You need more easy chicken recipes in your life, right? Of course you do. These weeknight recipes prove that it doesn’t take a lot to make a totally delicious chicken dinner. Whether juicy thighs speak to your soul or you prefer lean breasts, each one of these easy recipes comes together with no more than five ingredients (you get oil or butter and salt and pepper as freebies).
(Image credit: Joe Lingeman/The Kitchn)
Among the recipes that friends and family ask about most frequently, including how to make a proper pot of rice or how to cook perfect chicken breast every time, how to make a decent pot of oatmeal is always up there on the list. It seems that every home cook is chasing that elusive ideal pot of oatmeal: thick but not mushy, and fluffy but not chewy. Making good oatmeal can happen without much brain power (even while you’re still waiting for the coffee to brew) — this recipe will show you just how to do it.
(Image credit: Faith Durand)
While I wish I could say I am a master meal planner like some of my colleagues, that would be so far from the truth. The reality is I get lazy on weekends and roll into the week without a clear plan. There is, however, one thing I always try to squeeze in on Sundays: I roast a baking sheet or two full of vegetables. It sets me up for healthy eating, regardless of how prepared or not I am for the week ahead, and takes up hardly any of my precious leisurely weekend time.
My younger brother just bought a slow cooker and texted me late one night asking for advice on classic slow cooker recipes he should know. Of course I sent him a few links to favorite recipes, but it got me thinking about the basic but brilliant things that a slow cooker can churn out for everyday eats. Here are the 12 slow cooker classics that every home cook should know by heart.
(Image credit: Ambitious Kitchen)
Forget Raymond — Everybody Loves Pancakes should have been the name of the show. After all, have you ever met anyone who doesn’t love pancakes? I mean, what kind of monster wouldn’t love a warm, fluffy stack of hot cakes with maple syrup and a pat of butter melting in tantalizing rivers down the tower?
When my family’s apartment flooded, we — my husband, 10-month-old daughter, geriatric rabbit, and I — decamped to my parents’ house. As we waited for insurance companies to settle the bill, we divvied up dinner duty: My mom and I took turns during the week and on weekends, my husband would cook, or my dad would get takeout.
In some ways, it was easier. I cooked less frequently, if for more people, and that meant sometimes I could enjoy feeding little bub instead of trying to make dinner at the same time. Even still, it’s awkward cooking in someone else’s kitchen!
As a work-from-home mom, I’d already developed some strategies to get dinner on the table, and they came in very handy as we all learned to get along. Here’s how we made it work.
The official first day of fall is just around the corner, and temperatures are starting to drop around here, finally giving me permission to cook the cozy cold-weather fare I’ve been craving since August. This week’s meal plan is all about welcoming fall with some of our favorite foods. They’re always easy to make and devoured by adults and kids alike.
Your kitchen cabinets can get pretty dirty over time due to the usual kitchen stuff: clouds of grease floating through the air from your stovetop, grubby fingers pulling open the doors, drips of coffee, and more. Fortunately they don’t get as dirty as, say, your countertops. But every once in a while, you probably look up and think Wow, these things are filthy!
I run a tight ship when it comes to my refrigerator. I can’t stand a messy fridge, so I spend a lot of time trying to prevent that. I find myself frequently pulling leftovers that have gotten pushed to the back of the fridge to the front so they won’t get forgotten about, and lining up various condiments. Beyond this, there is one tool I lean on daily to keep my fridge in the shape I like it: zip-top bags.
I used to be one of those people. I didn’t just make homemade chicken stock — I roasted chicken bones until fragrant, then gave them a long, slow bath. I didn’t toss stuff in a slow cooker — I sautéed and seared first, in the sincere belief it made a difference.
And then I had a baby.
