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The recent economic uncertainty has had many of us watching every dollar that goes in and out of our pockets. One of the biggest and most unavoidable expenditures in any family budget is the cost of food. Food prices have gone up pretty dramatically in recent years, while many people’s security in their financial future has declined. Given the current conditions, I have been cost cutting and have rediscovered some money-saving tricks that can be used to feed your family without resorting to ramen noodles.
As we all know, the crockpot is your best friend when cooking cheaper, tougher cuts of meat. The bonus to these types of meats when they are slow cooked is that what makes them tougher – the fact that they contain more collagen, or connective tissue– makes the end result more flavorful. As the collagen cooks over moist low temperatures, it will break down and eventually add great depth of flavor. This long cooking makes the meat juicy and tender and is why many types of meat will literally fall off the bone when you pull them out of your crockpot.
When it comes to cooking on a budget, chicken used to be the most economical choice. That is no longer the case. Recently, it seems to be more common to find beef and pork for prices that are cheaper. But I still like to have chicken for dinner once or twice a week. I also tend to favor chicken that has been raised without added growth hormones, but this comes at a premium price. When I see packages of chicken breasts at the market that costs almost ten dollars, I usually decide to move on in favor of a cheaper alternative.
One of the best ways I’ve found to save money on chicken is to buy it whole and make two meals out of it. The first step is to roast the whole chicken for dinner that night with whatever herbs and seasonings I fancy at the time. Lately, my usual choice of side been an assortment of vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, that I start roasting about midway through cooking time.
The second step is to take the leftover chicken and make a flavorful soup out of it. The easiest way to do this is to remove any leftover meat from the carcass (reserve the meat to add back to your soup later) and then use the slow cooker to cook the broth for your soup overnight. The resulting soup can be enjoyed for lunch over the next couple of days or for dinner alongside bread and salad.
Another way to save money on chicken is to break it down yourself or to buy the parts on the bone. Chicken on the bone almost always becomes more flavorful and tends to stay moister when slow cooked. Chicken thighs and other dark meat cuts are also generally much cheaper, especially if you buy the bulk or family packs. You can cook a double recipe in your crockpot and then save and freeze the leftovers for later.
The recipe below for Chinese Soy Braised Chicken will infuse your chicken thighs with new personality. It’s an easy one that involves braising the chicken slowly in soy sauce, sugar, and spices in which the chicken will take on an irresistible sweet and salty flavor. And it’s an easy dinner served over salad or rice.
An easy way to limit the fat in any finished slow cooked dish is to chill the entire thing and then skim the layer of fat off the top before rewarming and serving. It also helps to trim any excess fat and skin from chicken before cooking it to limit the grease factor.
Let me know if you have any other money saving crockpot-cooking strategies that help you and your family enjoy tasty, yet economical, home cooked meals!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/869-budget-cooking/
Pennywise Cooking
The recent economic uncertainty has had many of us watching every dollar that goes in and out of our pockets. One of the biggest and most unavoidable expenditures in any family budget is the cost of food. Food prices have gone up pretty dramatically in recent years, while many people’s security in their financial future has declined. Given the current conditions, I have been cost cutting and have rediscovered some money-saving tricks that can be used to feed your family without resorting to ramen noodles.
As we all know, the crockpot is your best friend when cooking cheaper, tougher cuts of meat. The bonus to these types of meats when they are slow cooked is that what makes them tougher – the fact that they contain more collagen, or connective tissue– makes the end result more flavorful. As the collagen cooks over moist low temperatures, it will break down and eventually add great depth of flavor. This long cooking makes the meat juicy and tender and is why many types of meat will literally fall off the bone when you pull them out of your crockpot.
When it comes to cooking on a budget, chicken used to be the most economical choice. That is no longer the case. Recently, it seems to be more common to find beef and pork for prices that are cheaper. But I still like to have chicken for dinner once or twice a week. I also tend to favor chicken that has been raised without added growth hormones, but this comes at a premium price. When I see packages of chicken breasts at the market that costs almost ten dollars, I usually decide to move on in favor of a cheaper alternative.
One of the best ways I’ve found to save money on chicken is to buy it whole and make two meals out of it. The first step is to roast the whole chicken for dinner that night with whatever herbs and seasonings I fancy at the time. Lately, my usual choice of side been an assortment of vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, that I start roasting about midway through cooking time.
The second step is to take the leftover chicken and make a flavorful soup out of it. The easiest way to do this is to remove any leftover meat from the carcass (reserve the meat to add back to your soup later) and then use the slow cooker to cook the broth for your soup overnight. The resulting soup can be enjoyed for lunch over the next couple of days or for dinner alongside bread and salad.
Another way to save money on chicken is to break it down yourself or to buy the parts on the bone. Chicken on the bone almost always becomes more flavorful and tends to stay moister when slow cooked. Chicken thighs and other dark meat cuts are also generally much cheaper, especially if you buy the bulk or family packs. You can cook a double recipe in your crockpot and then save and freeze the leftovers for later.
The recipe below for Chinese Soy Braised Chicken will infuse your chicken thighs with new personality. It’s an easy one that involves braising the chicken slowly in soy sauce, sugar, and spices in which the chicken will take on an irresistible sweet and salty flavor. And it’s an easy dinner served over salad or rice.
An easy way to limit the fat in any finished slow cooked dish is to chill the entire thing and then skim the layer of fat off the top before rewarming and serving. It also helps to trim any excess fat and skin from chicken before cooking it to limit the grease factor.
Let me know if you have any other money saving crockpot-cooking strategies that help you and your family enjoy tasty, yet economical, home cooked meals!
Chinese Soy Braised Chicken
Made with water, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, star anise or fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, red pepper flakes, tangerine or orange
Made with water, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, star anise or fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, red pepper flakes, tangerine or orange
Serves/Makes: 4
- 4 cups water
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup peeled and chopped fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
- 4 teaspoons star anise or fennel seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 medium tangerine or orange, juice and rind only
- 3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or mixed chicken parts
Mix all ingredients, except the chicken, in a saucepan and cook, covered, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbling. Add to crock pot.
Add the chicken to the crock pot and cook on low, covered, for 4 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken from pot, slice off of the bone, and serve over mixed greens or cooked rice.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/869-budget-cooking/