This has turned into a sort of Food Network hodgepodge of Robin Miller meets Melissa D'Arabian meets Rachel Ray in many ways. Yes, I am definitely a Food Network junkie! Robin Miller hosts a show called Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller where she shows you how to cook ahead at the beginning of the week to save time on weeknights. Melissa D'Arabian hosts a show called Ten Dollar dinners where she shows you how to make a meal for a family of 4 on $10 or less. And of course Rachel Ray is famous for her 30 minute meals. I have watched all three of these ladies and picked up tips here and there from each of them, but I don't think I have ever seen any of them make any of the dinners I am preparing this week. Anyway, I digress...
This week's menu all started on Saturday afternoon when I roasted this whole chicken that I had picked up at Sams last week for $4 (plus tax, so let's say $4.40)! I seasoned it with some salt and pepper, covered it with foil, and placed it in the oven at 350* for about an hour and a half. I let it rest in the dish for a while after cooking.
Once it had cooled, I brought it out onto my cutting board to cut it into chunks to be used throughout the week. Since I had only used salt and pepper to season, it is still a blank canvas to be turned into what ever type of meal I desire.
You will notice the three containers behind the cutting board. These are the Rubbermaid screw top containers. Each holds 2 cups. I have noticed that a lot of recipes for casseroles, etc., call for 2 cups of meat, so I have become a huge fan of these containers as they don't take up much space in the fridge and are easy to measure my ingredients out. By the time I finished cutting up my chicken, I had 3 containers of meat! That would be enough for 3 separate recipes! You will recall that I paid around $4.40 for the chicken. Divide that by three and I have chicken for three recipes for only $1.47 each!
I wanted to start the week with Teriyaki stir fry, so I went ahead and added some Laura Lynn 30 minute Teriyaki with pineapple marinade to this container. Sure it only has to have 30 minutes, but all night has to mean it gets even better, right?
On Sunday evening when it was time to make dinner, I brought out my supplies. Teriyaki chicken and homemade fried rice was on the menu.
I started with the rice because I knew it would take the most time. In a saucepan, I combined 1 cup of chicken broth with 1 cup of water and brought that to a boil. Then I added 1 cup of long grain rice (not the instant kind). I let that return to a boil, then reduced the heat and covered it. I let it cook for just under 20 minutes, stirring it occasionally to keep it from sticking.
In the mean time, I boiled a little water in a small saucepan and added some frozen peas and carrots. I cooked them for about 4 minutes. Ideally I would have used a bag of peas and carrots already mixed, but we were out, so I had to use what was on hand. So after mine cooked, I had to chop my carrots so they were small enough to be added to my fried rice.
I will admit that I had never made friend rice before. As a matter of fact, rice is one of those foods that has always intimidated me. And when you can buy those Lipton or Knorr packets (whatever the brand name is this week) for about $1.50 each, why mess with it, right!? Well, this rice was way better than the packets, and it didn't take long at all. If you, too, have been afraid to give it a try, fear no more! It's easy!
As the time on the rice came to an end, I added some oil to two large skillets on the stove. One skillet was for the stir fry and the other was for the fried rice. I added a bag of stir fry vegetables and the chicken (which I had picked up for 98 cents) to one skillet. I let that cook while I worked on the rice. I gave it an occasional stir and added some more teriyaki for good measure.
In the other skillet, I dropped in my peas and carrots. I stirred those around and then added one egg which I had beaten. I quickly stirred it around with the veggies to scramble it. Then I added the rice as soon as it was finished. I mixed all that around, and added some soy sauce and teriyaki. It smelled delightful, looked beautiful and tasted delicious!
And here's what it looked like when I served it.
It was a hit with everyone, including my 2-year-old!
And it was ready in less than 30 minutes. Sure, it took a little preparation ahead of time, but it was well worth it! And I definitely made the meal for under $10, and it fed our family twice.
- Chicken: $1.47
- Bag of stir fry veggies: $0.98
- Rice: $0.50 (I paid $3 for a huge bag of rice a while back. I have used it for many recipes. I am sure this is an overstatement of how much it cost, but you get the point)
- Peas and Carrots: $0.25 (again, a bag costs $0.98 and you are only using a fraction of a bag)
All of that totals up to $3.20. The seasonings and egg are ingredients most folks have on hand, so I didn't include those, but even if you add $1.00 for the portions of those, not only is this meal under $10, it is under $5!! And it will easily feed a family of 4!
This is definitely a keeper in our house! I am including instructions for the rice in recipe form below. Stay tuned later this week as I share the rest of our chicken meals with you!
Homemade Fried Rice
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. water
1 c. rice
1/2 c. peas and carrots
1 egg, beaten
oil
soy sauce
30 minute teriyaki marinade, optional
Place chicken broth and water in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add rice and return to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the rice cooks, bring a small amount of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add in peas and carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
Heat large skillet and cover bottom with oil. Add peas and carrots. Stir. Add in beaten egg, stirring around to scramble the egg with the vegetables. When rice finishes cooking, add it to the egg and vegetable mixture. Shake in some soy sauce and stir, mixing well. The amount to add depends on your taste. You can also add some teriyaki sauce or marinade as well if you desire.
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