One chicken, three meals, 12 servings, $12

"It's so expensive to feed a family." 

Yes, it really can be. But the easiest way is to cook and use ALL your leftovers. 

This week I made THREE meals totaling 12 servings for just $12!

Last week I bought a whole young hen. On average you can purchase a whole chicken for $.99 a pound. I have seen the price as low as $.79 and as high as $1.99 a pound. But for arguments sake, let's say $.99.

So I got this five pound chicken for just $5. Then I made three very basic, easy and family friendly meals loaded with vegetables. I'm not reinventing the wheel here, I am just showing you how you can easily feed your family on the cheap. 

On night one I cooked it in the crock pot  or you can roast it in the oven. 

I then had my sweet husband pull the chicken off the bone. This yielded about 7 cups of chicken. The first night we ate it on tortillas with cheese and a little Dijon mustard. We had a fruit salad on the side. 

On night two I made a chicken pot pie. 

What you'll need:

Two cups of shredded chicken 

1 can cream of chicken soup (you can make your own.) (average cost $.65)

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables. I recommend the peas, carrots, green beans, corn mix. (Average cost $1.99)

One refrigerated pie crust. 

Mix chicken, veggies and soup in a casserole dish. Cover in pie crust. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Delicious comfort food. 

On night three I used the remaining two cups chicken. 

I used one box of rice or you can use cups cooked white rice

1 bag frozen broccoli (or fresh!)

2 cans cream of mushroom (or make your own)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix chicken, rice, soup and broccoli in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

 

Cost of chicken- $5- 

Price Totals:

Chicken wraps

2 cups Chicken- $1.66

Tortillas- six out of ten- $.60

Cheese - $.50 from a $3.00 bag 

Fruit salad- $2.00

Total: $4.76

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cups Chicken- $1.66

1 can cream of chicken soup - average cost $.65 but I purchased $.25

Now is the time to stock up on cream of mushroom and chicken soups. I was able to get them for around $.25 a can by stacking store and manufacturers coupons with a store sale.

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables. I recommend the peas, carrots, green beans, corn mix. (Average cost $1.99)

I bought several bags of frozen Green Giant Vegetables at a BOGO sale for >$.99 each. 

One refrigerated pie crust. (1 out of a box of 2 $.75)

Total: $3.65 sale price

($4.82 Nonsale price)

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 cups chicken- $1.66

1 bag brocoli- $.99

2 cans cream of soup- $.50

1 cup cheese- $1.00

Total $4.15

(Nonsale Total: 5.95)

There are several factors that can impact the cost of these meals. Where you live, how much you want to cook from scratch and if you coupon. 

But my point is, you can cook dinner for your family for just a few bucks every night. 

Below is a really interesting graphic I saw on Pinterest showing how healthy meals can be made fairly inexpensively. (We all could do it cheaper than them, right?)

How many cheap meals have you made this year?