Low Cost Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Mint-Almond Pesto

I thought I would start putting together some low cost recipes that I come across. Many sites put together a list of recipes under $10 or $15 to feed a family and I found many aren’t quite as affordable as they look. I will be making items and putting together my actual cost of what I spend.

This past weekend I decided to make Grilled Chicken with Mint-Almond Pesto from Rachel Ray. The food turned out amazing and would easily feed a family of 4. She promised it would be under $10, however I spent a bit more than that with my total being $12.33. Here is the recipe:

1 whole chicken $6.03 (I went over budget here as I just got a package of breasts so I wouldn’t have to fool with cutting a chicken.)
Salt and Pepper (no cost, it is a pantry item)
1 butternut squash – halved lengthwise, peeled, seeded and sliced $3.98
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (no cost, it is a pantry item)
1 lemon, zested and juiced $0.25
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint $0.99
2 tablespoons chopped natural almonds, toasted $0.74 (I bought just a small amount out of bulk bin to save money)
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped $0.34

Preheat a grill to medium. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board, with the large cavity facing you. Using kitchen scissors and starting at the open cavity, cut down each side of the backbone; discard the backbone. Open the chicken like a book, then flip over. Press down firmly on the top fleshy part of the breast until you hear the bone crack.
Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill skin side up, covered, until well browned, about 25 minutes. Turn and cook through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the squash with 1 tbsp. EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning, until tender and golden, about 7 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, mint, almonds, garlic and remaining EVOO. To serve, drizzle the chicken and squash with the mint-almond pesto.

Over all I do want to say the dish turned out excellent. It was a bit of a pain to make as I have never skinned (or even eaten a butternut squash before) but I was pleased with it all! The pesto was absolutely amazing and you could easily get this dish in for under the $10 if you skipped the butternut squash which is completely possible. I went ahead and took a picture of my finished product, you can check it out below. Let me know if any of you will be trying this recipe, and let me know if you would like to see more of these budget friendly meals posted on the site!