Cook a Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker + 5 Dinners for $50

This meal plan full of dinners for $10 or less is sponsored by Harris Teeter. As always, all opinions are my own.

This weekend, we were near Baltimore for my niece’s birthday party. We took the opportunity to visit Harris Teeter for the first time. Our store in Baltimore is relatively new and let me start off by saying that I’m super jealous and sad that we do not have one closer to us.

Like many people, I had the common misconception that Harris Teeter is too pricey. Honestly, I was super impressed with their private-label prices and found their sales to on national brands pretty amazing. I was able to stock up on some pantry staples at great prices.

Harris Teeter challenged us to create a 5-day meal plan for $50.

MONDAY – SLOW COOKER WHOLE CHICKEN

To start the week off, I made a slow cooker chicken. I love being able to use the slow cooker to cook dinner while I go about my day.

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

3 hours 30 mins

Total time

3 hours 40 mins

Author: Christina Shirley

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

Whole Chicken
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sea salt (I used a BBQ Sea Salt Rub)
1 Tbsp chili powder

Instructions

Remove giblets from chicken.
Pat chicken dry.
Combine ingredients in small bowl.
Rub all over chicken.
Place 3 aluminum foil balls (about 2 inches in diameter) in the bottom of slow cooker.
Place chicken on top of of foil balls.
Cook on high 3 to 3½ hours.

If you like a crispier skin, you can place the cooked chicken under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp it up.

With a box of potatoes and a can of veggies, we’ve got a complete meal on a budget.

TUESDAY – SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS

Pasta in our house is always a win! With the awesome deal this week on Barilla pasta and sauce, I was able to stock up for several quick and cheap dinners!

I grabbed HT meatballs, a loaf garlic bread (from their fresh bakery), and some salad mix for a complete meal.

WEDNESDAY – CHICKEN WRAPS

Using leftover chicken from Monday, you can throw together some simple chicken wraps for dinner. Use the salad mix, some dressing, shredded cheese, and flour wraps to customize the wrap for each person.

Serve with a boxed mac and cheese for a quick meal.

THURSDAY – BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? It’s cheap and easy! Honestly, we don’t get time during the weekends to make a nice sit down breakfast, so having breakfast for dinner is a great way to enjoy our favorite breakfast foods.

For well under $10, you can pickup pancakes, eggs, sausage, and syrup (though you probably already have that).

FRIDAY – BACON GRILLED CHEESE & SOUP

We’ve been on a grilled cheese kick lately. With a loaf of fresh bread from Harris Teeter’s bakery, a variety of shredded cheeses (that were also part of that fantastic buy 2, get 3 free deal), and some bacon, you can put together an awesome grilled cheese that the whole family will love.