Baking chicken dredged in cornflakes packs in a lot of taste but not a lot of calories.
(photo by Jenn Harris)

This week I experimented with the kind of meal I could make for a dinner party for four on a budget.  I'm a starving grad student but I still want to eat well! I knew I wanted to make something that tasted amazing, but set my budget at $20- because that's how much money I found myself with when I got to the market.  Feeding four people for $20 seemed liked a daunting task but once I broke the meal down, I found a solution.

First I decided on a protein.  I wanted to choose something that was easy to cook, usually on sale and versatile.  Chicken! Chicken breast is inexpensive and easy to pound out into plenty of pieces.   I was craving fried chicken but didn't want to make everyone eat a plate of grease so I decided on a baked version.  The cornflake coating adds a nice crunch and the oven cuts out all the oil.   The pack of chicken set me back $4 and the cornflakes were $3.

With $13 left, assuming people have milk in the fridge and basic seasonings in their cupboard, I needed a side that was filling, but would also incorporate a couple different food groups.  Everyone loves pasta salad but I needed some vegetables so I decided on a refreshing, warm orzo salad with a lot of colorful veggies. The orzo is buttery and delicious on it's own but small enough to balance well with all of the vegetables.  Bright carrots, vibrant zucchini, crunchy bell peppers, onion, spinach and plenty of garlic give this salad a tasty garden patch in every bite. A little bit of feta cheese adds a welcome salty bite and a squeeze of lemon balances out nicely.

The box of orzo cost $1.50 and the vegetables are reasonable at the store but if you go to a farmer's market, you'll save even more money and help support local growers.  A 1lb bag of carrots cost $.69, 1 bell pepper cost $.50, 1 red onion cost $.69, the bag of spinach cost $1.99, the feta $2.50, the garlic $.50, and $1.29 for the zucchini brings the total to $16.66. Coming in under budget means you can find a good bottle of two-buck chuck at Trader Joes!
I ended up making this meal twice last week.  Once for the family and once for friends. Each time I got a good helping of "ooos" and "ahhhhs" when the orzo and the chicken hit the table.  I promise your guests will have no idea that dinner only took you 30 minutes to make and cost under $20.

(photo by Jenn Harris)

Cornflake Crunch Chicken
Serves 4

4 chicken breasts
1 cup cornflake crumbs (can purchase or crumble yourself)
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp pepper
1tsp salt
1tsp cayenne pepper
¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Take chicken breasts and fillet them so the pieces are all about ¼ to ½ inch thick.  You can do this by cutting the chicken into thin pieces or by placing the chicken in some plastic wrap and pounding it out until it's the width you want.  Now you have to set up your breading station.  Take one plate and place the cornflakes and the seasoning on it. Mix until combined.  Take a second plate and pour the milk onto it.  Have a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick spray ready.  Take the chicken, piece by piece and dip it into the milk, being careful to shake off any excess, then place the chicken onto the cornflake crumbs.  Make sure to coat each side of the chicken evenly with the crumbs. After each piece is coated place it on the baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until chicken is done and the coating is nice and crispy!

(photo by Jenn Harris)

Vegetable Orzo Salad
Serves 4
1 cup orzo
3 zucchini
4 carrots
1 bag spinach
4 cloves garlic
1 red bellpepper
½ red onion
½ lemon
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small package of feta cheese

Cook orzo according to directions on the package, drain then set aside.  Chop the carrots, zucchini, bell pepper and onion into bite-sized chunks. Mince garlic. Place the vegetables and garlic in a large pan set to medium hight heat with the olive oil and sautee for 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until the spinach is fully wilted, about 3 minutes. In a large bowl scoop the orzo and all of the vegetables.  Add the feta cheese and squeeze the lemon over the top and mix.