Here are our favorite affordable meat and chicken recipes. These will help you get dinner ready without spending too much. Meat prices are high right now, but these meals use budget-friendly options. They also use real ingredients to make simple and tasty dishes that your whole family will enjoy.
Jump to:
- Good Meat Comes at a Price
- How to Stretch Your Money at the Meat Counter
- Pan-Seared Chuck Steak Recipe
- Marinated Chuck Steak Recipe
- Instant Pot Chili
- Sirloin and Egg Noodles
- Beef Tacos
- Seared Chicken Breast
- Top Round Stir Fry
- How To Cook Thin Steaks
- Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Beef Stir Fry with Peppers and Onions
- Sautéed Veal Liver
- Chicken Livers with Onions
- Turkey Cutlets
- Deli-Style Chicken Salad
- Chicken Feet Soup
- Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Chuck Steak Chili
- Blackened Chicken Tacos
- Beef Bone Broth
- Roasted Chicken
- Cajun Dirty Rice
- Deli Chopped Liver
- Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Tortilla Wraps
- Butterball Turkey Roast
- More Money Saving Recipes
Good Meat Comes at a Price
Be cautious when you see very low-priced meat at the store, as it's often marked down to sell just before it expires.
The focus today is on managing meat costs at your local grocery store.
The price of steak has increased a lot lately, and it's not surprising that seeing a steak priced at $50.00 can be shocking. Meat prices have nearly doubled since before the pandemic.
Many factors are driving up meat prices. However, meat is still a staple in most homes. Going vegetarian is not practical for everyone.
How to Stretch Your Money at the Meat Counter
Want to save money on meat? Start by asking the butcher what's on sale. They might point you toward a cut you haven't tried before, and it could become a new favorite.
Stick with budget-friendly cuts like chuck steak instead of ribeye, or chicken thighs instead of breasts. Use the whole bird when you can, and don't toss the bones. They make great broth.
If you buy whole chickens often, save the livers and make a quick liver dish once you have a few.
You don't need a lot of meat to make a good meal. Add it to soups, stews, or sauces to stretch the flavor. Buy ground meat in bulk and form your own burger patties. It costs less and you control exaclty what goes in your patties.
Here are our favorite budget-friendly meat recipes to help you get a healthy dinner on the table. These recipes use lower-cost cuts of meat and unprocessed ingredients to create quick, tasty meals.
Pan-Seared Chuck Steak Recipe
The grass-fed chuck steak behind the glass at Whole Foods Market is tender and flavorful. At other big grocers, chuck steak, or chuck eye, is often tough and needs to be braised in liquid for a few hours to become tender. Better yet, ask your local butcher for tender chuck steak.
Serve with garlic mashed potatoes and peas and carrots for an inexpensive steak dinner.
Marinated Chuck Steak Recipe
This marinated chuck steak is an easy, budget-friendly dinner that's full of flavor. The sweet marinade helps tenderize the meat and gives it a good golden crust when you sear it in a hot skillet.
Instant Pot Chili
Instant Pot Beef and Bean Chili is made with lean ground beef, kidney beans, and canned tomatoes. Ground beef is "stretched" by cooking it with beans, bone broth or water, and chopped tomatoes in juice.
This dish is pure comfort food, perfect when topped with grated cheddar and red onions. Leftovers can be creatively repurposed for chili dogs, chili tacos, chili mac, or nachos.
Sirloin and Egg Noodles
Sirloin steak seared with garlic butter mushrooms and served over egg noodles is simple and full of flavor. The steak is juicy, the mushrooms are rich, and the egg noodles are soft and perfect with this recipe. Present it on a big platter for a family-style meal everyone can dig into.
Beef Tacos
This grass-fed beef taco recipe makes a healthy Taco Tuesday meal in under 30 minutes. With homemade seasoning, tomato sauce, and crisp taco shells, it's a simple dinner everyone will enjoy.
Seared Chicken Breast
Pan sear chicken breasts in a cast iron grill pan right on the stove top. By quickly searing the chicken in a hot pan, you'll have delicious juicy "grilled" chicken breasts in under an hour.
The chicken serves as a versatile option for any meal. Use it as a main course, salad topper, sandwich filling, or add it to pasta dishes, wraps, and stir-fries. It can also be sliced for tacos or used as a protein boost in burrito bowls.
Top Round Stir Fry
This stir fry is made with strips of top round, an inexpensive cut of beef that gets tender and flavorful when marinated. The sweet and tangy sauce adds juicy flavor, and it all cooks fast for an easy dinner.
How To Cook Thin Steaks
Learn how to cook thin-cut steak in a hot pan. This fast method takes about five minutes and delivers tender, flavorful steak without using the oven.
Chicken Salad with Grapes
Chicken salad with grapes is a cold creamy salad with big and bright flavors. It combines the savory flavors of chicken, earthy almonds, and sweet juicy seedless grapes.
You can make this with poached boneless breasts, boneless chicken thighs, leftover rotisserie chicken, or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Enjoy the salad on a bed of lettuce or as a sandwich.
Beef Stir Fry with Peppers and Onions
Beef Stir Fry with Peppers and Onions is a quick take on classic pepper steak. Strips of top round beef are marinated in orange juice, coconut aminos, and spices, then stir-fried with bell peppers and onions. Ready in 30 minutes and perfect for a fast meal.
Sautéed Veal Liver
Try this veal liver recipe for a nutrient-packed dinner that's tender, delicious, and inexpensive.
Veal liver, an organ meat, is not only affordable but also milder in flavor than beef liver. Give it a try, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Pairing it with caramelized onions creates a sweet contrast that complements the liver's rich flavors.
Chicken Livers with Onions
Chicken livers are budget-friendly, usually under $10 a pound for organic, and even less if you buy conventional.
They have a mild flavor and work well in lots of different dishes. If you're looking for a nutrient-dense meal that won't break the bank, chicken livers are a great choice.
Turkey Cutlets
Turkey cutlets are thin, boneless slices of turkey breast with a mild flavor. They cook fast, just like chicken, which makes them perfect for quick weeknight meals.
They're also more affordable than most cuts of beef, but still give you a high-protein dinner without the high price.
Deli-Style Chicken Salad
Learn how to make homemade NYC deli-style chicken salad. This easy recipe starts with poached chicken, real mayo, and crisp celery. It's perfect for sandwiches, lettuce wraps, or scooping straight from the bowl.
For more ideas, check out our series of tasty New York deli-style recipes.
Chicken Feet Soup
Chicken Feet Soup is made by simmering chicken feet with herbs and spices to create a rich, flavorful broth. It's full of collagen and great for your skin, hair, and joints.
Chicken feet are cheap, and all those little bones give the broth a thick, silky texture. You can use it anywhere you'd use chicken stock.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup
Try Grandma's Chicken Soup, made the old-fashioned way. Ingredients include a whole chicken or a few pounds of chicken parts, carrots, celery, onion, herbs, and seasonings.
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Soup with rendered chicken skin is a high-protein hot soup ready in under an hour! While the soup is cooking, I cook the chicken skin on very low heat for a crispy treat to serve with the soup.
Chuck Steak Chili
Made with chuck steak, this chili is slow cooked with tomatoes and spices until the beef is tender and full of flavor. A simple, satisfying meal any night of the week.
Blackened Chicken Tacos
Blackened chicken tacos combine juicy, cooked chicken with deep flavor, warm tortillas, and fresh chunky guacamole, making each bite delicious.
Beef Bone Broth
Beef bone broth is a liquid made by simmering beef bones for 3 to 12 hours.
This slow-cooking process extracts beneficial nutrients, including collagen, gelatin, and minerals, resulting in a flavorful broth.
Roasted Chicken
Did you know it costs less to buy a whole chicken than just the breasts?
This chicken has lemon, garlic, and basil, and is so full of flavor that it's certain to become your go-to meal.
Serve with Steamed Broccoli and Carrots, Roasted Broccoli, and a green salad for a healthy meal.
Cajun Dirty Rice
Dirty rice is a good example of a lower cost meat dish. It was created years ago in Cajun country where no one had any money. They had rice that was native to the swampy bayou and they had some meat, but not much. By combining meat, rice, and their Cajun seasonings, they came up with this dish which is a mixture of many things.
Deli Chopped Liver
This deli-style chopped liver spread is rich, creamy, and full flavor. Made with chicken livers, sautéed onions, hard-boiled eggs, and an apple. Serve chilled with crackers, lettuce, or as a sandwich on fresh rye bread for a classic appetizer or lunch.
Chicken Fajitas
Marinated chicken, sautéed peppers, and onions come together fast in a hot skillet for a hot Tex Mex dinner. Serve with warm tortillas, guacamole, or salsa.
Chicken Tortilla Wraps
These chicken tortilla wraps are quick to make and packed with protein. Seasoned chicken is cooked with peppers and onions, then wrapped in a almond flour tortillas for an easy high protein meal.
Butterball Turkey Roast
A Butterball turkey roast is an easy way to serve tender, juicy turkey without cooking a whole bird. It comes ready to go in its own gravy and cooks up moist and flavorful every time.
More Money Saving Recipes
Here are some notable recipes that taste great and don't cost too much.
And finally, eat your vegetables. Ounce for ounce, fresh veggies cost way less than anything at the meat counter.
Boil some cabbage, steam a few potatoes, or roast a spaghetti squash for a simple, budget-friendly side.
If you haven't roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts yet, you're missing out. Check out our roasted veggie recipes for all the details. It's easier and better than you think.
Vegetables are too often overlooked, treated like something you eat after the steak. But they're full of flavor, nutrients, and worth putting on your plate.
Hopefully, the prices will come down soon. Until then, shop smart, use every bite, and keep those meals simple, filling, and full of flavor.
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