Chicken Breast on a Budget
A One-Meal-a-Day Diet Plan That Actually Works
Words by Jeong-Yoon Lee
No matter how much I tried to eat healthy, I’d never actually spent money on chicken breast before.
Back in 2018, I received a bunch of flavored chicken breast packs for a sponsored blog post, but I don’t think I’ve ever personally bought them with my own money.
Honestly, if it came down to just eating chicken breast, I’d rather make a proper dish like braised chicken or samgyetang.
But then last year, I decided to buy a 1kg pack of frozen chicken breast and tossed it in the freezer.
I started prepping simple meals with cabbage for a week’s worth of food, and once I combined that with some workouts, I was actually pretty happy with the results.
The best part? Eating chicken breast regularly stopped me from craving snacks.
Even when I felt a bit hungry, I could hold out until my actual mealtime without reaching for chips or cookies.
At first, I pan-fried the frozen chicken, and later I started adding it to magic soup (a.k.a. veggie soup).
But one day I just boiled it by itself—and that’s when the unpleasant smell hit me.
I hadn’t noticed it when I was pan-frying it with oil, but once it was just boiled in water, the gamey, almost fishy smell of the frozen chicken was impossible to ignore.
So I broke up with frozen chicken breast and switched to fresh, refrigerated ones.
I usually shop for fresh produce anyway, and I realized that as long as I eat them within a week, I don’t really need to worry about the expiration date.
What I do need is to get better at portioning and storing food in smaller batches.
When I buy a 400–500g pack of chilled chicken breast, it usually comes with four pieces.
If I eat two per meal, that’s two days’ worth of food.
Since they last for about a week, I now order two to three packs at a time and make it my weekly meal prep.
Still, sometimes I get a pack that’s already close to the expiration date, so I just boil them all at once and store them in the fridge.
I don’t have a sous vide machine (yet!), so I just boil mine the old-fashioned way:
Throw the chicken into a pot with some whole peppercorns and a bay leaf.
If I have some cooking wine, I’ll add a splash of that too.
Once it comes to a full boil, I turn off the heat and let it sit in the hot water to finish cooking.
After it cools a bit, I transfer the chicken to a storage container and pop it in the fridge.
When it’s time to eat, I just take a portion out, pan-fry it with some veggies, and I’m good to go.
Sure, it’s not exactly like sous vide—it’s not that melt-in-your-mouth tender—but it’s still juicy and flavorful enough for the price.
Totally worth it.
And if I add in some seasonal vegetables, it not only feels healthier but also like I’m treating myself with a proper meal.
The other day, I stopped by Aram Fresh Market in Yangjae-dong and found a bunch of fresh asparagus for just 3,000 won.
That place is basically the Daiso of produce.
Shopping there is kind of therapeutic—plus it helps me stay on top of eating fresh, in-season fruits and veggies.
Simple cooking, budget-friendly ingredients, and a one-meal-a-day routine that keeps me feeling light and satisfied.
This is how I’m making chicken breast work for me—without breaking the bank.
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