Save money on groceries with this idea we use almost every week : use one chicken to make 3 easy meals for your family. This post is sponsored by Walmart+ – all opinions are always 100% my own.
Whew, I don’t know if you feel it, but we certainly feel the squeeze when purchasing groceries for a family of 5 lately. We don’t eat takeout often, and since we’re all learning & working at home…we have a lot of grocery shopping to do 😅
This post will show you how to implement this one simple tip into your rotation for the week: one roaster chicken. With just one chicken, you will be able to eat nourishing foods for 3 dinners, and you will for sure save money while also saving time!
First step: plan it out
I always always have to learn this lesson the hard way. It’s taken me years of practice (I am not a naturally organized person) but planning out grocery shopping/meals is huge for the success of our week.
When I plan, I write out all of our necessities on paper, and meal ideas. Ask my family for suggestions, and then get on my computer to shop. Ever since online options for grocery shopping became the norm, I have taken full advantage of that! It really saves me time, and ultimately saves me money since I’m only grabbing what’s on my list and not being tempted by all of the other things I pass in the store.
We got a Walmart+ membership almost a year ago now, and I’ve been really pleased with the selection of groceries I’ve been able to purchase through them for free delivery ($35 order min. Restrictions apply.). I also love how convenient it is – and for me personally, the delivery has always been really seamless and quick!
A few other benefits of Walmart+ membership (besides all of the money you will save on groceries!)
- Gas savings, up to 10 cents off per gallon at 14K fuel stations (Fuel discount varies by location & station, subject to change.)
- Free shipping from Walmart.com with no order minimum (Excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges.)
- access to Spotify Premium for 6 months
- I just learned about this perk 2 months ago and let me tell you. I have been SO enjoying this bonus! (Not available to W+ trial members or Spotify users who had tried Premium)
Meal 1: Roast chicken + veggies
This is usually a weekend meal for us – a kind of “Sunday dinner”. I put the chicken in the oven on 275 or 300 degrees for a few hours with an onion, carrots, and spices. I set it and forget it for a few hours, and it is SO EASY to have this on the table for dinner! As sides with the chicken, we love to make:
- roasted potatoes
- bonus: make extra and then you can have them with eggs for breakfast!
- Asparagus or broccoli
- Cous cous
- This is very similar to how I make my couscous – it’s delicious!
My favorite part of this dinner? It looks fancy, it tastes delicious, and it’s really very simple to prepare.
We usually eat about half of the chicken with our dinner – depending on the size of the bird. We prefer to buy pasture raised chickens and they’re usually a little smaller.
Meal 2: Chicken + Veggie Pasta
This meal usually looks different every week. Sometimes we could make a salad that’s topped with leftover chicken, use it on sandwiches, etc. But for the sake of demonstration, I’m showing you another recipe we recently made.
Here is the recipe we used (loosely as always 😅). I added other veggies to ours to make it a little more substantial: peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms.
Since the chicken was already prepped, this meal took about 15 minutes! So nice for a busy weeknight!
Meal 3:Chicken Noodle Soup
Ok this one is one of our favorites. Literally. My son’s favorite food since he was one year old was always “Mom’s chicken noodle soup” 😂
The best thing about this soup? It’s SO nourishing. We love to serve it with sourdough bread (homemade when I’m able) and it’s such a comfort food for our family.
The reason why we all love it is because it’s made with homemade bone broth. From the chicken we cooked a few days ago.
You can see in my Instagram story highlight here how I make our chicken broth. I know that I need to actually put it in a blog post, but this is what I’ve got for now.
Someday, I need to measure and write down a real recipe, but for now here is how I make my chicken noodle soup:
- Saute a chopped onion in the bottom of a large pot
- Add smashed garlic cloves
- Add chopped carrots and celery
- Put in spices – the more the better!
- parsley, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, pepper, bay leaf…they’re all good additions!
- Add in bone broth
- This will already have a lot of flavor since it’s been cooking with lots of spices/veggies for 2 days.
- Bone broth is actually very high in protein, so this meal is much more filling than chicken noodle soup that’s store bought (or with broth that’s from a carton).
- Once the veggies have cooked, add in about a cup (ish) of water with some soup noodles.
- Add in any leftover chopped chicken you have.
- Serve + enjoy!
Kitchen staples from we can get delivered for free with our Walmart+ membership:
If you’re looking for some products we love and use regularly in our kitchen from Walmart – click the pictures below to view them!
I truly hope that helps you get some ideas on how you can save money on groceries as a family. If you plan ahead, shop smart, and use some creativity, you can definitely help your final costs!
Looking for more recipes? Here’s one of our favorite soups!
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