Dinner Tonight: Red Chicken

This is another one of our favorite meals! The chicken is so tasty with so many different flavors going on that all work well together. The ingredients are a bit eclectic and make this dish hard to classify... It's a little bit Mexican (chili powder), a little bit Asian (ginger) and a little bit Hungarian (paprika) but somehow when it's all put together I think it seems kind of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern. For that reason, I serve it with rice pilaf, chopped Greek salad and pita chips.

I use Near East Garlic & Herb Rice Pilaf - it's a bit pricey but very good and one of the only types of rice hubby will eat (along with the aforementioned Chipotle-style rice). For the salad I chop cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, red pepper, celery and anything else I feel like and combine with store-bought Balsamic vinaigrette and feta cheese.

My pita chips are homemade - much cheaper that way and really easy to make! Cut the pita into quarters and split in half. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and broil until brown.

Red Chicken

1 lb chicken breast, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1-2 tsp hot sauce

Combine all ingredients and marinate 10-15 minutes. Stir-fry on high heat until cooked through.

-----------------------------

Estimated cost of meal

Chicken - $2 + maybe $.75 in marinade ingredients
Rice - $2.34
Pitas - $.53
Salad - $2

Total: $7.62

Former life Total: Dinner @ Mr. Gyros: About $16

Leaner Life Savings: $8.38 or 52%!!!