Eating chicken for every meal sounds pretty ridiculous, but it’s actually pretty genius for a college student. Think about it — chicken is one of the leanest and cheapest proteins available at grocery stores. It’s perfect for those ballin’ on a budget, and generally much healthier and more versatile than a bowl of Easy Mac.
But eating plain grilled chicken so often can get real old, real quick. Here are 23 cheap chicken recipes that will bring genuine excitement to eating chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yes, I said breakfast, too. You may be skeptical now, but just keep reading.
Waffle Battered Chicken Wings
Simply placing a piece of chicken onto a waffle seems pretty lame compared to this recipe. These chicken and waffles literally place the chicken inside the waffle iron between batter, turning them into waffle battered chicken wings. Dip them in plain maple syrup in the morning or mix your syrup with a little dijon mustard during lunch.
Pizza-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
While the crust is arguably the best part of pizza, this pizza-inspired recipe is a lot healthier than the real thing. This meal is the holy grail for the moments that you crave pizza while you’re “working on your fitness.” There’s no need to dab the grease away with this one, if that’s what you’re generally into.
Pineapple Chicken Skewers
Fajita vegetables are awesome when they’re paired with these pineapple chicken skewers. This is the perfect meal on a summer Saturday night — it’s light, refreshing, and pairs pretty well with a tropical cocktail.
Coq au Gris (Chicken Stew)
This is another recipe that sounds really complicated because it has a fancy name, but it’s so easy to make. You literally put all of the ingredients in a big pot and let it cook all day. Done and done.
Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese
When Lizzie McGuire sang, “This is what dreams are made of,” she was talking about this grilled cheese sandwich. Eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner — there’s never a bad moment for a toasty cheese sandwich.
Asian-Style Baked Chicken
Calling for only six ingredients, this recipe for Asian-Style Baked Chicken is perfect for those nights when you absolutely do not want to cook, or go grocery shopping. Prep time is minimal, and the oven does the bulk of the work. Need I say more?
Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
I’d be lying if I said that the phrase “pasta bake” doesn’t turn me on just a little bit. This pesto chicken pasta bake is no exception — and it’s perfect as a hearty, comforting meal. For lunch throughout the week, you can also easily reheat it up without making it rubbery.
Jose Cuervo Chicken Quesadilla
If you’re anything like me, you might have cringed at the name of this recipe in that it includes tequila, but it’s actually really good — trust me. The Jose Cuervo is used for poaching the chicken, which adds a lot of awesome flavor to this quesadilla recipe. However, unlike taking a tequila shot, you’ll feel good about making the decision to down this one.
Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken
It doesn’t get much better than Panda Express, but this is a close second. The best part is that it’s a whole lot healthier than the fast food version, yet it still tastes amazing.
Ginger Honey Hot Wings
These ginger honey hot wings will make you call into question why you ever loved buffalo sauce so much. Bonus: You end up with so many more wings for your money when you make them at home versus ordering them at a restaurant.
BBQ Chicken Twice Baked Sweet Potato
If I were going to eat chicken for every meal, this would be my meal of choice. It’s pretty healthy, and you can customize it to fit your taste preferences (yes, the cilantro is optional). Honestly, I’m in it for the avocado whip alone. Just saying.
Chicken and Waffle Sliders
If fueling your body at the beginning of the day is especially important to you, chicken and waffles will do the trick. Protein makes you feel fuller for a longer period of time, so this is a great meal to tide you over until lunch time.
Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets
In honor of (in my opinion) “The Greatest Nugget to Have Graced Us,” I give you the best copycat Chick-fil-A nugget recipe out there. It’s sort of a process, but it’s so worth it. Just save this recipe for when you have more time to spend in the kitchen.
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
This Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe requires a little more work, but it’s a great option for a healthy lunch. Be sure to try out this meal on a day in which you have a bit more time to spend in the kitchen.
Chicken Piccata
Whipping up a dish of chicken piccata may seem a little intimidating, but it’s honestly so simple. Plus, the white wine lemon butter sauce will transport your brain to Olive Garden, and all will feel right in the world.
Avocado Chicken Salad
This is another recipe that works perfectly for lunch. Whether you’re at home or at work, this avocado chicken salad can be prepped and packed in advance — super easy for your fast-paced life.
Copycat Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
Trader Joe’s sells their own version of this meal, but making a copycat version at home is almost always cheaper, and just as mouth-watering. This patty includes a mix of chicken with green and red peppers, then it’s topped with guac (lemme repeat: guac on a burger).
Middle Eastern Spiced Roasted Chicken
A whole roasted chicken is one of the best meals because it can feed two people and still have enough leftovers for later. This Middle Eastern spiced roasted chicken is perfectly seasoned and makes for a great weekday dinner. Not to mention, leftovers can be added to soups, salads, sandwiches — the possibilities are endless.
Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
This sandwich recipe promises to beat Panera’s version, and it truly does — especially when you consider the money you save making it at home.
Garlic Feta Braised Chicken
It doesn’t get much better than garlic, feta, and juicy, tender chicken. Don’t be intimidated by the word “braised,” either. It’s much easier than it sounds, I promise.
Baked Chicken Chimichangas
These chimichangas are great for lunch or dinner, but you can add some scrambled eggs (when you’re at the step that adds the cheese) to make it more breakfast appropriate, as well. Of course, let’s not get crazy here — still add the cheese, just also add eggs.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Eating chicken for every meal doesn’t sound so terrible when it’s covered in cheese. If you’re craving Mexican food, this is a great recipe to satisfy your craving. I should mention it’s only seven ingredients, and four of them are canned veggies and soup (talk about cheap!). This one is especially good if you’re in danger of emptying your bank account after an especially eventful weekend.
Healthy Lemon Chicken
This Healthy Lemon Chicken recipe is the better version of takeout. It skips the traditional deep frying and only takes 25 minutes to cook, so chances are, it will beat your delivery guy to the table. Make it for your beginning-of-the-week meal prep.
These 23 cheap chicken recipes should make you want to eat chicken for every meal. You’ll never be bored in the kitchen and by buying the bird in bulk, you won’t go broke, either. Whether you’re frying it, baking it, grilling it or sautéing, do that chicken justice, my friend.