My favorite budget-friendly, family-friendly recipe

"Chicken of the Ritz"

2 - 2 1/2 lbs. of cooked and shredded chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers

1/2 stick butter

salt and pepper if chicken not seasoned

Mix chicken, sour cream, and cans of soup (do not mix milk or anything with the soup). Spread in bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish. Crumble Ritz crackers on top and drizzle butter on top of crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until bubbly and crackers are lightly browned.

Makes 4- 6 servings

Now me share what I typically buy the ingredients for:

2- 2 1/2 lbs of chicken - $1.50

(I buy the bone-in split chicken breast for recipes in which I just need shredded chicken on sale for $0.99/lb.) With the recent $1.00 off Tyson coupon I got this chicken for @ $1.50 for the whole package! I cook my chicken by taking the skin off and placing in the crockpot with a little seasoning and water and cooking on high for about 4 hours. It comes out juicy, falls off the bone, and requires almost no work at all!

2 cans of soup $.50 each = $1.00

1 cup sour cream (usually get a 2 cup pkg for $0.50 or less ) = $0.25

1 1/2 - 2 sleeves Ritz crackers (usually get the whole box for about $1.00 at Publix BOGO) = $0.50

1/2 stick butter (4 sticks for $1.50) = $0.18

Total cost for the whole recipe= $3.43! and that should feed a family of 4 for $0.86 a serving!

Pair this with some fresh veggies or some FREE steamfresh veggies and you could easily have a meal under $6.00 for a family of 4! Sometimes I have even put steamfresh mixed vegetables into the casserole for a "meal-all-in-one-dish."

I can't wait to get some ideas from you for some budget-friendly, family-friendly recipes! Leave them in a comment under the giveaway #3 post.