My father is a professional chef; the greatest skill he has taught me is how to take whatever food we had make a seemingly gourmet meal with it. Being a college student, my main concern is my food budget. Here, I’ll tell you how to cook cheap. 

The Hunt: 

The first step was a trip to my local Safeway. The best part about stores like these is that all are likely to have a kind of rewards program that costs absolutely nothing to join, which in turn will make the products you buy cheaper. One tip I will give you right off the bat is to ALWAYS buy Storebrand.  

The most expensive items you can buy will be meat, dairy, and spices. Therefore, my first stop was in the meat section, where I found a pack of chicken breasts for $9.49. After that, I walked over to the dairy section and found a package of mozzarella cheese for $4.49.  

Finally, I walked to the spice section where I found a bottle of garlic salt for $4.99. After finding these, I had a general idea of what I planned to make. At this point, I just started wandering around the store looking for what I was planning on using.  

I found breadcrumbs for $1.99, a jar of pasta sauce for $1.99, a box of penne pasta for $1.29, and a bag of flour for $1.79. I then grabbed a bottle of sparkling lemonade for $1.99. My last stop before leaving the store was to check the shelf of half-off items for anything useful, of which I found a small bottle of olive oil for $1.95.  

In total, my shopping trip had cost me $30.09. 

The Recipe: 

Now comes the tricky part, cooking everything. If you don’t have your own kitchen and cookware, just do what I did and ask a friend with a kitchen if they’d like a free meal. You will need a pot, a pan, a cast-iron skillet, a stove/oven, two bowls, a plate, a knife, and a spatula. 

Pre-heat the oven to 275°F. In the cast iron pan, turn the burner on low, adding the pasta sauce and some garlic salt onto it. On another burner, put the pan on medium and drizzle on a little oil.  

In one bowl, pour in a small amount of oil. In the other bowl, some flour and more garlic salt. On the plate, spread some breadcrumbs.  

Take your chicken and cut it vertically in half. Dip the chicken in oil, into the flour mixture, back into the oil, and then in crumbs. Cook on each side for seven minutes.  

Once you are sure they’re done, place them into the sauce. Sprinkle some cheese onto the top and place the whole skillet in the oven. While that’s cooking, make your pasta. It’ll be done by the time your pasta is ready. Strain it and plate it. Place the chicken on top of the pasta, spread some sauce over it, and dig in!