The Only Recipe You Need: A Beginner's Guide to Foolproof Healthy Cooking
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. All content in this post is simply for informational purposes and based off personal experience. For more information check out my terms and conditions.
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Healthy Cooking: two Pans, Endless Possibilities
For anyone who's new to cooking, wants a reliable healthy meal in their back pocket, or simply needs a recipe they can trust to meet all their needs —this one's for you! This recipe does it all. It’s easy, delicious, versatile and healthy —whaaaaattttt? It’s almost too good to believe!
This was the meal that got me through my first year of marriage when I had no idea how to cook and was basically learning everything from scratch. It’s a recipe I still use proudly every week to this day. All you need is a baking sheet and a baking dish to make this meal of wonders.
As I mentioned earlier I had no idea how to cook up until 2 years ago. I was really confused and frustrated when I was starting to learn. I simply didn’t have the intuition for cooking, so I ended up making a lot of mistakes that could’ve been avoided with more detailed instructions. So if there is someone out there who is starting out just like I did, I am going to explain as detailed as possible so you can enjoy a delicious and healthy meal –the first try. Everyone has to start somewhere, so if you're feeling frustrated or overwhelmed give yourself some grace. I promise, you’ll get there. :*)
Below I have the recipe and underneath the recipe are some helpful tips for better results and ideas to spice up the dish. Feel free to keep reading if that’s something you are interested in!
The Only Recipe You Need
We are making a simple yet delicious, chicken and veggie bake. Now what's great about this recipe is you can use any vegetables, seasonings, or sauces that you love for your dish! But for the sake of this post, I'll be listing the exact ingredients I use down below to make my Teriyaki Sauce version.
Additional Tips and Ideas
I always use chicken tenderloins for this recipe because they are roughly the same size, meaning that they will cook through evenly.
I have tried this recipe with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs with little success. These types of cuts didn't cook evenly and became too much of a hassle. So to keep it easy and stress free, I just stick with the chicken tenderloins.
If chicken breast is all you have on hand I would encourage you to cut them down to be similar in thickness and size. You can look up chicken tenderloins as a guide for sizing.
I always check to make sure the chicken is completely cooked by cutting a piece open to see if there is any raw pink and/or by checking the temperature. For chicken, you want the temperature to be 165 degrees or higher.
As a note, every oven is different so you may need a little more or less time than 25 mins for all your chicken to be cooked through.
After the chicken is baked, I like to dice up the chicken in the baking dish and mix it with the sauce. We like a lot of flavor in my house, so I love having each individual piece be covered.
Like I mentioned at the bottom of the recipe, I like pairing this meal with a side of rice, dinner rolls, pasta or whatever sounds good with that unique dish.
I actually use this recipe a lot to make shredded taco chicken. Instead of sauce, I use chicken broth mixed with a taco seasoning packet, chopped onion, and minced garlic.
The chicken broth amount depends on the baking dish size and how much chicken you use. So I just pour enough broth to cover the bottom of the tray and about a little over a third of the way high on the chicken, once they’re placed in the dish.
Think of it like logs floating in the water, that’s what we are shooting for. It’s ok if you accidentally put too much, it won’t hurt and you can dump the extra out later after cooking!
I love this meal because it's so versatile! Need chicken for tacos? Use chicken broth with your favorite taco seasoning instead of sauce! Feeling BBQ? Dump your favorite BBQ sauce and warm up some tater tots to pair! The possibilities and combinations are truly endless! Feel free to make this recipe yours and experiment with it. This is a great dish for beginners or for those who want a simple, delicious, healthy meal they can trust.
With love and joy,
Natalie