Sweet & Spicy Honey Baked Chicken – $10 or Less Meal for 4

Chicken prices can vary quite a bit from week to week, depending on sales. Safeway currently has chicken breasts on sale for $1.88 per pound which is what I based my pricing on for this week’s budget meal. The chicken and sauce price came in at approximately $6.00 and since broccoli was on sale for $1.29 per pound, I chose to use that as a side, along with some white rice, making this meal for 4, cost about $8.50.

The sweet and spicy honey sauce can be made to fit your own personal tastes. If you like more spice, add more jalapeno and garlic. If you like more sweet, you can add a bit more honey. I typically taste the sauce before adding it to the chicken and adjust any seasoning or spices according to what I’m in the mood for.

SWEET & SPICY HONEY BAKED CHICKEN (SERVED WITH RICE & BROCCOLI) –

Prep Time: 15 minutes       Cook Time: 45 minutes         Serves: 4 for approx. $8.50

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup honey

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 jalapeno, chopped

Kosher salt and black pepper

4 chicken breasts, approximately 2 pounds

1 pound broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets or stalks (however you like to serve it)

2 cups cooked white or brown rice

• When I have sliced almonds or cashews in the house, I’ll toss a handful over the broccoli for some nutty crunchiness.

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, dried basil, and jalapeno.

Pour about 1/3 of sauce in baking dish large enough to hold chicken. Pat chicken dry, sprinkle with Kosher salt and black pepper and place in baking dish. Pour 1/3 of sauce over chicken and bake for about 30 minutes. Pour the remaining sauce over chicken and bake another 15 minutes, or until chicken juice runs clear or internal temperature is 160 degrees.

While chicken bakes, prepare rice according to package directions and steam or microwave broccoli.

Notes…

I like my chicken cooked really, really well. To the point that most people would find it too dry. My husband, on the other hand, prefers his moist so I typically will cook his for the 45 minute time period and then cook mine for an extra 10 or 15 minutes, which is why in the pictures below, one chicken breast looks obviously darker than the other. He got “fancy” and plated his meal using a measuring cup to mound his rice. I didn’t but added a bunch of sauce to mine to mix in with the rice. Just two examples of how you could serve it.

His…

Mine…