MULTI-DAY MEALS: Crock Pot Chicken Pie
Multi-day meals are my favorite cheap, low-skill-level recipes that last more than one meal and don’t relay on common filler foods (rice & beans) to do it. (Not that there’s anything wrong with rice and beans. We’ve all had to live off of them at least once.)
SKILL LEVEL: Easy (minimal vegetable cutting needed)
What you need:
A crockpot (if anyone wants to know how to do it without a crockpot, just shoot me an ask) 2-4 Chicken breasts ($1.99/lb at wal-mart, this recipe uses between 1 and 2 lbs) 1-2 cans of Cream of ____ soup (mushroom, chicken or celery work best) or chicken gravy (cream soup is $.60/can) (A jar of chicken gravy is about $2.00) Half an onion ($.50), chopped ~4-8 medium sized potatoes (5 lbs of potatoes is roughly $2.75), cut into large squares ~1-3 cloves of garlic ($.50/bunch) OPTIONAL: 2-4 stalks of celery ($1.75/bunch), diced up OPTIONAL: 4-6 medium sized carrots ($1.00/lb), diced OPTIONAL: 1 can of peas ($.50/can)
Seasonings: Salt, pepper, thyme, paprika (to taste)
1 premade pie-crust ($2.00) or 1 can of premade biscuits ($2.00)
A glass pan or cast-iron skillet.
COST: ~8-10 dollars (depending on vegetable preferences. all veggies can be subbed out for canned versions for a cheaper recipe, just drain off any excess liquid.)
DIRECTIONS:
Place chicken, vegetables, canned soup/gravy & seasonings in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until chicken is pulling apart easily.
Transfer pie filling to a cast iron skillet or a glass pan (lined with the pie dough if using, lightly greased if using biscuit dough). Cover with crust or biscuits, brush the top with melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees until the top is fully cooked.
Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated, throw out after a week.
Pair with salad, steamed veggies or mac & cheese for sides.