$15 Holiday Dinner for 4 (Roast Chicken with Holiday Trimmings)
There is no doubt that one of the best things about the holidays – aside from the excuse to spend time with everyone you love – is the food. But don’t stress this year if you’re trying to entertain on a budget, we’ve got you with this incredible $15 dollar holiday meal, complete with all the trimmings of stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, a holiday bird, and even a pumpkin pie!
Why You’ll Love This Holiday Menu
- This budget holiday dinner menu includes a rotisserie chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and gravy, as well as a homemade pumpkin pie to finish! This really is a full Thanksgiving dinner!
- As we mentioned, you can get all of this on the table for you and your family for $15 with some careful shopping. Even if you shop at different stores, or groceries are priced a little differently in your state, you’ll still come pretty close to this budget.
- This menu is great for small gatherings: it will serve 4 people, depending how many leftovers you want / need. We planned with with Thanksgiving in mind, but there are some great affordable Christmas dinner ideas in here too!
Where To Buy Your Groceries
We have estimated the costs of the ingredients you’ll need for this meal when you do your holiday dinner shopping at the stores below, and included how much each will roughly cost below! This is the pumpkin pie recipe you’ll be buying ingredients for.
- Walmart: Turkey Gravy Packet ($0.67), Stuffing Mix ($0.97), Pie Crust ($1.27), 2 Eggs ($0.44), Cinnamon ($0.05), Pumpkin Spice ($0.11), Canned Pumpkin ($1.16), Frozen Green Beans ($0.98), Butter ($0.46), Garlic ($0.12), Potatoes ($1.50), Milk ($0.04), Cranberry Sauce ($1.25)
- Sam’s: Rotisserie Chicken ($5.00)
- Dollar Tree: Sweetened Condensed Milk ($1.25), Cranberry Sauce ($1.25)
To keep this $15 holiday meal strictly within budget, buy a chilled rotisserie chicken and gently heat it through. Or, just skip the cranberry sauce!
Chef’s Tips
- So many of the ingredients in this holiday menu can be purchased ahead and stored in the build up to Thanksgiving like the stuffing mix, turkey gravy packet, cranberry sauce and frozen green beans, so look out for seasonal offers where you get your groceries. Butter can even be frozen for when you need it!
- Don’t be afraid to raid your pantry and freezer for ingredients you already have which you can use to upgrade these basic recipes. If you’ve got some frozen bacon it can be used to level-up the green bean dish, and dried herbs from your pantry or fresh if you have some growing near you can be used to upgrade the stuffing mix.
More Budget Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
- How To Cook Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
- Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole
- Easy Sweet Potato Cobbler
- Cranberry-glazed Cheesecake
- Bone-in Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
- Red Velvet Christmas Cookies with Cake Mix
Holiday Roast Chicken Dinner (with All The Trimmings!)
This delicious holiday meal of roast chicken with all the trimmings and a homemade pumpkin pie for dessert all comes together for just $15!
- rotisserie chicken
- turkey gravy packet
- stuffing mix
- cranberry sauce
For the Green Beans
- 12 ounces frozen green beans
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- kosher salt (to taste)
For the Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds potatoes (peeled and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup milk
- kosher salt (to taste)
Mashed Potatoes
Cook the potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender.
Mash with a potato masher or put through a ricer, and return to the pan with the butter and milk. Use the potato masher or a whisk to combine until the potatoes are just smooth. Add a little more salt if needed.
Green Beans
Cook the beans in salted water as per the packet instructions. Drain well.
Add the butter to the pan you cooked the beans in and melt over a medium heat until frothy. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft and aromatic. Stir in the beans with a little salt, to taste.
Rotisserie Chicken
Preheat the oven to 350F. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray, and pour 1/2 cup of water around the chicken. Cover loosely with tin foil and cook for 20 minutes, removing the foil halfway through to crisp the skin.
Stuffing
Prepare the stuffing as per the packet instructions.
Gravy
Prepare the gravy as per the packet instructions. If any juices are left in the bottom of the pan from warming through the chicken they can be added to the gravy for extra flavor.
Shop smart: So many of the ingredients in this holiday menu can be purchased ahead and stored in the build up to Thanksgiving like the stuffing mix, turkey gravy packet, cranberry sauce and frozen green beans, so look out for seasonal offers where you get your groceries. Butter can even be frozen for when you need it!
Easy upgrades: Don’t be afraid to raid your pantry and freezer for ingredients you already have which you can use to upgrade these basic recipes. If you’ve got some frozen bacon it can be used to level-up the green bean dish, and dried herbs from your pantry or fresh if you have some growing near you can be used to upgrade the stuffing mix.
