{"id":4631,"date":"2008-10-28T19:30:57","date_gmt":"2008-10-29T01:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nutritionknowhow.org\/wordpress\/?p=383"},"modified":"2013-08-23T15:22:41","modified_gmt":"2013-08-23T15:22:41","slug":"the-challenge-make-a-chicken-dinner-for-less-than-999","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nutritionknowhow.org\/blog\/e\/the-challenge-make-a-chicken-dinner-for-less-than-999\/","title":{"rendered":"The Challenge: Make a Chicken Dinner for Less than $9.99"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you seen the commercial where a fast food chain challenges you to make a fried chicken meal for less than $9.99? It shows a mom with her two kids racing around a grocery store adding up all the ingredients needed to make the meal. In the end, the mom announces they\u2019re going out because it\u2019s cheaper than making the meal herself.<\/p>\n

I had my doubts.<\/p>\n

And as friends know, I\u2019m always up for a mathematical challenge. So I did my own research to see if I could cook the meal for less than $9.99.<\/p>\n

The first thing I did was call our local fast food joint to see exactly what was in the meal. Turns out the meal includes: 7 pieces of fried chicken (specifically 1 breast, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs and 2 wings); 1 large (32 oz.) side dish (which was mashed potatoes and gravy in the commercial); and 4 biscuits.<\/p>\n

Next, I found my favorite oven fried chicken recipe \u2013 so good and so much healthier. Then I went online to find a good biscuit recipe and gravy recipe. I make mashed potatoes a lot so didn\u2019t need a recipe. I put every single ingredient necessary on my grocery list, even if I already had it, and went off to my local grocery store.<\/p>\n

I set a few rules for myself. I only went to one store and bought everything there. Normally, I go to two stores as they tend to have different items on sale. I also bought all the ingredients. Normally, I\u2019ll pick things up when they\u2019re on sale. For example, I never buy chicken legs at full price. I always watch when they come on sale and then buy several packages and freeze them. Same goes for pantry staples like whole wheat flour, spices and chicken stock. But for this challenge, I went ahead and (gasp!) paid regular price for these items – all for the sake of this experiment.<\/p>\n

Then I came home and started cooking\u2026and calculating.<\/p>\n

So, how\u2019d I do? Let\u2019s just say with my meal you can swap those little chicken wings (is there even any meat on there?) for a drumstick and thigh and enjoy a side of green beans to make your plate look prettier (and healthier).<\/p>\n

Here’s the breakdown:
\nCost to make 7 pieces of my delicious oven-fried chicken: $4.57
\nCost to make 4 whole grain biscuits made with real butter: $0.58
\nCost to make mashed potatoes: $2.16
\nCost to make homemade gravy: $0.93
\nTOTAL COST: $8.24<\/p>\n

Adding the steamed green beans and swapping out the wings for the drumstick and thigh brought the total up to $9.86, still under budget.<\/p>\n

And this is without shopping sales. I\u2019m confident I could make this meal for at least a dollar less using my regular cost-saving techniques. Beyond cost, my dinner tasted fantastic – just ask my husband – and was A LOT healthier.<\/p>\n

So next time you hear someone say it costs more to make a meal at home versus going out, let me know. I\u2019m always up for a tasty challenge.<\/p>\n

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Recipe for Amazing Oven Fried Chicken<\/p>\n

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Breading Ingredients<\/p>\n