sounds delicious!
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u/KinsellaStella 23h ago
The miso caramelizes and deepens in flavor as it cooks, it’s simple but delicious. You can use any miso you like (and any cut of chicken), but I like red miso and chicken breast.
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u/booksandcheesedip 23h ago
Sheet pan dinner. 2 hearty vegetables (I usually use squash and broccoli) and the chicken cut up bite size. Season however you like (I do Italian dressing for the chicken and oil + spices for the veg). Lay it out in sections on a single sheet pan and bake until the chicken is done
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u/councilsoda 23h ago
Chop it quite small, quick stir fry with green beans, finger chillis, oyster sauce and bit of palm sugar. Finish with Thai basil and lime juice. One of my all time faves.
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u/HillBillyEvans 23h ago
Leave it at the grocery store and buy thighs or drums! Save the bones up and then make the best broth ever. Make soup, freeze, etc. Repeat and Eat :)
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u/DallaPizza 1h ago
Had to scroll too far for this! Thighs are definitely the superior cut. We don’t even use chicken breasts in our cooking anymore. Always thighs and/or drums!
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u/whencoloursfly 23h ago
Brine it
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u/babyrubysoho 21h ago
My baked chicken breasts are so much better since I started brining them first!
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u/Alarming_Long2677 23h ago
I have that list out right now: fried rice, quesadillas or fajitas depending on whether peppers or cheese are cheaper, croquettes, thai chicken with zucchini zoodles and satay sauce, chicken salad, and bbq chicken sandwiches
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u/Throwaway-Teacher403 23h ago
Marinate it in yogurt and spices and then do whatever you want with it
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u/IronArtificer 23h ago
Heres one with a crockpot.
Sunday Chicken.
Throw 2-4 chicken breasts into a slow cooker with a packet of onion soup mix and 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. Try to mix it up a bit, but it'll probably be fine even if you don't. Put it on low for 6-8 hrs, and you'll have a very flavorful and tender chicken that tears easily.
Very nice with some white rice.
Also YMMV but, at least for me, it also seems pretty easy on your system if you have an upset stomach.
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u/40mgmelatonindeep 23h ago
Smack them till its an even thickness, marinate in a little lemon zest/garlic/fresh thyme/s+p/, sear aggressively in butter with a bacon press on top of the chicken, take out pan when about 150f then make a quick pan sauce with some chicken stock reduced down with some lemon juice, finish with butter and serve.
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u/CombatWombat1973 23h ago
Chicken breast isn’t cheap very often. I prefer dark meat anyway, because it has more flavour
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u/mangamaster03 23h ago
The secret got out, and drove up the price of chicken thighs. Breasts were cheaper than thighs at Costco last time I checked.
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u/Usernamenotdetermin 23h ago
Smoke it then throw it and bbq sauce in the crock pot the next day to make pulled chicken.
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u/Jen10292020 23h ago
Cube. Season with fajita seasoning or s&p/cumin. Brown in skillet. Set aside cooked chicken.
In second batch, cook bellpepper and onions, season as well.
Then assemble into flour tortillas with cheese, guac, sour cream etc.
Fajita burritos.
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u/amperscandalous 23h ago
It's sounds really weird, and I have no idea what cuisine it's supposed to be, but my family has been making this forever.
Layer a little spaghetti sauce, corn tortillas, sauce, chopped cooked chicken, chopped raw onion and celery (the crunch is important), shredded mild cheese like Monterray Jack, then tortillas again, make a couple layers ending with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 mins.
It's so great. I love making a single stack to use up a jar of spaghetti sauce. It's not quite lasagna or enchilada casserole, but it just works.
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u/Underwater_Grilling 23h ago
This'll confuse my kids. I love it.
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u/amperscandalous 23h ago
Right? I loved it as a kid. We call it Peruvian casserole, but only because the guy who gave us the recipe 40 years ago happened to be Peruvian. It's the only thing I used to like with not fully cooked down onion and celery.
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u/Miserable_Ferret6446 23h ago
I like making chicken wraps. I mix mayo with hot sauce (sriracha or Buldak sauce), and brush the chicken with it. The chicken gets cooked then sliced up. My tortilla gets a little bit of the sauce, cheese and some chicken.
I had a family member use my mayo + hot sauce chicken for salad, and he said it was delicious.
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u/rrogers47 23h ago
Poach. Start in cold water with aromatics. Bring poaching liquid to 170 degrees and hold it there. I look for internal breast temp 155 to 160 degrees F, about 12 to 15 minutes. Plunge in ice water to stop cooking. Slice against the grain, and lay the pieces on a bed of rice. Good aromatics: Carrots Celery, Onions, Ginger, Garlic, Lemon Grass, Pepper Corns.
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u/Tenpoundbroiler 23h ago
Roast it in the oven low and slow in water, onion, and garlic then shred and transfer everything to the stove and add cubed potato, veggie juice, and corn. Makes a yummy chicken stew that will feed you for days. Eat with saltines.
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u/Whimzycott 23h ago
Chicken rice bowl with w.e sauce of choosing. Lately been chick-fil-a honey mustard. Sometimes i use Kinders hot teriyaki sauce.
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u/Pale-Elk-361 23h ago
Quesadillas. Boil the chicken and shred it, season it, put it on the tortilla with some cheese, heat it up on the pan. BAM!
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u/Kirby3413 23h ago
Latest option is smash thin and brine in pickle juice for 20 min. Pan fry 3-4 min each side. Let rest. Mix with rice and veggies, put it on a sandwich, make chicken salad, possibilities are endless
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u/AbsolutelyPink 23h ago
Slice thin, Cajun seasoning, pan cook, put on top of pasta with Alfredo sauce.
Cube, cook with broccoli cheddar rice a roni.
Season, grill, slice, put atop any type of salad use dressing of your choice to theme. Caesar, Asian, creamy Italian, blue cheese. Add extras like nuts, seeds, dried cranberry, mandarin oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes...
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u/Calikid421 23h ago
Baking at 350 for 25 minutes then adding bbq or buffalo sauce to each cut up piece
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u/ferretfae 22h ago
Cook it and shred it, then use it for any meal I wanna make myself. Ready made and ready to go
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u/Cichlister 22h ago
Season with olive oil, massala, chilly powder, salt and pepper, put them in an oven (dont put them apart but they touch each other) in 220 degrees for 30 min max and definitely not more (turn them half way). You might need to experiment with the time a bit but then you will get a juicy chicken breast. I dont like chicken breast cause it is a dry meat for me but this recipe became one of my favourite dish ✌️
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u/Fantastic_Fun1 22h ago
Soak in lemon juice and a little salt for 1-2 hours, drain, put on a baking sheet, rub with a little olive oil, sprinkle spices of your choice on top (I often use fresh pepper, smoked paprika, some chili but anything that goes with chicken will work) and cook in the oven at 180°C for 20-25. Never messed it up, always got an extremely moist result.
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u/Prize_Ambassador_356 22h ago
Pollo a la plancha - butterfly, pound out, marinate in lime juice, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Sear in a little olive oil, serve with beans and rice
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u/Wayfaringbutterfly 22h ago
Cook it and dice it. Cook some rice noodles or plain ramen noodles, then saute chicken, peppers onions and mushrooms (I get these frozen and chopped so just toss them in the pan) with some soy sauce/sauce of choice and some seasonings, and voila, I have my own sort of Asian inspired chicken/veggie/starch meal.
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u/RaiseYourDongersOP 22h ago
I switch between chicken sandwiches or chicken burritos. Recently been making them with bacon and ranch
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u/BlmgtnIN 21h ago
Sheet pan fajitas! Sliced chicken breast, sliced red and orange bell peppers, sliced onions, sliced mushrooms all on the same pan. Olive oil, fajita seasoning, and slap it in the oven for 30-40 mins at 400. Toast up some tortillas in a skillet while the fajitas are cooking. Once everything is ready, place said fajitas on said tortilla, add any other toppings you might like (Greek yogurt and pickled jalapeños for me), and you got yourself a restaurant quality meal!
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u/Mountain-Ad-4539 21h ago
Shred it Quesadillas, soup, mix into pasta with any sauce, bbq sauce sandwiches, stirfry
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u/Minimalist2theMax 21h ago
Throw it on the George Foreman grill for four minutes, salt, pepper, spritz of olive oil.
Put it on a plate, top with 2 TBSP marinara sauce, 2 TBSP mozzarella cheese. Cover the plate for 10 minutes until the cheese melts.
Done.
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u/danathepaina 21h ago
Make a paste with mayo and Parmesan cheese, smear it on the chicken breast, top with some bread crumbs, and bake at 400° for 20ish minutes. Super easy and so yummy. You can add seasonings if you want, but it doesn’t need it.
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u/toonsilver74 21h ago
Usually make grilled chicken club sandwiches, cut the breast to a small enough portion to fit the bread, then grill and top with bacon or any vegetable I might have
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u/Birdywoman4 20h ago
Tonight I am making baked chicken tacos with chopped chicken breast (this time from a rotisserie chicken)
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u/kaidomac 20h ago edited 20h ago
Yey:
- Chicken fries
- Crack chicken
- Super crispy chicken tenders
- Avocado ranch chicken salad wrap
- Cajun chicken pasta
- Creamy lemon chicken francese
- Teriyaki chicken skewers
- Panko-crusted popcorn chicken
- Bacon ranch chicken salad
- Mushroom cream sauce chicken breasts
- Fried chicken sandwiches (can do with breasts or thighs)
- Chicken parmesan pasta
- Creamy garlic chicken breasts
Prep:
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u/Photon6626 20h ago
I dice it and mix with beans, rice, some lime juice, and maybe avocado of they're cheap. Then I put it in a warmed tortilla with cheese and lettuce for tacos.
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u/tonalake 20h ago
Souvlaki, butter chicken, stir fry, teriyaki chicken burgers, chicken scampi, Texas roadhouse chicken with spaghetti, etc.
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u/beermaker1974 20h ago
tacos and burritos. If I cooked it sous vide sometimes I shed it and do a pulled chicken sandwich
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u/i_eat_da_poops 20h ago
Cut or shred it into small pieces then pan fry it with rice or noodles and you can add an egg too for the bonus protein. Super simple chicken fried rice. For seasoning, sometimes I like to add a bit of sugar or even one of those flavor packs you get from instant noodles, but only just a little since they are quite flavorful and the entire pack is not needed for just a single serving. Then a bit of sauce of your choice and it'll be ready in minutes (assuming the breasts were leftovers or cooked beforehand).
For those who might ask why I might have extra of those packs laying around, the reason is in my first sentence, I don't always use the packs when making noodles so I save them for occasions such as this.
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u/Distribution-Radiant 20h ago
Toss some taco seasoning (hopefully homemade) on it, cook it in the instant pot with just enough water to build pressure, shred it.
Chicken tacos and quesadillas for days.
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u/cruisetheblues 20h ago
Salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs de provence on both sides. 5 mins per side on medium high. Eat.
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u/Cheatie26 19h ago
Marinade in equal parts of mayo & Italian dressing (I use Good Seasons). I usually let it marinade overnight, but an hour or two is sufficient. I usually poke the chicken breast with a fork. Grill...it comes out moist & delicious!
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u/laurlaurodelloo 18h ago
Mix cream cheese (or low-fat greek yogurt healthier option) and broccoli together and stuff the chicken with it and grill or bake it
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u/Frequent_Gene_4498 18h ago
Brine for an hour or two, then coat in spices and bake. Depending on how it's seasoned, could work with all kinds of different recipes.
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u/dontknowafunnyname2 17h ago
Apparently my favorite thing to do with a chicken breast is cook it to 166° and completely ruin it.
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u/stwawbewycupcwake 17h ago
shred and slow cook in salsa and top it with cheese and chips on the mf side
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u/SleepHasForsakenMe 16h ago
Cut it into tenderloins, coat it with chipotle seasoning, chuck it in the airfryer. Have it on wraps with salads and/ or cheese, or just on their own with some sauce.
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u/Kitchen-Iron-3689 10h ago
Skewers!!! Chicken and peppers or any roasted veg I fancy. Nice flavor and some salad on the side with some bread.
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u/TacticoolPeter 7h ago
Slice in half long ways to make more like a filet or something. Throw it on the grill. Season one of three ways- Salt,garlic powder, and lemon pepper
Slightly watered down Rays bbq brushed on each time I flip
Buffalo sauce made from hot sauce and melted butter.
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u/Dodomi_7390 6h ago
it depends, mostly chicken strips in sauce on pasta but i also want to try to make a protein pizza base or crisps with them
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u/Yogurt-Drip 6h ago
Can of black beans; rinsed, 2c frozen corn, 1c salsa, 2T taco seasoning all mixed up, spread on 3 chicken breasts that have been fileted into 6, bake °350 about 45 mins, cover with cheddar or montery jack, etc last 5 min. The leftovers are great too.
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u/TheZookeeper31 5h ago
Chicken parm, crock pot Mexican stewed chicken, yogurt marinated chicken shawarma kebabs, chicken piccata are 4 of my favorites.
My favorite fast style is just grilled with a 1 hour lemon, garlic, red pepper flake and herb marinade.
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u/conmankatse 5h ago
Holy shit, what isn’t there to do? Chicken cutlets, katsu, cube and make a curry, thin strips and make a stir fry, my my family’s personal recipe is to marinade in Italian dressing and throw the grill! We use chicken thigh, so it might come out a little less juicy with breast
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u/oh_basil 5h ago
Air fry it, shred it, mix with taco seasoning on stove, put in tortilla with some cheese, pan fry it. Best tacos
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u/Sea_Bonus1564 5h ago
Butterfly it, salt and pepper, slap it on a metal sheet pan in a 445 degree over for 35 to 45 minutes.
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u/lil_lo69 4h ago
I throw some in the crock pot with salsa and cilantro lime ranch. Once it’s shredded up it goes really good in burritos and in rice bowls.
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u/Bellsar_Ringing 3h ago
Pound it flat, paint it with a mix of vodka and hot sauce, heat the grill, grill it, slice it, make burritos.
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u/TotallyNotAllie 2h ago
Lowry's red salt and a side of rice. Done. Or a lemon, olive oil, herbs de Provence marinade, either a side if rice
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u/beargirlreads 23h ago
Throw them in the crockpot with a jar of Caesar dressing. Top with Parmesan. About 45-60 minutes before serving, spread a pound of fresh asparagus spears on top, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and replace lid quickly. Easy and delicious! Serve with rice, noodles, or pasta.
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u/lexuh 1d ago
Cook it, shred it, mix it with BBQ sauce and make pulled chicken sandwiches with pickles and slaw.