12 Recipes You Should Try This Month

"This recipe has become my favorite way to quickly make chicken breasts in the oven. There are only five steps, and the end result is flavorful, foolproof chicken that stays juicy even after reheating the leftovers. The key is brining the meat before baking — which might sound like an annoying extra step, but it's literally just putting chicken in a saltwater bowl for 15 minutes (aka: the time it takes for the oven to preheat), then rinsing it off. And that one step, I'm convinced, is what makes all the difference.

Also great: the simple DIY rub that you coat the chicken in. The paprika turns a deep orange-brown as it bakes, letting you avoid the tragedy of pale, sad-as-hell chicken. I'll make a batch of these on Sundays and then use 'em — in rice bowls, stuffed into pitas, or on salads — throughout the week." —Melissa Harrison

Recipe here.

"I found this recipe in a Whole30 roundup, and while I was not following the diet, this soup looked so tasty that I decided to make it. I've now made it three times in the span of four weeks and it's become one of my favorite meals. The soup is so flavorful, and the egg makes for a textured and filling broth — but it’s really the turkey meatballs that blew me away. I’ve never been a big fan of turkey, but mixed with cilantro, carrots, soy sauce, and ginger, it really comes to life.

This recipe is also healthy and Whole30 compliant (if you care about that). I usually make it on Sunday night and save the leftovers for a weekday lunch." —Marie Telling

Recipe here.

"I recently made these sweet potato brownies, which are incredible. I had doubts about them, because 'healthy versions' of food never taste as good as the real thing. And while these sweet potato creations aren't quite as decadent and delicious as your standard brownie, they come pretty damn close.

It's hard to believe that there's no flour or sugar added to these, because the texture comes pretty close as well. The best part is that I don't feel like I'm going to die from a sugar high and subsequent low after eating these. I made them with crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth, which really added to the chunky texture. Hot tip: Eat them right out of the fridge or freezer if you like 'em fudgy." —Jemima Skelley

Recipe here.

"One of my New Year's resolutions was to eat a bit healthier. But I snack a lot and have a very sweet tooth so finding satisfying yet healthy-ish snacks was a challenge. I found this recipe on Pinterest and have made it every week this month. It takes five minutes to make (plus a few hours of rest), and it's really good.

I did make a few changes to the original recipe in my second batch, though: I cut the chocolate chips, which didn't bring much to the recipe, IMO. I also didn't have any chia seeds so I just skipped that, and I put a bit less than 1/4 cup of maple syrup, instead of the 1/3 cup required in the recipe. Everything came out just as delicious, and still sweet enough for my taste." —Marie Telling

Recipe here.

"I'm a huge sucker for matzo ball soup in the winter, but not any matzo ball soup. When your dish consists of a clear broth and a few dumplings, the broth better be super flavorful and the matzo balls perfectly light and fluffy. This recipe by Smitten Kitchen checks all these boxes.

The broth is a labor of love and has to simmer for at least three hours, but it is so worth it. I usually add random veggies I have at home to the mix, always with a preference for onions, carrots, celery, and turnips (the latter isn't in the original recipe, but it adds a great flavor to the broth, IMO). The matzo balls are honestly perfect. Add to this a liberal amount of dill and you've got yourself the perfect winter soup!" —Marie Telling

Recipe here.

"I recently bought myself a rectangular pan just so I could try to make tamagoyaki, which is basically just an omelet that is rolled so the layers form one big fluffy log that you cut into pieces and eat. While a rectangular pan isn't necessary, it seemed like it would make the process easier for a beginner, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was, considering that it looks a little daunting in photos. I tried out both this more traditional recipe and this recipe from Tasty Japan. I also added tiny pieces of chopped bacon to my egg mixture for some added salt.

Overall, it might just be my new favorite way of eating eggs, because it's really filling even though it's still relatively healthy. It's also easy to customize to suit your dietary needs or preferences. You can get a rectangular tamago pan for $18 on Amazon." —Sabrina Majeed

Recipe here.

"This chili is everything I want in a good winter stew: The flavor was deep and warming, the spiciness level was easily adjustable, it cost just $22 for about 20 servings after the cost of the meat, and it had more vegetables in it than some chili recipes I've tried. It's also a recipe that's easy to adapt to your personal taste as you cook (I subbed poblano peppers for bell peppers, and doubled the jalapeño). The meat shines: It ended up tender and shredded with no effort on my part, even though I just randomly chunked it up before throwing it in the pot.

If I had to deduct any points, it would be for the time it takes to make. I spent about two hours prepping, chopping, and getting it to the point where it just needed to sit for an hour-plus — so about three hours from start to finish. But it was totally worth all the time I've saved in the subsequent two or three weeks.

Of course, the recipe made about 2,000 times more chili than this single girl can eat before getting sick of it (and before it went bad). So a few days in, I portioned it out into five plastic containers and popped them in the freezer, and the individual containers thaw completely in my fridge overnight. They make great desk lunches, especially paired with vending machine Fritos; and I love spooning it on top of hot dogs on lazy-dinner nights." —Natalie Brown

Recipe here.