Every Wednesday this month, we’re sharing a brand-new recipe from a guest recipe developer I know and love.
If you don’t know Caroline already, she’s the author behind the wildly popular newsletter What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and the bestselling cookbook by the same title. As a mom to four boys, Caroline knows just how important it is to minimize time spent in the kitchen... and her brand-new book, WTC: Make It Fast—officially out now!!!—does just that.
I’m also lucky enough to call her a friend; Caro is truly one of the kindest, most supportive people I’ve come across in this industry. She’s always lifting up others, sharing her knowledge, and even helped me when I was first launching this newsletter back in 2024.
Caroline’s recipes are developed with busy people in mind. There are tons of swaps, shortcuts, and riffs to make it work for you, no matter what kind of day you’re having or what you have in the pantry. Kate Eats Goood is also a huge fan of the WTC team's midweek So Into That newsletters—they’re like chatting with a friend!
Here’s a little about what we’re cooking from Caroline: I live in a small town with zero available Chinese food delivery—a far cry from growing up with the great Mr. Lu’s on speed dial for those nights when my working parents needed to, literally, phone it in on dinner. But when the orange chicken craving strikes, it strikes hard! Here’s what I make when that moment hits me and I need dinner to be ready with nearly the same level of ease as takeout. Brussels sprouts weren’t part of our Mr. Lu’s order, but here they roast to crispy perfection and soak up the punchy orange sauce perfectly.
Btw… I’m sitting here eating leftovers of this recipe while I type up this newsletter. I made it for dinner Monday night and it was incredible!!! I know you will all love it.
Keep reading for my Q&A with Caroline and her recipe Sticky Orange Chicky and Brussels from straight from the book✨
A sheet-pan gnocchi meal!! Jenn shared one with my followers while I was on maternity leave, and they loved it. I’ve shared several versions too. The basics are this: a pack of gnocchi, lots of veg, maybe some sausage. Add olive oil and seasonings, then roast at 400°F for 25 mins. Add cheese. Roast for a few more minutes, until melty. So good.
Jenn: Immediately yes!!! I love the ease of sheet pan gnocchi situation! The Greek-style recipe I shared on WTC is a regular occurrence in my kitchen even a year later... it’s actually in this week’s meal plan!
VIBES. I think I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve written an actual grocery list. Note: I do not encourage this. I wish I was a list person, but it’s just not who I am!!!
Jenn: My color-coded grocery lists and I are terrified by this, but also admire the freedom!
I am gaga for my fish spatula. I tell everyone about fish spatulas! They are the best tool ever. Long and skinny, perfect for getting underneath pancakes, roasted veggies, anything!
My mom is an incredible cook and absolutely hates going to the grocery store. She would work all day, and then she wanted to hang out with her family after work. Like me, she was not a meal planner and didn't think ahead. She would get home from work and need to throw together something with what she already had in the pantry and in the freezer. She always created the most beautiful meals, and we've always said that she could create something out of nothing. I think she really taught me from a young age how to look at a seemingly empty pantry and make something delicious out of it.
When I wrote my first book, What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking, I organized the recipes into chapters by time: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour. What I noticed after watching people cook out of the book for a year is that they all were pulled towards the 15- and 30-minute recipes. That's what they were cooking over and over and over again. Those are the recipes they were memorizing, sharing with their friends, taking pictures of, and bringing on vacations. I get it. I am also in that phase of life. I want the easiest recipe possible, so I wrote an entire book of recipes that take under 30 minutes. This book is for really busy people who still want to eat really good food.
I would be writing romance novels. I have so many half-plots drafted in my iPhone notes! Someday…
Jenn: Omg… I can’t WAIT for that day!!
This too shall pass. Don’t give up. Keep offering them the vegetables, the things they say they hate. Don’t stop putting them on their plates! One day they will just start eating them again.
Ina, Ottolenghi, Annabel Monoghan, my best friend Lily, my mom, Sarah J Maas, and Nancy Meyers.
serves 4 | cook time: 25 minutes
gluten-free friendly, dairy-free, nut-free
INGREDIENTS
Neutral oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup fresh orange juice
1 to 2 tablespoons sambal oelek (or other chili sauce)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos for GF)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 scallions
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Drizzle a little bit of oil on a baking sheet. Trim any white fat off the chicken thighs and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half, or in quarters if they’re large. Combine the chicken and Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, cornstarch, and salt to coat. Spread the chicken and Brussels out into an even layer and roast for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sprouts are dark brown and crispy, opening the oven to carefully stir once or twice.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the sambal oelek, the soy sauce, vinegar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is thickened and reduced to about ⅓ cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on it—if you reduce it too far, it will burn! Taste and add the remaining tablespoon of sambal if you want it spicier.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the scallions.
Drizzle the sauce all over the roasted chicken and Brussels and toss to coat. Divide among plates and top with the scallions and some sesame seeds before serving.
STORE IT: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
REHEAT IT: From refrigerated, microwave until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. From frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then microwave in 30-second increments until warm.
love this recipe? get Make it Fast!
Recipe reprinted with permission from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make it Fast by Caroline Chambers © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photography by Erin Scott.
Learn: The only semi-difficult part of this entire recipe is trimming the fat off of the chicken. I like to use kitchen shears to do this really quickly and easily. It isn’t 100 percent mandatory, but it will save you from any weird bites of chicken.
Shortcut: You don’t need to trim Brussels sprouts! Only trim them if they’re looking super brown. It’ll save you a lot of time to skip this step! Once roasted, the ends will get nice and soft and tender.
Bulk it up: Serve it over white rice, brown rice, or quinoa!
Swap: In place of or in addition to the Brussels, try zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower. (You can omit the chicken and double the veg for an excellent veggie dish!)
Swap: Sriracha or gochujang are great swaps for sambal oelek, and red pepper flakes will also work—use ½ teaspoon to start. Or omit the hot sauce completely for a more traditional sweet orange chicken vibe!
Riff: Go Italian-ish instead by tossing the chicken and Brussels with a full 1½ teaspoons salt, a few shakes each of garlic powder and Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon honey. Roast the same way, then grate fresh Parm over the top
✨ Thank you, Caroline, for sharing this recipe with us and a glimpse behind the scenes of Make it Fast. Get more recipes from Caroline from What to Cook on Substack and on Instagram ✨
To enter, let us know, are you team vibes or team grocery list? What’s your grocery shopping hot take?
*GIVEAWAY CLOSED. U.S. residents only, 18+ only. Winners will be contacted via Substack by August 19, 2026. Giveaway runs through Monday August 17, 2026.
See you Friday with a brand-new dinner plan!
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