Two years ago, single mother of three Chelsea Goodwin was living week-to-week in Brisbane on a grocery budget of $150 a week.

She had learnt to embrace cooking for her family by binge-watching Nigella Bites a few years earlier, and discovering how to make her own delicious meals and treats along the way.

One day, in August 2022, she decided to share one of her meal plans online, which serve a family of four for about $10.

“The response was unexpected and completely overwhelming – in the best possible way,” Goodwin writes in her new cookbook $10 Meals with Chelsea.

Since then, her free Facebook communities have grown to more than 200,000 budget-conscious Australians.

“My hope is that the meal plans and recipes in this book will make your life a little easier in some way. Whether that’s by taking a big chunk of stress out of planning and cooking, helping you find your cooking mojo or reducing your grocery spend.”

Here’s Goodwin’s chicken drumstick tray bake to cook at home. Her meal plan suggests serving with spinach rice (below).

Greek lemon chicken and potatoes

A recipe for those who love lemon as much as I do.

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 8 chicken drumsticks (about 1.5 kg)
• 1kg potatoes
• ½ cup (125ml) chicken stock

To serve

• 1-2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2-3 tsp crumbled Greek feta

PREP

1. Preheat oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
2. In a bowl large enough to fit all the chicken, mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (if using) together until combined.
3. Add the chicken to this mixture, turning to ensure every piece is well coated. Stand at room temperature while you peel the potatoes and cut them into thin wedges. (If you like, you can marinate the chicken a day ahead. Cover bowl and refrigerate until cooking time).
4. Peel potatoes and slice into thin wedges.

METHOD

1. Remove the marinated chicken drumsticks from the bowl with tongs and place in a large baking dish, leaving the excess marinade in the bowl.
2. Tip the potatoes into the bowl and coat well with the remaining marinade. Arrange the potato in the baking dish with the chicken in a single layer. Season with a bit more salt and pepper.
3. There should still be a little marinade left in the bowl. Add the chicken stock to the remaining marinade and pour it carefully into the corner of the baking dish, making sure that it goes underneath the chicken and potatoes (so it doesn’t wash off the marinade).
4. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 40–45 minutes, until tender and cooked through. If you like, turn on the grill setting for 5 minutes at the end to brown the top, but keep a close eye on it!
5. Sprinkle with parsley and the crumbled feta. Don’t throw out the pan juices because they’re delicious and can be poured over the chicken and potatoes. Serve with spanakorizo (below) or your choice of side dish.

Serves 4

NOTES

• Baking dish: If you prefer that all of the potatoes are crispy, you’ll need to bake them in a single layer. If you don’t own a dish large enough for this, separate the chicken and potatoes into 2 baking dishes and add an extra ¼ cup (60ml) stock.
• Dairy-free: Omit the feta.
• Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to 2 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven in a foil-covered ovenproof dish.
• Meal plan: If you’re making the spanakorizo, start the prep about 15 minutes after you put the chicken in the oven.
• Substitutions: Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs or marylands can be used instead of drumsticks.

Spanakorizo (spinach rice)

INGREDIENTS

• ½ brown onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 cups (90g) finely shredded silverbeet
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1½ cups (300g) basmati rice, rinsed
• 3 cups (750ml) vegetable or chicken stock

To serve

• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta
• juice of ½ lemon

PREP

1. Dice the onion, crush the garlic and finely shred the silverbeet.
2. Rinse the basmati rice well in a large metal sieve.

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat and gently cook onions for a few minutes until translucent.
2. Add garlic and silverbeet and stir until wilted.
3. Add salt, rice and stock and stir gently together until well incorporated.
4. Bring to the boil then turn down heat to lowest setting. Cook with the lid on for 15 minutes.
5. Turn the heat off and leave to steam for another 5 minutes or until rice is tender.
6. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and feta, and drizzle with lemon juice.

Serves 4-6

NOTES

• Dairy-free: Omit the feta.
• Meal plan: When I cook this with the Greek lemon chicken and potatoes (above), I scoop out a tablespoon or so of the chicken’s lemony pan juices and trickle it over the rice for extra flavour.

This is an edited extract of $10 Meals with Chelsea by Chelsea Goodwin, published by Ebury Australia, RRP $36.99. Photography by Melissa Darr. Buy now