there is no season that inspires me more to get in the kitchen and cook a cozy sunday night meal for the family! i have googled “cozy dinner recipes to make in autumn” or “cozy dinners to make in winter” or some variation of that countless times, so i decided a little list of cozy recipes to inspire your cozy cold weather dinners was in order (and as a place i can come back and reference when i’m also in need of inspiration!)

you’ll notice this list has a lot of chicken on it, because – chicken is cozy. duh.
you may also notice a plethora of alison roman recipes, because also duh!

and ps – i made an autumn spotify playlist and a cooking playlist that are perfect music to cook to if i do say so myself!

sausage & butternut squash pasta

this pasta could not be cozier! i’ll forever put fried sage leaves on top of almost every pasta i eat when it’s chilly out.

recipe here

dilly bean stew with cabbage and frizzled onions

one of our go-to’s, it’s easy enough to make on weeknights and the leftovers are just as tasty.
we just love this soup so much, we even refer to autumn as dilly bean stew season!

recipe here

roast chicken

obviously there are a million ways to roast a chicken, i am a sucker forever for one with some roasted carrots, onions and stuffing.

but ever since i made this anchovy butter chicken, i can’t see a scenario where i could make a more delicious chicken using a different recipe! my anchovy hating relatives were literally fighting over the carcass (don’t tell anyone about the anchovy if they’re squeamish! they won’t know!)

anchovy-butter chicken with chicken fat croutons

steamed mussels with white wine

a big vat of mussels with some crusty bread (or fries!)?! what’s cozier than that?! i used to make mussels all the time pre-kids because they’re shockingly easy to make but feels so fancy and festive.

recipe here

chicken pot pie

i mean what is cozier than a warm chicken pot pie!? i am obsessed with (you guessed it) alison romans version where she uses storebought puff pastry – it’s sooo good. i always make pot pie with a rotisserie chicken to save myself the time.

recipe here

chicken with buttered onion rice

so this specific recipe was delicious but i found it a little time consuming, so i’ve started doing it with pre-chopped onions instead to save time. i loooove this rice! it’s like grown up rice-a-roni!

recipe here

turkey chili

i never really make chili often even though i love it (arlo has an aversion to beans!) bu6t this recipe has INCREDIBLE reviews!

recipe here

winter squash soup

i have been making this soup for years – it’s SO easy and always delicious (totally easy enough for a weeknight, especially if you use pre-prepared butternut squash). i love it with crème fraîche, some fried sage leaves and homemade crusty croutons.

recipe here

bolognese

while i loooove a good meaty bolognese, i’ve actually yet to find MY perfect bolognese recipe (i’ve tried a few but still searching for the one). people love this one but if you have one you absolutely love i’d love to know about it.

recipe here

thai meatball soup

this recipe has been on my list forever, hoping i’ll finally try this winter, it looks amazing and is so highly reviewed.

recipe here

shalloty tarragon chicken thighs

another one that’s easy enough to make on a weeknight, it’s so delicious and french and my whole family loves it so much.

recipe here

one pot chicken with caramelized lemons and dates

the first time i ever made this, my husband actually freaked out about how good it was. i love to make it with way extra dates and extra shallots.

recipe here

tangy brisket with fennel and herbs

OOOOOMG. this. brisket. recipe. we couldn’t deal with how good it was. it is absolutely going to be our go-to brisket for every jewish holiday from here on out. it’s incredible! and of course it’s by the one and only alison roman.

recipe here

leek galette

i’ve never met a leek galette i didn’t love, this one looks amaaaazing, trying immediately. (i’ve also made this one a couple times but it’s paywalled now!)

recipe here

i will continue to add to this list, but i hope this inspires your cozy dinners 🙂

this is one of my favorite weekday chicken dishes to make – and both kids even love it! i’ve been making it for years now and what i love about this recipe is how it seems like a fancy french dinner, but it’s actually very few steps and very few ingredients and totally easy enough to do while you sip some wine and make your sides.

while we love chicken thighs, but you could obviously make this with any chicken cut of your choice!

i also said 5 shallots, but honestly the shallots are my favorite part and i could always eat more of them. try this recipe and you’ll see it’s very low key and adaptable!

shalloty tarragon chicken thighs

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Ingredients  

• 4-6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup butter
• 5 shallots, peeled
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tb dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp fresh tarrgon, chopped
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions 

1. season your chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper while you heat a large skillet over medium heat
2. melt your butter and then brown chicken thighs on both sides until a meat thermometer reads 160℉
3. remove the chicken thighs from heat and rest on a plate, while you add the peeled shallots to the pan. cook for about 10 minutes until they're softened and carmelized.
4. deglaze the pan with your wine and add the fresh herbs along with the dijon.
5. whisk together and if you need to thin out the sauce a little, use starchy water (if you're making a starch on the side) or if you don't have any and need to thin it out – you can mix a little water and flour or cornstarch.
6. add the chicken thighs back to the pan and cook on low heat for another 5-10 minutes.

this is such a cozy fall or winter dinner, i hope you love it as much as we do!