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An Australian mum-of-two has shown how she made her own $5 at-home version of honey chicken using a budget buy from Aldi.
The Adelaide home chef whipped up a super-cheap ‘fake-away’ using Aldi’s $3.59 tempura chicken nuggets, honey and steamed rice.
She impressed hundreds with her extremely budget-friendly meal after she shared it to popular Facebook page Aldi Mums.
An Adelaide home chef shared how she whipped up a honey chicken ‘fake-away’ for just $5 to feed her family of four
The thrifty mum topped the crunchy tempura nuggets with a drizzle of honey to create a similar experience to those you’d try at a Chinese restaurant.
‘When you’re on a budget and the kids want honey chicken!! I know it’s not the healthiest but it’s so good!’ she wrote in a post.
‘ALDI tempura chicken nuggets topped with honey and steamed rice $5.00 dinner, one adult and two kids.’
The bite-sized crunchy snacks caused a stir when the supermarket giant re-released them last year, causing shoppers to rush to get their hands on a packet.
The tempura-coated nuggets have a health star rating of 3.5 stars out of five and are made with Australian chicken breast.
For her budget meal, the mum-of-two used Aldi’s popular $3.59 tempura chicken nuggets topped with honey and served with steamed rice
Many group members in the comments were wowed by the simple and affordable take-away dupe and others were sharing their similar lazy dinners.
‘Those nuggets are amazing!!!! Awesome in their air fryer and some out all crunchy and yum!!!’ one woman exclaimed.
‘Ohhh! I hadn’t thought of putting honey on the nuggets! I have to give it a try!,’ wrote another.
‘I’m sure the kids loved it. Sometimes when I can’t be bothered I get chicken pops and heat up sweet and sour sauce and have with steamed or fried rice,’ replied a third while another suggested adding a sprinkle of sesame seeds over the top.
‘I’ve done similar with chicken pops and lemon sauce,’ explained another member.
Amid rising cost of living more Australian parents are sharing the budget ways they’re feeding their families.
One mum revealed how she feeds her family-of-five for as little as $3.70 a head without compromising on nutrition or flavour.
Lee Dias, 38, from the south coast of New South Wales feeds herself, her husband, their five-year-old daughter and one-year-old twins for just $160 a week. Pictured: Spinach, Ricotta & Sweet Potato Lasagne costing $2.15 per serving
Lee shares her top tips on grocery budgeting to her 23,000 Instagram followers. Pictured: Chicken schnitzel with $10.45 total for four lunches
Lee Dias, 38, from the south coast of New South Wales feeds herself, her husband, their five-year-old daughter and one-year-old twins for just $160 a week.
She shares her top tips on grocery budgeting to her 23,000 Instagram followers with her delicious recipes including sweet potatoes with chicken schnitzel, potato salad, lemon chicken noodle bowls and honey pepper BBQ pork steaks.
The influencer says she use to ‘randomly shop’ without much of a plan, but once she started organising she saved more than ever before.
Her delicious recipes including sweet potatoes with chicken schnitzel, potato salad, lemon chicken noodle bowls and honey pepper BBQ pork steaks. Pictured: Chicken Rice Bowls for $1.25 per bowl
San Choy Bau Rice Bowl (vegetarian) which cost just $7.32 to feed two adults and three children
While she allocated $160 to spend a week, often it comes at just $100 – which is just $2.85 per head per day.
She always avoids shopping week-to-week, checks the pantry before going to the supermarket and uses less meat.
Feeding a family of two adults and three kids can be challenging at times, but Ms Dias has a passion for food and shops at numerous leading supermarkets for the best deals.
The influencer says she use to ‘randomly shop’ without much of a plan, but once she started organising she saved more than ever before. Pictured: Potato Salad for $2.78 per serve
The mum started meal prepping in her 20s, because there were ‘so many recipes’ she wanted to try.
This kicked when she welcomed twins 18 months ago.
‘I had just stopped work to be a stay-at-home mum, and so we were only having one income, and it was important to start budgeting properly,’ she told News.
Pizza for less than $1 a serve! Lee paid $2.96 for this pizza which served three people
Pork with vegetables costing $16.54 total for five people is pictured
Chicken drumstick fillet, with cous cous and vegetables cost just $9.86 for five people
‘Previously, when I’d shop haphazardly, I’d easily spend over $200 a week, but I allocate $160 in total for groceries, and $130 of this goes to food.
‘Being organised saves money, time, stress and pressure.’
The mum-of-three mostly shops at Coles and makes sure to take advantage of Flybuys. She also shops locally, and often heads to farmers markets for the freshest produce.
Ms Dias says she’s ‘very strategic’ when she shops and always makes the best of half-price specials, trying always to shop seasonally.
‘If a recipe has an out-of-season ingredient, don’t disregard it completely, but see if you can modify it, omit it, or replace it with something else,’ she explained.
Ms Dias writes up her weekly menus on a whiteboard to stay organised for the week.
Some of her favourite cheap and easy family meals include pulled pork, roast vegetable and cous cous salad, and bacon and egg muffins.