Our local King Scoopers sells chicken thighs for $0.79/lb so I normally have some stocked and frozen in the freezer for days where I can't think of anything else to cook.
Today I made a 5-spice chicken with rice:


Ingredients:


3 chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer)
1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)


Marinade:

1/4 c soy sauce or amino acids
1 tbsp 5-spice (you can get this easily at an Asian grocer)
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp garlic powder



Sides/Garnish (all optional)


3c rice, cooked
Cucumber, skinned and sliced
Cilantro


Recipe:


(Optional step). Sprinkle baking soda on the meat and allow to stand for at least 1 hour. Rise. This tenderizes the meat and is the secret as to why the meat at Chinese restaurants are often so tender.


Mix the marinade ingredients then marinade the meat in it for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place marinated meat on a backing rack (with a tray under it) and bake for 45 min or until cooked through. Broil on low for 4 min for an extra crisp if desired. 

Serve with rice, cucumber and cilantro.

The cilantro came from my garden and is greener and more fragrant than you can ever get at the grocery store.
A good place to get cheap fresh ginger would be at an Asian grocer. Here in the Denver area, it runs approx $0.99/lb to $1.20/lb vs at least $4.99/lb at a regular supermarket. They tend to shrivel up over time so the best way to store them is to peel and chop them into portioned chunks. Freeze chunks in a freezer bag. They last a LONG time this way. To use, just rinse off a chunk under water and use as you would fresh.

We are working towards moving away from cheap store bought meat as we were told from a reputable source that these meats tend to come from animals with cancer  where the tumors are just cut off and the meat is then sold cheap.

After much consideration, we've decided to try hunting this year for fresh, wild, sustainable meat. More on this later.