5 Recipes to Try

There are numerous benefits when it comes to cooking, such as making delicious, cheap, and healthy meals from the comfort of your home. But the journey to finding the right and easiest recipes for you can be tricky – especially if you don’t know where to begin searching.

Here are some easy recipes to try:

1. Buffalo chicken enchiladas
2. Barbecued Chinese chicken lettuce wraps
3. Pesto chicken bake
4. Stuffed bell peppers
5. Chicken alfredo

Cooking can be difficult, but it is doable. Let’s break down the ingredients and instructions for each dish to help you make a fantastic meal.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

This delicious dish is about 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, plus more for serving
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 16 corn tortillas
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Mix the chicken, cream cheese, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup of the hot sauce, white parts of the scallions, and cumin in a large bowl until well combined. Stir together the butter, remaining 2/3 cup hot sauce, and 3 tablespoons water in a medium bowl.
3. Microwave the tortillas in batches until warm, softened, and foldable, about 30 seconds. Keep warm between damp paper towels.
4. Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and roll them up. Place them side by side, seam-side down, in the prepared pan. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the tortillas. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and the blue cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.
5. Drizzle the blue cheese dressing over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the scallion greens. Serve with more hot sauce.

Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This dish is 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (4 handfuls) fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 1/3 to 1 ½ pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders
• 2 tablespoons light-colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil
• Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional
• 1 orange, zested
• ½ red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available in the Asian foods aisle of the market
• ½ large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, headquartered
• Wedges of navel orange — platter garnish

Instructions:

1. Remove the tough stems from the mushrooms and brush with a damp towel to clean and slice the mushrooms.
2. Chop chicken into small pieces
3. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
4. Add oil to the hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir-frying for a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts, and scallions. Cook another minute while continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to the serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce alongside. Add wedged oranges to the platter to garnish.
5. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings, and squeeze an orange wedge over.

Pesto Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 6 oz. jar of basil pesto
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 3-6 slices of mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Season chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Optional step: While the oven is preheating, you can heat some olive oil or butter in a skillet. Once hot, add the chicken breast and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until caramelized. The chicken should still be raw in the center.
3. Arrange chicken breasts (seared or raw) onto a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
4. Use a spoon to cover the chicken with pesto.
5. Top each chicken breast with 1 slice of mozzarella cheese and 2 tomato slices.
6. Bake for 20- 30 minutes (time will vary depending on thickness of chicken and whether it has been seared), or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Broil the chicken for the final 2 minutes so that the cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This dish is 9 servings.

Ingredients:

• 3 bell peppers
• 1-pound lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup of salsa
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Remove seeds, core, and membrane from bell peppers, then slice each one into 6 vertical pieces where they dip down. Set sliced bell peppers aside.
2. Cook ground turkey over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until the turkey loses its pink color and is cooked through. Drain off any fat.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Combine cooked turkey with spices and salsa. Evenly distribute mixture into the bell pepper boats, top with cheese.
5. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are hot. Optional ingredients: sliced Jalapeno peppers, diced avocado, fat-free Greek yogurt or sour cream, or sliced green onions.
6. Note: If you prefer much softer bell peppers, add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom of a large casserole dish, add filled nachos, cover tightly with foil, and bake 15 minutes.

Chicken Alfredo

This delicious dish is for 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces uncooked fettuccine
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
• ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash ground black pepper
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Minced fresh parsley, optional

Instructions:

1. Cook the fettuccine in seasoned pasta water according to the directions for al dente. When it’s finished, drain but don’t rinse it. Do not remove the starch coating the outside of the noodles because then the sauce will stick to the pasta. If the pasta finishes before the sauce, you can toss it with a little bit of olive oil or butter to keep the noodles from sticking together.
2. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant, which is about 1 minute. Then, slowly add the heavy cream, constantly whisking as you pour until all the cream is incorporated. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to thicken.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Add a handful of the Parmesan and Romano cheese at a time, whisking to incorporate the first handful before adding the next. When all the cheese is added, return the pan to the stovetop. Simmer the sauce gently over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Season the sauce with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Add the drained fettuccine to the pan and toss it with the sauce. Portion the pasta into individual bowls and top them with the remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley, if using.

If you want to make this dish thicker, try adding extra cheese or an ounce of cream cheese.

What if I Follow These Steps and the Food Doesn’t Turn Out Right?

Cooking can be stressful and challenging, especially if you don’t like to cook, but following instructions can make it easier. However, if you see that you are following the instructions and still aren’t successful, there are other options. For example, there are websites that you can go to that will send you the food, and all you need to do is put it in the oven. This helps as well if you get stressed out going to the grocery store. Remember that practice makes perfect, and sometimes it isn’t going to turn outright, but that is okay. Just keep trying because you’ll start to find out what works for you and what doesn’t work for you.

Sources: Food Network, Food Network, Simply Sissom, Simply Sissom, Taste of Home