In the States, I can safely say that one of the cheapest if not the cheapest cooked food item one can buy is rotisserie chicken. It is available every single day in every supermarket. For $4.99, you have a complete meal. it doesn’t have to be boring either because you can easily transform it into many other dishes within a few minutes.
I used to buy fried breaded chicken by the piece. You could get drumstick, chicken wings, or chicken breast. And it is cheap, too. I eat it as is with plain white rice. Coupled with coleslow, it makes a satisfying lunch or dinner.
With the leftovers, I turn it into chicken adobo, kare kare, sinigang, curry chicken, or even chicken pot pie. Oftentimes, I would saute some garlic, add in the chicken, some broth and I would have misua soup or chicken macaroni soup. There was a time when a house repairman knocked on our apartment, and I was distinctly elated when he remarked “that’s the best smelling food that greeted me this morning.” His compliment definitely made my day!
The versatility of roast chicken is endless. You can turn it into chicken sandwich, use it to garnish a green salad, turn it into empanadas, or steamed bun. It saves time and children love it.
