Chicken marsala

Here's a good one!

Package of chicken hind quarters ($7)
Diced carrot ($1)
Diced onion ($0.75)
Diced celery ($0.25)
Mushrooms ($2.50) (sliced, quartered or whole)
Marsala cooking wine ($4/bottle, enough for 2 meals)
Sherry cooking wine ($4/bottle, optional)
Flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.

I prefer to remove the skin, but you can leave it on. Otherwise, lightly dust the chicken in seasoned flour, then brown in butter or oil of your choice. You just need golden brown, not browned. Set aside.

Saute the mire poix in butter (preferably), or oil of your choice. Season lightly with salt & pepper. You can set aside when you're done, or just push it to the side of the pan.

Repeat with the mushrooms.

Add the mire poix back (if you removed it), the herbs (I used fresh thyme, but you can use any herbs of your liking or what you have available, either fresh or dried), chicken, 3/4c marsala wine, 1/4c sherry (if using, or skip), then another 1c water (or more if needed). Cover and simmer until chicken is 165° minimum and sauce is thickened (add water if needed).

Serve with potatoes, bread, pasta, etc. The main meal is ~$10-12, depending on how much your chicken costs; mine had 8 pieces, so enough for 6-8 servings. Sure, it costs more if you have to buy everything all at once, but you can buy the bottle of marsala wine and split it between 2-3 times, so it works out to $1.40-2/per. Skip the sherry if you don't have it, and feel free to sub any white wine you may have, or just use water or stock. No matter how you make it, it's worth a shot!