Budget cuts of meat

Whoever wants to impress their guests really doesn’t have to empty their entire wallet for the most expensive cuts of côte de boeuf or foie gras. We have a few suggestions for you. 

Chicken thighs
We always have standard chicken thighs—with skin and bone—in the freezer. These are even cheaper than the filleted version.

This recipe with white wine sauce and bacon is a favorite weekday meal. With an Asian twist, thighs are also great: the sugar in the marinade makes the chicken extra crispy.

Pork shoulder
A favorite for slow cooking until it falls completely apart, as with sauce for lasagna or carnitas to fill tacos with. But you can also keep a pork shoulder beautifully intact and serve it as a roast, to carve at the table.

Short ribs
Short ribs are fortunately becoming increasingly popular, and therefore easier to find. If you cook them long enough, they become meltingly tender and fall off the bone just from looking at your plate. For example, braise them in cabernet or prepare them Korean-style.

Beef chuck
Ideal for stews such as rendang, boeuf bourguignon or chili con carne. The longer you leave it to cook, the more it falls apart.

Offal
It may not sound particularly appealing, but once you get past the idea, you can make wonderful things with offal. Chicken livers are incredibly cheap, and you can make the richest, creamiest parfait with them. Crispy fried sweetbreads also make us intensely happy.