Spring Meal Plan #13
Four dinners, a make-ahead breakfast, and one chicken that works twice — we've planned your week.
This week we’ve got four dinners, one strategic shortcut, and breakfast you can make on Sunday and coast on all week. We're kicking things off with chicken thighs that do double duty later in the week as the easiest sheet pan nachos you'll ever make, and the planning that makes that possible is exactly what makes weeknight cooking feel sustainable instead of exhausting. In between you've got a weeknight egg roll bowl that scratches that takeout itch without the price tag, and ricotta meatballs that have become a reader favorite for good reason. As always, we've linked everything so you can get in and out of the kitchen without spending your whole evening there. Let’s get cooking!
DINNER #1: Chicken Thighs with Avocado Salsa | Total time: 35 minutes | Serves: 4-6
If you’re looking for a high protein, easy to make dinner, this is it. These flavor packed chicken thighs go in the oven or the air fryer and you whip up an avocado salsa while those cook. There’s an optional green sauce if you’re into that, but you could easily just serve it with the salsa. You’ll have dinner on the table 30 minutes and everyone will like this one. We suggest that you make extra chicken and your dinner later in the week is over halfway done!
Notes:
Quantities: The recipe calls for 2 lbs of chicken thighs. That is usually enough to serve 4-6 people, but if you want more for the nachos, just add an extra pound of chicken and increase your seasoning by half!
Cook Time: The recipe creator bakes the chicken in the oven for 30ish minutes, which we definitely recommend if you are making a large batch (like for nachos later in the week). If you are doing fewer, the air fryer is also great! We airfry at 375 for about 12 minutes.
Swap: You can make pickled shallots like the recipe recommends, but store bought or homemade pickled onions are great. You can also easily leave them off.
Serve with: You can serve this as is or we like to serve it with black beans as well!
Sauce: The recipe includes a green sauce that is delicious, but feel free to use any kind of store bought sauce you prefer. Or leave it off. We think the salsa provides plenty of flavor and moisture!
