December is already overwhelming. Here's how to simplify dinner.
What December Actually Needs
December is already a lot.
Holiday parties. End-of-year work deadlines. Gift shopping. Family logistics. Travel planning. The mental load is real.
And then there’s dinner. Every single night. Still needs to happen.
Here’s what I’m not going to tell you: “Make elaborate holiday-themed meals!” “Try these 47 festive recipes!” “Create magic in the kitchen!”
Here’s what I am going to tell you: Make chicken thighs on Sunday. Use them five different ways this week. Keep dinner stupidly simple.
That’s it. That’s the plan.
What December Actually Needs
December doesn’t need complicated.
It needs comfort food that comes together in 15 minutes when you’re exhausted.
It needs warming dinners that don’t require thinking.
It needs one protein batch that becomes five completely different meals.
This week’s plan: Batch-roasted chicken thighs + five ways to transform them into warming, simple dinners that taste like restaurant favorites.
No holiday chaos. No festive pressure. Just practical food that tastes good.
Why This Week is Different
I spent time researching what people are actually searching for in December—not what food bloggers think you should make, but what real home cooks are looking for when they’re tired and overwhelmed.
Here’s what kept showing up:
“Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup recipe” (massive searches)
“Marry me chicken pasta” (trending on TikTok)
“PF Chang’s lettuce wraps copycat” (consistent interest)
“Easy Chipotle bowls at home”
“White chicken chili like Chipotle’s”
So that’s what I built this week around—restaurant favorites you can make at home in 10-20 minutes using one batch of chicken.
Not original recipes you’ve never heard of. Proven crowd-pleasers that people actively search for and want to make.
This Week’s Meals
Sunday Prep (40 minutes, mostly hands-off):
Batch-roast 2 lbs chicken thighs with simple seasonings
Monday - Creamy Tuscan Chicken Orzo (15 minutes):
The “marry me chicken” pasta that’s all over TikTok. One pot. Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, cream, Parmesan. Restaurant-quality.
Tuesday - White Chicken Chili (15 minutes):
Tastes like Chipotle’s seasonal chili. Creamy without cream (the secret: mashed white beans). Warming and hearty.
Wednesday - Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls (20 minutes):
Charred peppers and onions over rice with all your favorite toppings. One pan. Zero cleanup drama.
Thursday - Chicken Gnocchi Soup (15 minutes):
The Olive Garden copycat everyone searches for. Pillowy gnocchi, creamy broth, exactly like the restaurant.
Friday - Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (10 minutes):
PF Chang’s style. Light, fresh, crunchy after a week of heavier dishes. Let everyone build their own wraps.
[Download this week’s complete meal plan PDF →]
Inside:
Full recipes with step-by-step instructions
Chef’s notes explaining the “why” behind each technique
Complete grocery list (organized by store section)
Storage and reheating guide for every meal
Substitution suggestions (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, lower-carb)
What Makes This Different from Other Meal Plans
1. Search-Informed Recipes
These aren’t random combinations I made up. They’re recipes people actively search for and want to make. That means they’re proven crowd-pleasers, not experiments.
2. Restaurant Copycat Focus
Three out of five are inspired by restaurant favorites. Why? Because people search “restaurant name + recipe” constantly. They already know they like these dishes. Now they can make them at home.
3. Real Cost Breakdown
The Olive Garden soup costs $12 per bowl at the restaurant. At home? About $2.50 per serving. The Tuscan orzo pasta? $22 at a restaurant, $4 at home. Same quality. Different price.
4. Practical Chef’s Notes
Every recipe includes chef’s notes that explain not just “what” to do, but “why.” Why we mash the beans. Why high heat matters. Why butter lettuce works better than romaine. This is how you actually learn to cook, not just follow recipes.
5. Flavor Progression
The week starts rich and creamy (Tuscan orzo), moves through hearty comfort (chili, fajitas, gnocchi soup), and ends light and fresh (lettuce wraps). That’s intentional—it matches how your energy and appetite shift through the week.
The Real Value of Restaurant Copycat Recipes
Here’s why I focused on restaurant favorites this week:
People already trust them.
You’ve had Olive Garden’s gnocchi soup. You know it’s good. Making it at home isn’t a gamble.
They’re crowd-pleasers.
Restaurant dishes become popular for a reason—they’re tested on thousands of people. When Chipotle’s white chili or PF Chang’s lettuce wraps become cult favorites, it’s because the flavor profiles work.
You save serious money.
PF Chang’s lettuce wraps: $14 appetizer. At home: $8 for the entire meal feeding 3-4 people. Olive Garden soup: $12 per bowl. At home: $2.50 per serving.
You learn techniques, not just recipes.
Making copycat recipes teaches you how restaurants build flavor. Once you know how Olive Garden makes their soup creamy (it’s the gnocchi starch), you can apply that technique to other soups.
They eliminate decision fatigue.
When you’re staring at your fridge at 6pm wondering “what sounds good?”, it’s way easier to think “I want that Olive Garden soup” than to create something from scratch.
Quick Question (Please Reply)
What’s your biggest dinner stress in December?
Is it:
Finding time to grocery shop?
Deciding what to make every night?
Dealing with picky eaters during chaotic times?
Just having the energy to cook at all?
Something else entirely?
Hit reply and tell me. Seriously. It takes 10 seconds and helps me create better meal plans for you.
I read every single response, and your answers directly inform what I create next week.
(Last week several people mentioned they were vegetarian and needed plant-based options—so I’m working on a vegetarian December week for later this month. This is how it works. You tell me what you need, I create it.)
Why Chicken Thighs?
You might be wondering why I chose chicken thighs instead of breasts for this week’s batch.
In restaurant kitchens, we use thighs way more than breasts. Here’s why:
1. They’re forgiving.
Breasts dry out if you overcook them by 2 minutes. Thighs stay juicy even if you’re distracted (which you will be in December). They have more fat and connective tissue, which means they’re harder to ruin.
2. They’re affordable.
Usually $2-3/lb less than breasts. Same protein content, better texture, lower cost. That’s a no-brainer for batch cooking.
3. They’re versatile.
Thighs work in any cuisine. Italian pasta? Yes. Mexican chili? Yes. Asian stir-fry? Yes. They adapt to whatever flavor profile you need because their flavor is richer and less neutral than breasts.
4. They batch beautifully.
Roast them all at once on a sheet pan. 30 minutes in the oven. Then you’re done for the week. No babysitting, no flipping, no multiple batches.
This is why professional kitchens rely on thighs. They’re the workhorse protein.
The Sunday Prep Strategy
One thing I want to clarify about the Sunday prep:
You’re not spending Sunday meal prepping.
You’re spending 10 minutes of active time (seasoning and arranging chicken on a pan), then 30 minutes while the oven does the work (during which you’re doing literally anything else).
Total hands-on time: 10 minutes.
Most people are already cooking Sunday dinner. This just means adding one sheet pan to an oven that’s already on.
It’s not a “meal prep session.” It’s 10 minutes of intentional Sunday cooking that eliminates 5 weeknight decisions.
That’s the distinction.
What Readers Are Saying
From last week’s Thanksgiving plan:
“Made the white bean soup Thursday while everything else cooked. Used it all week just like you said. This actually worked.” — Sarah
“I’m a professional chef too and this is exactly how I cook at home. Why doesn’t everyone teach batch cooking this way?” — Mike
“Finally, meal prep that doesn’t feel like eating the same thing five days straight. Thank you.” — Jessica
“The turkey fried rice was genius. Used all my leftovers and it tasted completely different from Thursday’s dinner.” — Amanda
This is what I’m going for—practical systems that actually work in real life, not aspirational meal prep content that sits in your fridge uneaten.
What’s Coming
Looking ahead at December:
Week 2 (Dec 12): I’m considering a plant-based/vegetarian week since several people requested it. Thinking lentils or chickpeas as the batch protein. Thoughts?
Week 3 (Dec 19): Simplified week for the actual holiday chaos—only 3 meals since most people have holiday dinners planned Wed-Fri.
Week 4 (Dec 26): No newsletter (you deserve a break, so do I). Back Jan 2 with a fresh start plan.
If you have requests or preferences, reply to this email and tell me. I genuinely read every response and your input shapes what I create.
One More Thing About This Week’s Plan
Here’s what makes this week sustainable:
Every meal is 10-20 minutes of assembly.
Your protein is already cooked. You’re just building around it.
Every meal uses simple, grocery-store ingredients.
No specialty shops. No weird pastes you’ll use once. Just normal ingredients in regular stores.
Every meal reheats well (except the lettuce wraps, which you assemble fresh).
Make extra Monday soup. Eat it Wednesday. Still good.
Every meal has built-in flexibility.
Don’t have orzo? Use any small pasta. Don’t have gnocchi? Use tortellini. The recipes work even when you substitute.
The flavor profiles are distinct.
Italian Monday, Mexican Tuesday, Tex-Mex Wednesday, Italian-American Thursday, Asian Friday. Same chicken, completely different experiences.
This is what “systems over perfection” actually means. It’s not rigid. It’s adaptable. It works even when life is chaotic.
Download and Get Started
[Download this week’s complete meal plan PDF →]
Do the Sunday prep. Make the meals. See how it feels to not decide what’s for dinner every single night.
Then reply and tell me how it went. What worked. What didn’t. What you’d want to see next week.
This isn’t a one-way broadcast. It’s a conversation. And I genuinely want to hear from you.
See you next Thursday with a new plan.
— CulinaryBrief
P.S. Really—hit reply and tell me your biggest December dinner stress. Even if it’s just one sentence. It helps me create better content for you, and I promise I read every single response.
P.P.S. If you’re new here: Welcome. Every Thursday I send one meal plan—chef-designed recipes you can actually make at home. No fluff, no diet culture, just practical cooking systems for real life. Glad you’re here.