Southerners may grunt and grumble about the travesty of “fried” chicken not being cooked in big skillets of melted lard, but we’d bring this crispy, succulent bird to a church potluck in Savannah without batting an eye. A long soak in buttermilk spiked liberally with hot sauce both tenderizes and flavors the meat, while the spiced panko provides a layer of captivating crunch. We won’t go as far as to say you won’t taste the difference (properly fried chicken has a depth of flavor that stretches straight to your soul), but we can say with confidence that this chicken hits the spot.

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KFC Extra Crispy Thighs (2)Price: $3.96

How to Make It:l Combine the buttermilk and hot sauce in a large bowl

or a sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12.

l Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the spices. Working one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk marinade and dip into the bread crumbs to thoroughly coat. (When breading food, it’s best to use one hand for the dry element and one for the wet.)

l Place the breaded chicken on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned and crisp on the outside and cooked all the way through.

Makes 4 servings / Cost per serving: $1.12

You’ll Need: 2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot pepper sauce

1 lb chicken drumsticks and thighs

2 cups panko bread crumbs

½ tsp garlic salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

680 calories48 g fat

(10 g saturated)1,560 mg sodium

310 calories7 g fat

(2.5 g saturated) 710 mg sodium

Oven-Fried Chicken

Save! 370 calories

and $2.84!

Better Bread CrumbsNo matter how little oil they absorb, bread crumbs are always empty calories, but breading on meat and fish doesn’t need to be a total nutritional zero. Nuts make a perfect crunchy breading for chicken and fish fillets, coating them in a crunchy sheath rich in fiber and healthy fat. Almonds, pecans, and pine nuts make for the best coasting. Simply drop them in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.

NUTRITIONAL

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Ever wonder why everything “tastes like chicken”? Because chicken doesn’t taste like much in particular, making it a catch-all canvas for describing other things that don’t taste like anything. The good news is this chicken does taste like something: Roasting it with tomatoes, capers, and olive oil bastes the chicken in a savory broth, keeping the meat moist and ultimately providing both a chunky, textured topping and an intensely satisfying sauce to dump over the top. You can pull this off in a single baking dish, but the foil is there to catch all the drippings—and spare you the post-dinner cleanup.

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Cheesecake Factory Chicken PiccataPrice: $15.95

1,830 calories52 g saturated fat

735 mg sodium

310 calories18 g fat

(2.5 g saturated)420 mg sodium

Chicken

Save! 1,520 calories

and $13.02!

with Tomato, Olives, and Capers

How to Make It:l Preheat the oven to 450°F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Take four large sheets of aluminum foil and fold each in half, then fold up about 1" of each side to create four trays, each large enough to comfortably hold a chicken breast. Place a breast on each piece of foil.

l Combine the tomatoes, onion, olives, pine nuts, capers, and olive oil with a few pinches of salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Top the chicken breasts with the mixture.

l Place the chicken trays on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with the tomato mixture and any accumulated juices from the foil drizzled on top. Garnish with basil if using.

Makes 4 servings / Cost per serving: $2.93

You’ll Need: 4 boneless, skinless

chicken breasts (4–6 oz each), pounded to uniform 1/4" thickness

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 pint cherry tomatoes or 2 cups chopped tomatoes

½ red onion, diced

1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 Tbsp capers

2 Tbsp olive oil

Thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)

Many of the garnish ingredients in this book are optional because of cost, not taste. In a perfect world, you’d have them on hand, but if paying $3 for a few basil leaves feels unreasonable, the dish will survive well without it.

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Do you really want to go out and spend $20 or $30 on a steak dinner only to find out the beef was of dubious origin and the nutritionals look more like Dow Jones updates than calorie counts? That’s what’s in store for you when you seek out your beef fix at one of our country’s largest national chains. We not only guarantee that this recipe will slash your bill by 75 percent, but that your taste buds will thank you many times over. Skip the grill and cook on cast iron instead—it not only gives your steak a marvelous crust in a matter of minutes, but it helps form the basis for this knockout mushroom sauce. Cook this when you need to impress someone —even if it’s just yourself.

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IHOP Sirloin Steak Tips DinnerPrice: $12.99

How to Make It:l Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or

oven-safe skillet over high heat. Season the steaks with salt and plenty of black pepper and add to the hot pan. Sear the first side for 3 to 4 minutes, until a deep brown crust has developed, then flip. Place the pan in the oven to finish cooking (about 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part will read 135°F). Remove from the oven and transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest.

l Using a potholder, place the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mushrooms have begun to caramelize. Add the red wine and the stock, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the alcohol has burned off and the liquid has reduced by about half. Stir in the rosemary.

l Divide the steaks among four plates, top with mushrooms, and spoon on the sauce.

Makes 4 servings / Cost per serving: $4.47

You’ll Need: 1 Tbsp olive oil

4 sirloin steaks or petite filets (6 oz each)

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ lb white or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced

1 cup red wine

1 cup low-sodium beef stock

2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1,040 calories

405 calories12 g fat

(5 g saturated)677 mg sodium

Seared Sirloin

Save! 635 calories and $8.52!

with Red Wine Mushrooms

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