I used to make an oven fried chicken that was quite good. You dipped the chicken pieces in buttermilk and then bisquik which had parmesan and rosemary mixed in. Put tinfoil on a cookie sheet (for easy cleanup). Butter the sheet generously. Put the chicken pieces on the cookie sheet and stick in a hot oven. Turn over half way through cooking.
Picky eaters like things simple. Too many recipes on here have too many ingredients.
Keep it super simple for best results IMO
A friend of mine makes potato salad the way my mom did (chunky but with light mayo and mustard, onions, celery, boiled egg whites), but she adds chopped up crispy bacon. It was really good!
OP here. For anyone interested in what I decided and how it came out:
London broil (made with a garlic/wine marinade, shhh!), potato slices roasted with EVOO and S&P, steamed green beans, a simple tossed salad (their dressing). For dessert, ice cream pie with cookie crust.
Everything got eaten, with gusto, and the pie was endlessly complimented. (It was literally a bag of chocolate cookies smashed up + a little melted butter, pressed into a pie pan; and two kinds of ice cream layered on top.)
Easy does it!
Thank you all for your suggestions–I’m saving them.
When you make the baked chicken above do you use any liquid in the pot/ baking dish?>>>>>>
Just a bit of water or chicken broth. But with big skin on, bone in breasts, they braise themselves and create liquid, you really don’t have to add any. It’s just my personal preference to put in a bit of liquid.
Back home they call it ‘hotdish’. Any of a number of casserole-type dishes with pasta or rice, some ground meat and cheese or cream soup to bind it together. The spices and variety can change based upon the eaters in question.
My kids love something they call meat and beans. Ground beef, green beans and cream of mushroom soup. Onions, spices, cheese are all optional. Sometimes they put in on mashed potatoes like a thick gravy. Other times on egg noodles. Often they just eat it as-is. Don’t like mushrooms? Use any cream soup. Can’t eat beef? Any ground meat will do.
An interesting way to roast a chicken.
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51763/bundt-pan-roast-chicken-recipe/
In my neck of the US, restaurants sprinkle feta cheese on any salad and call it a Greek salad. Don’t know why this is, as a real Greek salad is very simple and very tasty: roughly equal parts sliced cucumber & tomato wedges; a little green pepper & onion; maybe a little chopped lettuce; some Greek olives & crumbled feta cheese; olive oil & vinegar dressing. Can sprinkle on a little oregano or other similar spice if you want.
I would avoid anything that uses a can of “cream of preservatives” soup. I can’t imagine a gloopy casserole going over well with a self-described picky eater.