12 Easy & Delicious Back-to-School Dinner Recipes for Busy Parents
As a teacher of 23 years and mother I know back-to-school season is no joke. Between getting everybody back on a schedule, signing approximately one zillion papers, figuring out drop-off and pick-up, helping with homework, running to practices, and trying to remember what day everybody needs to wear a certain color shirt, dinner can feel like one more daggum thing on an already impossible list.
Trust me, I know because I lived it! I worked for the Palm Beach County School District as a teacher and reading specialist while raising my two boys. My kids had homework, baseball, basketball, football, and every other activity under the sun—and I still had an entire classroom of children to worry about too! By the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was stand over the stove preparing, sautéing, basting, and dirtying every pot and pan in my kitchen.
But you also can’t live at the drive-through every night, so these are the kinds of meals I leaned on during those busy years. They are easy, comforting, family-friendly dinners that use shortcuts like rotisserie chicken, quick-prep casseroles, and the good old crockpot. Some take just a few minutes to assemble before the oven does the rest, while others cook all day so dinner is ready when you finally walk through the door.
I divided these 12 easy back-to-school dinner recipes into three sections: quick meals made with rotisserie chicken, 15-minute-prep dinners where the oven does all the work, and easy crockpot recipes you can set and forget! Pick a few for the week, make your grocery list, and take dinner off your back-to-school worry list!
More Easy Recipe Roundups!!
This roundup pulls together my 12 Easy and Delicious Back-to-School Dinner Recipes—the quick casseroles, rotisserie chicken dinners, and crockpot meals I would have leaned on while working full-time and raising my boys. These are some of the best recipes for those busy weeknights when everybody needs to eat, but nobody has time for a complicated dinner. If you enjoy recipe collections like this, I also have more roundups you’ll love:
• Top 10 Delicious Easy Appetizers
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
Rotisserie chicken might be one of the greatest grocery-store inventions of all time. Somebody else already cooked and seasoned the chicken—all you have to do is shred it and turn it into dinner. The tool you don’t NEED, but will make your life ridiculously easy, is inexpensive, can go directly in the dishwasher, and threads up rotisserie chicken or any chicken in under 2 minutes. Trust me you need this chicken shredder! These four recipes are perfect for nights when you need something easy, cheesy, comforting, and on the table fast.
1. Easy French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole
This Easy French Onion Chicken and Rice Casserole is quite possibly one of the best casseroles I have ever made—and I have made a LOT of casseroles. Shredded rotisserie chicken and cooked rice are mixed into a creamy French onion filling, covered with mozzarella and provolone, and finished with a buttery crispy fried onion topping. The little splashes of Worcestershire sauce bring the entire thing to life, so whatever you do, do not skip them!
You like noodles instead of rice? Then, make sure you try this Easy French Onion Chicken Casserole OR let the slow cooker handle dinner with my Crockpot French Onion Chicken!
2. TikTok Viral Queso Swim Chicken and Rice
I saw a version of this TikTok Viral Queso Swim Chicken and Rice while scrolling TikTok late at night, and naturally, I had to figure out how I would make it. This one-dish dinner starts with uncooked Mexican rice, rotisserie chicken, salsa, enchilada sauce, cheese, and broth. Once the rice is tender, the entire top gets smothered in creamy white queso—and yes, you absolutely should serve it with tortilla chips for scooping.
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For another cheesy chicken and rice dinner, try my Easy Creamy Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole. And if your family loves these Tex-Mex flavors, my Texas Rice Casserole is another easy dinner to add to your list.
3. Easy Chicken and Dumplings
This Easy Chicken and Dumplings is the kind of recipe that tastes like you stood in the kitchen making everything from scratch, but we are using rotisserie chicken and Pillsbury biscuits to make life easier. It has tender chicken, carrots, celery, onions, a thick creamy broth, and the fluffiest little dumplings. It is cozy enough for Sunday dinner but easy enough to make on a Tuesday night after homework and practice.
For more warm and comforting dinners, check out my Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup or my Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. They are both perfect once the weather starts cooling down and everybody wants something that feels like a hug in a bowl.
4. Creamy Crack Chicken Enchiladas
These Creamy Crack Chicken Enchiladas are creamy, cheesy, loaded with crispy bacon, and ridiculously easy thanks to rotisserie chicken. The filling has cream cheese, ranch seasoning, green chiles, bacon, and plenty of cheese, all rolled into tortillas and baked until bubbly. This is one of those dinners where everybody suddenly appears in the kitchen asking when it is going to be ready.
If enchiladas are always a hit at your house, you also need to try my Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas and Salsa Verde Enchiladas. You can also take those same creamy ranch-and-bacon flavors and make my Crockpot Crack Chicken.
15-Minute Prep Recipes: The Oven Does All the Work!
These are the recipes I call assemble, cover, and walk away. You might have to brown a little ground beef or mix a few ingredients together, but after about 15 minutes, your work is done and the oven takes over. These are exactly the kinds of meals I wanted when my boys were little because I could get dinner started, help with homework, and come back when the timer went off.
5. Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice
My original Stick of Butter Rice was one of the first recipes I ever posted, and after it went completely viral, I knew I needed to turn it into a full dinner. Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice has uncooked rice, mushrooms, French onion soup, beef consommé, Pecorino Romano, chicken thighs, and—of course—a full stick of butter. You put everything into the baking dish, cover it tightly, and the oven turns it into the creamiest, almost risotto-style chicken and rice.
OR try my Italian Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice and Tuscan Chicken and Rice Bake when you want the same easy method with a completely different flavor.
6. Stick of Butter Beef and Rice
Stick of Butter Beef and Rice takes the same easy method everybody loved and turns it into the ultimate beefy comfort-food casserole. Ground beef, uncooked rice, mushrooms, French onion soup, beef consommé, Pecorino Romano, and melted butter bake together into one rich and savory dinner. You only have to brown the beef first; after that, the oven does all the heavy lifting.
This recipe is part of the whole Stick of Butter family, so make sure you link over to my Original Stick of Butter Chicken and Rice! They both use that same simple method, but each one gives you a completely different dinner.
7. Knorr Broccoli Rice and Chicken Bake
This Knorr Broccoli Rice and Chicken Bake is one of the recipes I actually made all the time when I was working for the school district and raising my boys. Knorr Broccoli Cheddar Rice, frozen broccoli, shredded rotisserie chicken, cheese, broth, and a few flavor boosters all go straight into the baking dish. It takes about five minutes to put together, nobody has to dirty a skillet, and even my picky eaters loved it.
For more easy chicken and rice casseroles, try my Heavenly Chicken and Rice Casserole or my Cheez-y Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole. Both are creamy, comforting, and exactly what busy families need during the week.
8. Texas Trash Chicken
Texas Trash Chicken has all the creamy, cheesy flavors of Texas Trash Dip, but I turned it into an entire dinner. Chicken breasts bake over enchilada sauce and refried beans, then get covered with a cream cheese, green chile, taco-seasoning, and Colby Jack mixture. Serve it over rice and spoon all that cheesy sauce from the baking dish right over the top.
Naturally, you also need to try the recipe that started the whole thing—my Texas Trash Dip. For another easy dinner with similar flavors and check out my Easy Creamy Baked Salsa Chicken!
Easy Crockpot Recipes
When you know the afternoon is going to be complete chaos, the crockpot is your best friend. Get dinner started in the morning, go to work, handle school pick-up, run everybody to practice, and come home to a meal that is already cooked. These are hearty, comforting dinners that taste like you worked all day—even though the crockpot did most of it.
9. Crockpot Creamy Beef and Noodles
This Crockpot Creamy Beef and Noodles is the slow-cooker version of my viral stovetop Creamy Beef and Noodles. Instead of ground beef, chuck roast cooks all day in the richest savory gravy until it becomes fall-apart tender. When you get home, all you have to do is boil some wide egg noodles, stir them into that creamy beef and gravy, and dinner is done.
For another easy noodle dinner, try my Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Noodles. Beef lovers should also check out my Creamy Steakhouse Beef and Noodles or Crockpot Steak and Gravy.
10. Easy Crockpot Chicken and Gravy
This Easy Crockpot Chicken and Gravy is one of the easiest and most affordable crockpot dinners you can make. Chicken breasts, condensed soup, gravy packets, water, and a few seasonings cook together until the chicken is tender and surrounded by the creamiest gravy. Shred the chicken right in the crockpot and spoon it over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
And listen to me: chicken and gravy practically require mashed potatoes. Depending on what you are in the mood for, serve it with my Grandma’s Mashed Potatoes, No-Peel Perfect Mashed Potatoes, or my Easy Weeknight Mashed Red Potatoes.
11. Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
This Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken is a family-friendly dinner made with juicy boneless, skinless chicken thighs and pantry ingredients you probably already have. Honey, garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and seasonings cook down into the sweetest, savoriest, stickiest sauce. Make some rice, add a vegetable, and you have a better-than-takeout dinner without spending your entire evening in the kitchen.
For a slightly different version, try my Crockpot Honey Red Chicken! You can also make my One-Pot Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice when you want those same sweet and savory flavors baked into one complete meal!
12. Crockpot Italian Garlic Butter Beef and Potatoes
This Crockpot Italian Garlic Butter Beef and Potatoes is a true dump-and-go dinner made with tender beef stew meat, buttery baby potatoes, garlic, Italian dressing seasoning, onion soup mix, and a full stick of butter. Everything cooks together until the beef is tender, the potatoes are soft, and the sauce is rich, savory, and loaded with garlic-butter flavor. No browning and no searing required.
For more hearty slow-cooker beef dinners, try my Crockpot Steak and Gravy, Crockpot Italian Beef, or Classic Crockpot Pot Roast. They are all perfect for days when you want to come home to a cozy dinner that is already waiting for you.
My Favorite Tools for Easy Back-to-School Dinners
A few dependable kitchen tools can make these easy weeknight dinners even easier. These are the ones I reach for most when making crockpot meals, casseroles, and rotisserie chicken recipes.
Large Crockpot: A 6-quart crockpot gives you plenty of room for chicken, beef, potatoes, sauces, and family-sized meals.
Chicken Shredder: Perfect for quickly shredding rotisserie chicken or tender crockpot chicken without using two forks.
9×13-Inch Baking Dish: A deep glass or ceramic baking dish is essential for casseroles, chicken bakes, and rice dishes.
Large Mixing Bowls: Great for combining shredded chicken, cheese, sauces, and seasonings without making a mess.
Box Grater (Cheese Grater): Freshly shredded cheese melts much better than the bagged kind and makes every casserole extra creamy.
Back-to-School Pantry Staples
Keeping a few dependable ingredients in the pantry and refrigerator makes busy weeknight dinners so much easier.
Rotisserie Chicken: The ultimate shortcut for casseroles, soups, enchiladas, and quick chicken dinners.
Butter: Adds richness and flavor to casseroles, rice dishes, crockpot meals, and buttery toppings.
Chicken Broth or Stock: Perfect for cooking rice, building sauces, and adding extra flavor to soups and slow-cooker meals.
Better Than Bouillon: A quick way to add deep chicken or beef flavor without making homemade stock.
Worcestershire Sauce: Just a few shakes add savory flavor to chicken, beef, gravy, and French onion recipes.
Garlic: Keep fresh garlic, jarred minced garlic, or garlic powder on hand for easy flavor.
Onion Soup Mix: A simple shortcut that adds tons of flavor to casseroles, gravy, rice dishes, and crockpot meals.
Seasoning Packets: Ranch, taco, Italian dressing, and gravy packets add big flavor with very little prep.
Freshly Shredded Cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, Colby Jack, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano are staples for easy comfort food.
Rice: Keep uncooked and microwaveable rice on hand for casseroles, sides, and quick meals.
Condensed Soups: Cream of chicken, golden mushroom, and French onion soups create quick, creamy sauces and gravies.
Make Back-to-School Dinners Easier
Back-to-school season is always going to be busy, but dinner does not have to be the hardest part of your day. Keep a rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator, choose a couple of easy casseroles for the week, and let your crockpot earn its space on the counter.
These are the kinds of recipes that helped me feed my family while working full-time, raising two boys, helping with homework, and driving all over creation for sports practices. Pick four or five recipes from this list, make yourself a grocery list, and give yourself one less thing to worry about this week. Dinner is handled!
MAKE IT!
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Chicken | Dinner | Italian | Mediterranean | Recipes
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