Over the past twelve years we have cooked a lot of dinners with kids and a few of them stand out as favorites. These simple main courses are packed with flavor, simple to make and can be enjoyed by the whole family. Why not leave the cooking to the kids one night this week and let them experiment in the kitchen with one of these great meals?
STICKY CHICKEN
This dinner is so easy that I’ve even packed the few ingredients in my suitcase when I travel so we can have a home cooked meal. It’s great with a side dish of rice and an easy vegetable.
2 lbs. chicken legs and/or thighs 
(remove skin for a healthier alternative)
1 small bottle French dressing
1 small jar apricot jam
1 envelope dried onion soup mix
Preheat oven to 350ºF bake or convection roast.
Mix together dressing, jam and soup mix. Arrange chicken in an oblong Pyrex baking dish. Pour mixture over chicken pieces and ensure that chicken is evenly coated. If there’s time, let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Bake for 1 hour or until tender. If you use convection, the chicken will get a crispy appearance but it tastes just as good with simple baking.
SHRIMP SCAMPI
My sister gave me this recipe years ago and I’ve been using it since for an easy weeknight meal or even a fancy dinner party. You can marinate the mixture in a zip lock bag or right in the pan that you plan to roast it in later. I usually serve this over pasta with a nice crusty loaf of bread to soak up the sauce.
2 lbs. peeled raw shrimp
½ cup butter
½ cup olive oil
1 Tb. fresh lemon juice
¼ cup scallions
1 Tb. chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
fresh pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley
1lb. pasta
Melt butter in the microwave or on the stove over low heat. Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, scallions, garlic salt and pepper. Add shrimp and turn to coat. Marinate for one hour or more.
Spread shrimp in a single layer on a roasting pan. Preheat oven to 400˚. Roast for approximately 10 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve over pasta or rice.
*Can also be cooked in a large sauté pan over medium heat until cooked through.
SLOW COOKER TACO TUESDAY
It takes more time to buy the fixings than to make these easy taco dishes! Serve with flour tortillas or hard taco shells along with what ever taco toppings your family enjoys. We love shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados and limes.
Chicken Tacos:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning
16 oz jarred salsa
Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with seasoning and then top with salsa. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and serve with taco fixings.
Beef Tacos:
3-4 lb chuck roast
1 package (1 oz ) taco seasoning
16 oz jarred salsa
1 8 oz jar taco sauce.
Lay roast on a large piece of plastic wrap and sprinkle the taco mix on all sides. Wrap tightly in wrap and then foil. Refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably overnight. When ready to cook, place in crock pot and top with the salsa. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and shred with two forks. Discard all but 1/2 cup of the juice out of the crock pot and then return the meat to the pot. Toss with the taco sauce and heat through before serving.
We will be making lots of great recipes like these in our Summer Camps.
Visit our camp page to see our full schedule:
https://www.tasteandtechnique.com/category/kids-camps/
Do you have any kid friendly recipes you’d like to share? We’d love to learn about them!
Please send them through this page:
https://www.tasteandtechnique.com/contact-us/