Looking for quick and delicious dinners that come together in just 30 minutes? In this video, Nicole is sharing five easy recipes that are perfect for busy weeknights! From crispy, cheesy chicken patties to flavor-packed one-pot beef ramen, these meals are simple, satisfying, and sure to become family favorites.
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00:00There are not enough hours in the day
00:01to do life and cook dinner.
00:03I've got you covered, I've got five new recipes
00:05and all I need from you is 30 minutes.
00:07This first one is so good,
00:09you might wanna double or triple the recipe
00:10because you can eat off of them all week.
00:12They are crispy, cheesy chicken patties
00:15and I'm gonna serve it up with a salad.
00:18If your kids love chicken nuggets
00:20but you're tired of feeding them chicken nuggets,
00:22this is the dish for you.
00:23So I'm gonna start with boneless, skinless chicken breast.
00:25You want about a pound and a half
00:26and you're gonna chop them up,
00:27kinda dice them up small.
00:29Only gonna be about three chicken breasts.
00:31This is a great way to kinda stretch out
00:32your chicken breasts too.
00:34It will feed your whole family.
00:35You're just gonna add this to a bowl.
00:37I'm going in with a couple eggs.
00:38I'm also gonna grate in some cheese and onion.
00:42And you just need a few tablespoons.
00:43If you grate it then you won't get big old chunks in there.
00:45I'm also going in with some fresh parsley.
00:47This is something I just always keep on hand.
00:50It's just a really cheap and easy way
00:52to add a fresh, kinda earthy flavor.
00:54A little ranch packet.
00:55I'm gonna use half in here
00:57and half for a dipping sauce.
00:59So excited to make this at work
01:01because now my dinner's cooked for tonight.
01:04So I'm just gonna stir that together.
01:07I'm gonna add in a little mayonnaise.
01:08Now I'm just gonna season it up
01:09with a little salt and pepper.
01:11And then I'm gonna stir in a little flour.
01:13You wanna stir in just enough flour
01:15till it comes together.
01:16It's just gonna help keep these patties together.
01:18Okay, so that's it.
01:19We're just gonna form these into patties
01:20and drop them in a skillet.
01:21Spoon about a quarter cup of the mixture into the skillet.
01:26See that?
01:27Crispy, cheesy chicken patties.
01:29Each batch cooks in like less than five minutes
01:33because the chicken is cut so small,
01:35the patties are thin.
01:36It doesn't take that long
01:37to cook this chicken all the way through.
01:38Then you can just transfer them to a wire rack
01:41and keep them warm in the oven
01:42while you cook the rest.
01:44I'm just gonna keep these warm in the oven
01:45while I mix up the salad
01:46and then we're ready for dinner.
01:48Salad.
01:48My kids love salad.
01:50They call it a ranch salad or a Caesar salad.
01:52I'll add in some cucumber.
01:54I'm gonna add in some tomato too.
01:58Wish I had a stop clock.
02:00Dinner's ready.
02:01Couple chicken patties.
02:03We're gonna serve these with a little dipping sauce.
02:05The rest of that ranch packet
02:07with a little mayonnaise.
02:09Then you're gonna mix that together
02:10with a little lemon juice
02:12and a pinch of cayenne.
02:14A little sauce on the side.
02:16My kids will want that.
02:17This one is so good.
02:18Your family will inhale it.
02:21Maybe one of the most flavorful ways
02:23to cook a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
02:25Perfect dinner.
02:27Number two.
02:28Taco Tuesday with a whole new look.
02:30How about taco stuffed potatoes?
02:32Just grab your potatoes.
02:37Scrub them up.
02:38Just gonna pierce them a couple times.
02:42In the microwave.
02:43All right, then we're gonna get our filling going.
02:45I like onion in my taco meat.
02:47You're basically making that delicious dip that we love.
02:50The Rotel dip.
02:51Usually has sausage in it.
02:52I'm just doing ground beef.
02:53Now I should cook it all up in a skillet.
02:54Get my onion going for a couple minutes.
02:57You just need about a pound of ground meat.
03:01And then you're gonna go in with some taco seasoning.
03:05Homemade or store-bought is just fine.
03:08Once that's all together,
03:09in with your can of Rotel.
03:12Okay, then in with the processed cheese.
03:15Sometimes everybody needs a little shortcut.
03:19Add it and then it'll slowly melt
03:22as you stir it all together.
03:23And this is gonna be the perfect topping for our potatoes.
03:25Hot potato, hot potato.
03:27Okay, look, everything's ready.
03:29Taco meat should always be made with Rotel.
03:32Okay, now we're about to make the most potato
03:36you've ever had.
03:37When I do dinners like this,
03:38I just love to make it like a buffet
03:40and then the kids can come in when they're ready,
03:42make their own taco.
03:43We're always in different schedules.
03:46So, you know, nobody's really eating at the same time.
03:49I don't really need butter since I have all this cheese.
03:52Really don't even need salt, I don't think.
03:55Just to really give it the full taco experience,
03:57you need a little crunch,
03:58especially with Rotel loaded.
04:00Baked potatoes in under 30 minutes.
04:03Oh my God.
04:06Mm, I'd like to be left alone with this.
04:08100%, this is the next thing you need to make
04:10on your next Taco Tuesday
04:12or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
04:15I'm breaking out the air fryer for this next one.
04:16This is an old favorite, air fried bang bang salmon.
04:22This can really be probably a 15 minute meal
04:24because it is that fast.
04:26Starts with a simple bang bang sauce.
04:28It's just three ingredients.
04:30Mayonnaise and then sweet chili sauce.
04:32This adds a lot of flavor.
04:34You can use in marinades or dressings or other sauces.
04:36Super cheap at the Asian market.
04:39It's a good thing to kind of keep on hand.
04:41And then you're gonna add some sriracha.
04:42So the creaminess and the sweetness from that
04:45is gonna balance this out.
04:48Perfect.
04:49The sauce is gonna add enough flavor to the salmon.
04:51You can season it with a little salt to taste if you want.
04:54But I'm just gonna spread about a tablespoon
04:55onto each filet and then just pop it in the air fryer.
04:59Lightly grease your air fryer
05:01where you can put a little piece of parchment
05:02down on the bottom.
05:03The air fryer is the perfect way to cook this fish.
05:06You're gonna get a little crust on the outside,
05:08which is so good.
05:09I probably should have started my rice first
05:11because it's gonna take longer to cook than that salmon.
05:13The salmon's only gonna take about eight minutes.
05:16Okay, so I start by sauteing my rice in the butter.
05:19This will really keep it fluffy while it cooks.
05:21Two parts water to one part rice.
05:24You could use chicken stock here just for extra flavor.
05:27Definitely wanna salt it.
05:28That's it.
05:29Bring it to a boil, cover it,
05:31and let it simmer till it's done.
05:32Salmon's going, rice is going.
05:34All that's left is my other side dish,
05:35which are gonna be green beans.
05:37I'm gonna steam them in the microwave
05:38and then hit them real quick in the skillet.
05:41That's all it takes.
05:44See how good these look?
05:45The sauce kind of caramelizes in the heat.
05:47If your air fryer goes above 400, crank it up.
05:49425, 450 will be even better.
05:52These took about 10 minutes.
05:53They're kind of thick,
05:54so if your salmon filets are a little flatter,
05:56it'll take closer to eight.
05:58Just plain butter rice is good for this
06:00because we have all that sauce
06:02and then a little green onion.
06:04It's perfection.
06:05This is a beautiful restaurant quality dinner
06:08that doesn't look like it came together in 30 minutes.
06:14Mm.
06:15The green onion is essential.
06:17Just kind of ties it all together.
06:19It's sweet, it's salsy.
06:20The salmon is cooked perfectly.
06:22It's so tender and moist.
06:25It's the perfect dinner.
06:27You're gonna wanna make this one too.
06:28This next one is so easy.
06:29I'm gonna get my sides actually going first.
06:32So I'm doing garlic butter chicken bites
06:34with smashed potatoes and roasted broccoli in half an hour.
06:37So I'm gonna start with my potatoes.
06:39Just gonna get these going in water
06:41and then bring it to a boil
06:42and let them cook while I do everything else.
06:44For my veg, I'm gonna do broccoli.
06:46My daughter just loves broccoli prepared this way
06:48versus boiling it.
06:50You see, you wanna get your oven going to 425 or 450.
06:54I'm gonna drizzle on olive oil
06:57and then salt, pepper, garlic powder,
06:59and a little Parmesan.
07:01I'm gonna toss this together
07:01and then I'll sprinkle on the parm.
07:03Now this goes into the oven.
07:04It's only gonna take about 15 minutes,
07:06so just judge your timing
07:07based on everything else that's going on.
07:09You just need boneless, skinless chicken breast.
07:11I'm going with about a pound and a half.
07:12And then to a shallow dish,
07:13you're gonna add in a little bit of flour.
07:15We're not generously coating them,
07:17just giving them a really light coating of flavor
07:20so that it gets crispy.
07:22Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces.
07:24Probably do this in a plastic bag
07:28now that I'm thinking about it.
07:30Just wanna really light coating like that.
07:33So get your skillet hot.
07:36While the skillet heats up,
07:37I'm going to cube up some butter.
07:38You wanna use cold butter
07:39whenever you're making a butter sauce.
07:41You'll whisk it in at the end
07:43and it'll stay creamy
07:44instead of getting all oily and separated.
07:47Then you wanna place your chicken in in a single layer.
07:51And then don't touch it.
07:56They're almost pork tender.
07:57I'm gonna go a little bit more
07:58so that way they're really soft
07:59so I can smash them easily.
08:03And the broccoli's looking good.
08:05Time to flip them over.
08:08Ooh, look at that color.
08:15See these little crunchy ones?
08:19I'm gonna transfer these to a plate
08:23and then you're gonna wipe your skillet a little bit.
08:26Just adding a little more olive oil
08:27to help get the garlic going
08:29and I'm going in about six cloves of garlic
08:32and more if you wish.
08:34Now I'm gonna add in some white wine.
08:37Right now this just reduces until it's almost evaporated
08:41and I'm gonna go ahead and drain my potatoes.
08:44Drain them and then add them back to the pot.
08:46Just gonna set the pot right back over the stove
08:48just to let any other moisture evaporate out
08:50and I'll go ahead and add in the butter
08:52and let it be melting while we finish the sauce.
08:55Liquid is almost gone.
08:57Now it's time to whisk in the butter.
08:59You wanna make sure your heat is not too high
09:01and then go in with a few pieces at a time.
09:03Sauce is good and creamy, so garlicky and buttery.
09:08Then in goes the chicken.
09:09You're gonna toss it to coat.
09:13Okay, these are done.
09:14I'm just keeping them on warm.
09:16Butter's melted in here.
09:18I'm doing this with the baby gold potatoes
09:20because the skin is so thin.
09:22It's okay, it's not like overwhelming
09:24in mashed potatoes with the skin on, with these.
09:28Smash and add a little milk, a little sour cream
09:35and then season it up with salt and pepper.
09:42Dinner's ready.
09:43I just feel like I ran a marathon in 30 minutes.
09:45Garlicky, buttery goodness.
09:48Tender, flavorful, juicy chicken breast.
09:51Creamy smashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.
09:54This is, again, a perfect dinner.
09:57Mm, it's just so simple yet so easy.
10:02Kind of just a new way to serve up your chicken breast.
10:05Roasted broccoli, don't steam it.
10:06You know, just adding flavor to the basics
10:09by just incorporating new ways to cook them.
10:11Another winner.
10:12We're about to take it all home.
10:14That final trick uses our favorite packs of ramen
10:19to make a one-pot beef ramen dish.
10:22And the only thing you really have to chop up, a bell pepper.
10:30I love meals like this because they have extra veggie
10:33and it just kind of stretches out the meat.
10:36Satisfying and so easy.
10:37This one really only takes like 20 minutes to cook
10:40so this is a perfect weeknight dinner.
10:43I'm using the lean ground beef
10:45but you could use ground chicken,
10:46ground pork or ground turkey.
10:50Well, let's cook.
10:51Shut up.
10:53Going in to a nonstick skillet with my ground sirloin.
10:58You know when we do one-pot cooking,
11:00it's all about building the layers of flavor.
11:02So the first layer has been created with the beef.
11:05You can see it's kind of caramelized
11:06around the pan a little bit.
11:07That's going to be released in a little while.
11:10So now I'm gonna go in with garlic,
11:12bell pepper and our cabbage.
11:14This cooks down a ton so it looks like a lot
11:18but it's really not.
11:20Five is a lot.
11:22You know it's easy when you're just making
11:23a 30 minute meal every night
11:25but I'm making five dinners in one day.
11:28Breathe.
11:30Once everything has softened
11:31and that cabbage has started to turn translucent,
11:34you're ready to go in with your liquids.
11:37These are gonna deglaze the pan
11:38and then they're gonna provide a flavorful broth
11:40to cook our noodles in.
11:42See, what do we say?
11:43Color equals flavor.
11:45We're gonna bring this to a boil
11:46and then we're gonna use our ramen.
11:48We're not using the little seasoning packets
11:49that are inside though.
11:51And you want to kind of nestle the ramen into the broth.
11:53You want to make sure it's fully submerged in there.
11:55Then I'm gonna cover it and cook it undisturbed
11:58for about five to six minutes.
12:00Six minutes.
12:02Voila.
12:04That looks delicious.
12:07All right, now we're just gonna gently steam the carrots
12:09in their residual heat and then cover it
12:11and take it off the heat.
12:14Perfect.
12:16We got ramen at home in less time
12:18than it takes to get takeout.
12:21Sprinkle of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
12:25How does it taste?
12:26Well, let me tell you.
12:29Mm.
12:30The soy sauce gives you the saltiness.
12:32That hoisin sauce adds so much flavor.
12:34I did use a salted chicken stock, so that helps.
12:37Another one that every single person will love.
12:40And you can tweak it.
12:41You can add in other vegetables, use a different meat.
12:44Either way, you need to keep this one in your rotation.
12:47There you have it, five 30-minute meals.
12:50It's a new recipe, Monday through Friday.
12:52You're gonna love these.
12:53Try them all and let me know what you think.
12:59I'm just so glad I have all of my family's dinners
13:01for the week.