I’ve had many conversations with friends about how difficult it can be to eat well on a budget. It certainly can be, but it doesn’t always have to be. I love creating meals that are budget-friendly, healthy, and total flavor bombs. You’ll notice in my recipes that I never skimp on things that add or enhance flavor, and I’ll rarely include ingredients that are too expensive or difficult to find.
This recipe is no exception! Chicken legs are incredibly cheap, and this recipe makes enough to eat all week. No oil, no broth, no BS. Just chicken, some things to add flavor, then set it and forget it (until 8 hours later). The bones release their own liquid, which is what the chicken cooks in to become flavorful and extremely tender. Bonus points for no shredding necessary because this chicken falls apart on its own.
Budget-Friendly Crock-Pot Chicken
Ingredients:
12 chicken legs
10ish sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
1 tsp sea salt
1 head garlic
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion (any kind)
Juice + zest of 1 lemon
Directions:
- Thinly slice the onion.
- Peel and smash each garlic clove.
- Place all ingredients into the crock pot, tossing to combine.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- When the chicken is done, carefully use tongs to pull out the bones (they will have already separated from the meat), tendon pieces, and twigs from the thyme/rosemary.
- Use the chicken to top salads, make flavorful chicken salad, eat on its own with some veggies on the side, snack on because it’s delicious, etc.
Notes:
-Zest the lemon before juicing; otherwise the lemon will become too flimsy to zest.
-Chicken will stay good for up to 5 days in the refrigerator (perfect for meal prepping at the beginning of the week).
-For storage, I recommend taking the chicken out and storing in a glass container with enough liquid from the slow cooker to cover the chicken so it doesn’t dry out.
-This recipe can easily be adapted to accommodate more or less. Use however many chicken legs you have!
Margo approves.
AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 