7 Frugal Chicken Dinner Recipes (2024)

Dinner Recipes with Chicken Under $7

Thanks to Tawra from Living on a Dime for this great guest post today!

Need a delicious recipe for supper? All you have in your fridge right now is chicken and you need to stick to a budget! Here are 7 delicious dinner recipes with chicken for less than $7 per meal!

Roasted Chicken Recipe (from Dining On A Dime)

What You Need:

• Chicken pieces
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
• Butter

Lay chicken in a greased pan. Sprinkle with spices. Bake at 300 – 350 degrees for 30 minutes to an hour until the meat falls away from bone easily or the juices run clear. The cooking time depends on how big the pieces are, the temperature you use, and your oven. Sometimes, half way through the cooking I will place a small dab of butter on each piece or brush with butter.

Garlic Roasted Chicken Recipe

What You Need:

• 3-5 lb. chicken
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
• about 1/4 lb. butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Rub the bird inside and out with garlic. Place in the crockpot. Lay a couple of pats of butter on top of the breast and pour in broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with the garlic butter sauce.

Maple Glazed Chicken Recipe (From Dining On A Dime)

What You Need:

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 4 pieces of chicken

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice, and butter together in a small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Add salt and pepper to the chicken. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and pour on glaze. Bake 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.

Chicken Soup – Homemade Version

Make this warm and comforting soup with your chicken leftovers. The roasted chicken adds a little different and yummy flavor. Don’t be frightened by all the ingredients. You can chop a lot of it the day before you make it and just dump and add the rest.

What You Need:

• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. olive oil or canola oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp. salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
• 2 cups wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Saute* first 4 ingredients in oil in a large Dutch oven (big pot or pan). Stir in flour, oregano, and thyme. Gradually add chicken broth, potatoes, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Add chicken and noodles and simmer for 10 more minutes. Reduce heat and add milk. Do not boil.
*Saute means to stir and cook until tender, usually about 3-5 minutes.

You can change this recipe to suit your taste. Add other veggies like peas, corn, or broccoli. You can leave out the potatoes or substitute them with something like sweet potatoes or squash. You can leave out the milk (but the milk makes a nice creamy soup) and/or add more or less broth. You can also adjust the spices, for example you might add a little Tabasco sauce to give it a little kick.

Chicken Tacos

What You Need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• taco seasoning to taste (homemade or 1 packet)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes*

Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred and use in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or in a salad. You can also serve it hot or cold so it would be great as leftovers to take in a lunch.

*Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with chopped green peppers or jalapenos. Any brand that is labeled “tomatoes and green chilies” should be OK or just used canned tomatoes and add the kind of peppers you would like.

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

What You Need:

• Boneless, skinless chicken, cut into strips
• 1 egg, beaten
• Parmesan cheese (the stuff that is already grated in the green can) and fry in your favorite oil.

Roll strips of boneless, skinless chicken in beaten egg and Parmesan cheese and fry.

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (in Dining On A Dime)

You can adjust this recipe to your taste. Cut back on the cheese, add a cooked pasta for a more substantial meal, or add a few black olives. Salt and/or season to taste.

What You Need:

• 2-3 lbs. chicken pieces
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cans (14 oz.) stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup zucchini, sliced
• 1 tsp. fresh basil, crushed or 1/4 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups pasta, cooked

Brown chicken in oil for 10 minutes, turning occasionally; drain. Add the rest of the ingredients except pasta. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Want more chicken recipes?

• Cheesy Chicken Breasts
• Creamy Chicken and Noodles Soup
• Amish Chicken Casserole Recipe
• Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit their website, Living on a Dime.