OVEN BAKED CURRY CHICKEN

 

As a Frugalista, I love sharing tips and great ideas for saving money while grocery shopping, which is why I have written so much on the topic. Of course, this is a topic that many of you seem to enjoy so this probably won’t be the last time I dig into it.

Savvy Canadian shoppers are already making decisions on where to shop based on where they will get the most bang for their buck; and for many that means shifting towards grocery shopping at discount retailers. If you’re like me you are probably already making a shopping list and checking through your fridge and pantry before heading out, and that is likely saving you a good amount of money by avoiding impulse buying for the most part. However, did you also know you can increase your savings drastically by making one small change to your weekly routine?

HINT: Use your weekly flyer!

Meal planning around your weekly flyer is a fantastic way to save loads of cash – especially when you are shopping the flyer of a great discount retailer like No Frills.  The bonus here is that it is a huge stress reliever – no more arguments over “What’s for dinner?”.

To start, I usually look through my weekly flyer (the No Frills one comes out on Thursdays) for the best deals on items my family enjoys and start to build a menu around that. I know that everyday items are typically less at my local No Frills too so I don’t worry too much about the added cost of any extra items I might need to complete the meals I am planning to make. For example, this is the front of the flyer I was shopping from when I decided to make oven baked chicken curry for dinner:

 

 

No Frills is able provide such great value and low prices by eliminating the extra frills – like fancy displays and in-store food sampling – in their stores. Those frills aren’t free, and you pay for them at other grocery stores. In their quest to battle the frills, the team at No Frills actually wants Canadians to be proud for seeking value and being a smart, savvy grocery shopper. That’s a message I love, and one I can absolutely get behind!

 

 

You can count on your local No Frills (mine is Giorgio’s No Frills on Mohawk Road East in Hamilton,) to find fresh, high quality food that also provide value and low prices. What I love about No Frills stores is that they carry brands like No Name and President’s Choice in addition to national brands and I am still able to collect my PC Plus points! PC points are another great way to save money on your grocery bill.

 

 

As you can see in the flyer’s front page, a dollar a pound of chicken in basically unbeatable so I knew I wanted to make a dish around that. After looking through my pantry and at the other items on sale in the flyer, it was easy to determine what I wanted to cook for my family based off of that.  I was also able to freeze 6 drumsticks for dinner later on in the week too which made that chicken an even better deal!

 

 

 

Oven Baked Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs or backs
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Cardamom
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Cup chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp Fish sauce (or soy sauce)
1 Lime, Juice and Zest of
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

In a small bowl combine spices, rub 3/4 of the seasoning into the chicken. Pan sear the chicken in the hot oil until browned. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet over medium heat add remaining spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add fish sauce, lime zest, chicken broth, coconut milk and lime juice to the skillet.

Place chicken back into the skillet and transfer to oven. Bake the chicken for about 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked to an internal temperature of chicken – about 175 degrees F.

Serve with rice.

 

 

 

 

Of course, there are other ways I save at the grocery store, here are my 3 favourite Frugalista grocery shopping tips:

 

 

1. Buy Value Brands: If you absolutely need an item that is not on sale then definitely go with the private label copycat!  This is especially true for 1 ingredient items such as Rice and Eggs, but with great value brands like no name you can get some really high quality products for less.
2. Look for Per-unit-price: Compare the price per volume when shopping for groceries. The giant-sized bag of rice may cost more initially than the smaller bag, but what is it really costing you in the end to get the same amount? No Frills makes this easy to do, just read the price label on the shelves to see the math already done for you!
3. Buy Meat in Bulk: Stock up on meat when it is on sale.  If you have a freezer you can save a ton of money by buying value pack meat in “family” size and freezing it in cooking portions. When you do need to buy meat at regular price, many grocery stores now offer packages of meat at a set price. When you encounter that, one tip for getting more bang for your dollar is comparing the weight of the packages which will often vary.

 

With unbeatable prices, PC Plus, and high quality products, it’s just a no brainer for savvy Canadian shoppers to shop for fresh, quality food at their local No Frills.

Stay up to date on the latest news with No Frills by following them on Facebook, or visit NoFrills.ca for locations, flyers and more!

 

 

 

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by No Frills. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.