10 Super-Cheap Chicken Recipes

Updated April 15, 2009

Sample any of these budget-friendly chicken recipes from All You magazine that ring up below $1.50 per serving. Watch the video on How to Cut up a Whole Chicken.

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Buttermilk Chicken Tenders

Buttermilk Chicken Tenders Recipe

Instead of throwing away stale bread, give it a whirl in the food processor and make breadcrumbs. This recipe uses 2 cups of breadcrumbs to coat the tenders so you'll need about 6 to 8 slices of bread.

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Coffee-Brined Chicken Drumsticks

Coffee-Brined Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

Dig into the spice cabinet to find the majority of ingredients needed for this simple brine. Brining the drumsticks in the coffee mixture gives the chicken a sweet and spicy flavor while keeping it moist.

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Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Thighs

Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Thighs Recipe

Give inexpensive chicken thighs a bright and citrusy flavor by basting with a mixture of lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary. To save even more money, use fresh rosemary from the garden.

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Fried Chicken

Fried Chicken Recipe

Purchasing a whole chicken and cutting it up yourself is the key to this money-saving recipe. Plus, this dish uses only 4 ingredients resulting in an easy and tasty meal for only $0.65 per serving.

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Easy Broiled Drumsticks

Easy Broiled Drumsticks Recipe

Preparing flavorful recipes that call for a small number of ingredients is a cost-effective way to cook. Baste drumsticks with 3-ingredient lemon-garlic butter under the broiler until the skin is crispy and caramelized.

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Chicken and Onion Kebabs

Chicken and Onion Kebabs Recipe

Give inexpensive bottled barbecue sauce an upscale flavor by dressing it up with on-hand ingredients like ketchup, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and grated onion. The entire recipe costs only $0.66 per serving.

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Chicken Fried Rice with Vegetables

Chicken Fried Rice with Vegetables Recipe

At only 88 cents per serving, this quick fried rice recipe has everything it needs to be a balanced meal: two sources of protein from the chicken and eggs, veggies, and carbohydrate.

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Grilled Chicken Skewers

Grilled Chicken Skewers Recipe

Serve the skewers with an inexpensive dipping sauce as a budget-friendly appetizer or pair with seasonal vegetables for light supper.

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Honey-and-Lemon Baked Chicken

Honey-and-Lemon Baked Chicken Recipe

To keep the recipe around $1.25 per serving, make sure your chicken breasts are true to size since many can be as large as 10 ounces. Also, try buying chicken breasts in bulk when they are on sale and then freezing until you are ready to use. Season the chicken with flavorful ingredients like lemon and fresh herbs to help keep the cost down.

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Fruity Chicken Salad

Fruity Chicken Salad Recipe

Serve this sweet and creamy picnic-style salad for a cheap but impressive lunch or dinner (less than $1.50 per serving). Stock up on the pantry items like canned fruit, jarred relish, and coconut milk when they are on sale to defray even more cost.

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