What’s your favourite cheap & healthy meals?

No, it’s not basic, it’s a great idea. And you are so right about higher fat being tastier.
I often buy 2 kilos of higher fat mince (15% - 20%). I sautè 3/4 chopped onions, add the meat until brown. I add nothing else. Not even salt or pepper. Then I freeze it in portions labelled Batch Mince.
It’s very handy because the batch mince can be used for so many different dishes.

bean chilli with lots of added sweet potato and other veg. Make a huge batch and freeze a bunch. Then have the chilli various ways - with rice or quinoa, on jacket potato/sweet potato, as quesadillas, stuffed peppers (with added rice or quinoa), nachos.

lentil curry or soup.

I do something similar but without the mozzarella. I grate odds and ends of cheese like Parmesan, cheddar and keep it in a box in the fridge; good for sauces, toppings and cheese on toast 🙂

Veg and bean tagine, with cous-cous.

Put on basic supermarket pasta to cook. Basic supermarket tomato pasta sauce, add tin of tuna, stir until bubbling then drain pasta then stir in tuna/tomato sauce. Sauce and tuna cost together about £1.30 plus pasta and the best news is it takes about 10/15 minutes total to cook.

Bolognese or chilli and bulk out with a tin of lentils and lot of veg.
Make a roast chicken and use the leftovers for something else and make soup from the bones.
Make a roast beef and Make stovies or broth from the leftovers.

Pasta e fagioli and pasta e ceci. Jim at sip and feast does a lovely recipe.

Red beans and rice.
https://damndelicious.net/2019/04/15/red-beans-and-rice/

Turtle bean burgers. Mash cooked turtle bean burgers, mix with tinned sweetcorn, season with chilli and fresh coriander. Form into patties. Chill them till firm then fry. The patties freeze too.

Get a couple of duck legs and teriyaki them. Put them in an oven dish with water, soy and mirin and slow cook them. Shred the meat. You can use it to make donburi, fried rice etc. You don't need much as it's a rich flavour.

Pancakes are cheap to make, fill them with chopped veg and tomato sauce, top with cheese and oven bake.

Red lentil bolognese.

Courgette, tomato and bell pepper with orzo.
Courgette Discs (.5cm) quartered and flash fried in the electronic pressure cooker a touch of olive oil with finely sliced onion until they are starting to go a little translucent. Add frozen sliced peppers, a tin of decent toms, a load of crushed garlic and herbs/spices and seasoning to your preference ( I just buy whichever is most cost effective- usually Italian mixed herbs and some dried chilli flakes and paprika).
Cook down in the pressure cooker and then chuck some orzo in for a final few mins. I have been known to use pearl barley or random tins of canned beans to give extra fibre. DD insists on adding olives and capers but they are completely optional.

This is one of mine too, very tasty, quick and cheap.

Cottage pie is another, bulk mince out with red lentils and serve with frozen veg.

I do something similar. Great stomach filler 😀

Liver and onions, devilled kidneys, stuffed hearts.

Pasta with mushrooms, garlic and cream. So simple and cheap. But delicious.

Tonight I'm doing chicken flatbreads. Chicken thighs (pretty cheap) marinaded in a mix of lemon juice, pepper, chilli, mixed herbs and garlic puree.
Cover and cook in the oven then when done remove the skins and bones and shred the meat with two forks (like pulled pork)
Serve with flatbreads and salad, cheese/mayo/chilli sauce etc if you want them

Pink pickled onions are also good with this (finely slice a red onion or two, put in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain after 10 mins or when you remember! Season well, add dried chilli flakes plus the juice of one orange and two limes - bottled juices can be easier and cheaper. Squish it all together with your hands, cover and leave to rest till you're ready to eat)
I like a yoghurt sauce too - cheap plain yoghurt mixed up with a bit of lemon juice and garlic puree, season to taste

May accidentally find some chips fall into the oven too....

Tuna pasta salad.

My ex MIL used to make these in the 1960s/1970s ( there was a big age gap between us 😀) Thank you for reminding me!

I grew up on a variation of this made with corned beef rather than mince. Method otherwise basically identical.

I think I need to make both versions soon!

We love a rice dish made with chorizo. A little goes a long way for flavour. So fry off slices off chorizo to release the oils, then soften onion in the oil. Add garlic chopped peppers, courgettes, mushrooms (whatever you have/ like really), then shake over some paprika and/ or Cajun spices. Add in rice, cover in stock and simmer until the liquid is absorbed/rice is cooked. If you have leftover scraps of meat from a roast then it's great with chicken in. Or a tin of cannelini or other small beans for extra protein.

Mines a bit basic but buy - large pack of mince- the higher fat ones are so much tastier and cheaper- then I make spag Bol, cottage pie, chilli out of it, burgers sometimes. I think the main thing is make sure you have a good spice cupboard!

I love Amy’s recipes so delish 🤤

As well as Greek yogurt, obviously!

Overnight oats using frozen fruit.

Does cake count as annoying with egg? 🤞🏼😁

I sometimes do cheesy leeks on toast for breakfast or lunch - leeks sauteed - I use the low cal spray. Seasoned to taste, stir in some grated cheese - mozzarella would be lower in calories, but I usually have cheddar to hand. On wholemeal toast. I often find leeks are reduced in price at my local shop, but they keep for a good while in the fridge.

Frittata

Panko mushroom burgers - those big mushrooms, take out the stalk. Coat in beaten egg then breadcrumbs (I use panko, but you could use whatever you have), air fry till golden. Serve in a bun with whatever you want in the bun/on the side. I usually do Sriracha mayo, salad and chips.

There's a fabulous cook called Amy Sheppard online. I've seen her on Facebook, but she may well be in other spaces too. She does chicken mince balls for a roast dinner. Basically just mix 500g of chicken mince with a pack of stuffing mix. Shape into balls and cook. Easy, cheap, low fat and delicious. Serve with veg and gravy. She does straightforward home cooking. Totally recommend having a look at her other posts! (I'm not connected to her in any way)

cauliflower cheese
i usually add a bit of macaroni,
and leek
and top with mozzarella
we eat this weekly

Your chicken recipe sounds good.