Side Dishes for Chicken

Sophomore year starts a week from Thursday. I am writing this on Sunday night with my back-to-school clothes washed and folded in the laundry basket on my bedroom floor, and the new spiral notebook on my desk waiting for math class to start, and a list in front of me on the kitchen table that I want to put down on paper this week, because pre-school week is the right week to take stock.

The list is the running list of side dishes I have built since I started cooking real meals in this kitchen. I have a section in the back of my notebook called Sides That Work, and the entries are things I have made at least three times, on a tight budget, that hold up next to a piece of chicken. The list has been growing all spring and summer, and I want to put it down for the record today, because the list is part of how I have learned to feed my family, and because anybody else trying to figure out how to put a real dinner on a real table for under five dollars might want this list too.

Before I get to the list, I want to write about Saturday, because Saturday is part of why I am writing the list down today instead of next week. Mama and I went to Walmart on Saturday morning to do the back-to-school shopping, and what I want to put on the page is that Cody came with us. He has not been to Walmart in a year. He came in the back door at nine-thirty Saturday morning with his keys in his hand — the old keys, to the car he has not driven in months — and he said, I’ll drive you, and Mama looked at him for a long second and she said, okay, and the three of us got in his car and we went to Walmart together for the first time in a year.

I bought three plain t-shirts in different colors, $4.88 each. One pair of jeans on the clearance rack, $14.94 marked down from $24.99. A new spiral notebook for math, $0.97. A pack of pencils, $1.27. A pack of pens, $1.97. A binder, $3.97. The backpack from last year that Mama re-stitched the strap on, free. Total at the register: $34.50, against a budget of $40. I had $5.50 left in the envelope to roll into next month.

While Mama and I were in the school-supply aisle, Cody was standing in front of the wall of fifty-cent composition books, staring at them. I pretended I did not see him. He picked one up. He put it in the cart. He did not say anything. When I asked him in the parking lot afterward what the composition book was for, he said, very quietly, I’m thinking about night school. GED. They’re running it at the community college.

Mama did not cry until we were back in the car with the doors closed. Then she put her face in her hands and made no sound and stayed that way for about a minute. Cody and I sat in the front and the back and we did not move and we did not say anything and we let her do what she needed to do. After a minute she sat up, wiped her face with the hem of her shirt, and said, okay, Sonic for lunch? And Cody said, my treat, and pulled out of the parking lot.

The composition book has been sitting on the kitchen counter since Saturday afternoon. He has not moved it. I am not going to ask about it. I am going to let it sit there and let him do whatever he is going to do.

And now the list. Sides That Work. The cost numbers are per side, for three servings, with all of the ingredients I had to buy fresh.

Mashed potatoes with sour cream. Five russet potatoes peeled and cubed, boiled fifteen minutes, mashed with butter, milk, salt, pepper, and a dollop of sour cream stirred in at the end. The sour cream is what makes the mashed potatoes feel restaurant-grade. Cost: about $1.20.

Rice and butter. Two cups of long-grain rice, four cups of water, a tablespoon of butter, a teaspoon of salt. Twenty minutes covered on low. The fifty-cent side that anchors most of my chicken dinners. Cost: about $0.40.

Roasted broccoli. One head of broccoli cut into florets, tossed in olive oil with salt and pepper, roasted on a sheet pan at 425 for eighteen minutes until the edges are crispy and almost burnt. The almost-burnt is the trick. Cost: about $1.00.

Buttered green beans. One can of green beans drained, sauteed in a skillet with a tablespoon of butter and a clove of minced garlic for five minutes. The butter and garlic transform a sad can of beans into a side that holds up. Cost: about $0.60.

Cornbread. One box of Jiffy mix, an egg, milk, baked in the cast iron at 400 for twenty minutes. Pairs with anything. Cost: about $0.85 for the whole pan.

Pinto beans. One pound of dried pintos soaked overnight, simmered with onion and garlic and salt for two hours. The base side dish in this house and probably yours too if you grew up the way I grew up. Cost: about $1.20 for a pot that lasts two dinners.

Coleslaw, my version. A bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix from Aldi, $1.29, tossed with three tablespoons of mayo, a tablespoon of cider vinegar, two teaspoons of sugar, salt, pepper. Sits in the fridge for an hour before serving. Cost: about $1.40.

Cucumber and tomato salad. Two cucumbers diced, two tomatoes diced, a quarter of a red onion fine-chopped, tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh dill if I have it. The same dressing as the Greek salad from May, scaled up. Cost: about $1.50 in season.

Roasted sweet potato wedges. Two sweet potatoes cut into wedges, tossed in olive oil with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, roasted at 425 for thirty minutes. Cost: about $1.10.

That is the list as of this Sunday night. The list grows every couple of weeks. I will add to it when I have a new side I have made three times. Pick the side that fits your week. Pair it with whatever protein is on the markdown rack. The list is the kind of thing that, once you have built it, feeds you on autopilot. The list is the inheritance I am giving myself one entry at a time.

School starts a week from Thursday. The composition book is on the counter. Cody is at the table. The wallet has $77.50 in it after Saturday’s back-to-school. The savings envelope has $66 in it. The list has nine entries. I am ready for sophomore year.

The recipe roundup below is the magazine version of the same kind of list I have been keeping by hand. Pick three sides for next week’s rotation. Pair them with whatever protein you bought on the markdown rack. By the end of the month you will have your own list, in your own handwriting, in a notebook that is yours, and you will be feeding people on autopilot the way I have learned to.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen or canned corn, drained
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)

Instructions

Cook the rice. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, broth (or water), 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Warm the beans. While the rice cooks, combine black beans and pinto beans in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season with salt to taste.
Heat the corn. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn and cook 3–4 minutes without stirring until lightly charred in spots. Season with a pinch of salt.
Plate and serve. Arrange rice, beans, and corn alongside your chicken — enchiladas, rotisserie, or anything else you’ve got. Finish with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime if you have them.

Nutrition (per serving)

Side Dishes for Chicken — The Running List I Have Been Building Since Spring