Cook Yourself a Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner!
In this Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner series, I show you how to plan for and cook an elaborate meal for one, covering most budgets and skill levels.
Updated December 2022 with even more recipe ideas, along with Cranberry Roasted Chicken with Oranges.
I know what I’m doing New Year’s Eve
More years than not over the decade and a half, New Year’s Eve finds me at home, cooking up some kind of special dinner, just for me. I take advantage of the late night to try an elaborate recipe, and I’ll build a multicourse meal around it.
I set the table properly. I change my plates between courses. I might even have different wines to complement the various dishes. Mood lighting, and dinner music, but of course!
After cooking for hours, I’ll sit down and eat slowly, thoroughly enjoying myself, grateful for time to reflect on my year. I used to watch the fireworks display for Boston’s First Night, which I could see from my living room at my old apartment in East Somerville.
Except for the mountain of dishes, my solo New Year’s Eves are positively magical. And less painful the next day.
Strange times call for solo holidays
Holiday solo dinners may not be new to me new for me, but the solo holidays I’m having this year are. Thanks to Covid-19, I spent Thanksgiving alone for the first time ever (and for only the second time away from my parents’ house). I’ll be home for Christmas as well, meaning my home, also for the first time ever.
And I’m excited.
If my Thanksgiving is any indication, I’m here to tell you that you can create a wonderful holiday for yourself.
My solo Thanksgiving: From a plan of pizza and Netflix to cooking a six-course meal
My original plan for Thanksgiving did not involve an elaborate meal, but rather pizza and Netflix. With my first vacation since May, thanks to an ongoing project, and having just spent time caring for my parents after my dad had a routine procedure (quarantining before and after, of course), I had almost no energy left. Binging on junk food and teevee sounded positively perfect.
I’m not really sure what got into me, but Tuesday morning, I decided that I needed to have a pumpkin dessert, and that I felt like making it.
Then I thought about baking bread for a cheese course.
And then I started thinking about cranberries and about soup, and drooling over the idea of decadent mashed potatoes (the kind my mother never makes).
Before long, I had planned out an elaborate solo Thanksgiving dinner.
I wound up making a six-course feast! Here’s my menu:
- Roasted squash soup with sage and cream (find the recipe here!)
- Roasted chicken thighs with cranberry and orange and pomme purée (ecipe, below! Subscribe for the pomme purée recipe in the Wonder & Sundry Recipe Box)
- Maple Dijon roasted brussels sprouts and smoky roasted corn
- Greens dressed with walnut oil and fleur de sel
- Homemade fougasse (basic recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen) with chevre, fig jam and apples (I was going to make an individual apple crisp, but these apples were too good to cook)
- Pumpkin pots de crème, with maple whipped cream
Cooking a Solo Thanksgiving Dinner: A blast to prepare, and a peaceful meal to savor
I had a blast cooking, riffing off of recipes I know by heart (the soup and the bread), trying something new (the pumpkin pots de crème—my only note is to add more spices), winging it with the chicken (and dare I say, I winged it very well—delicious and lovely), and using techniques I’d used in other ways (the veggies).
On that Wednesday, I made the soup, the dessert, and the fougasse dough, meaning that all I really had to do on Thanksgiving proper was bake off the bread, make a main with a starch and veg, and dress some greens. I set the table, and put on a nice dress and played some Bach.
I said aloud the things I am thankful for before I began to eat, making a tradition for myself. And then I ate slowly, savoring each bite, grateful for the time, energy, and resources to have such a meal.
My solo Thanksgiving, like my solo New Year’s Eves, gave me just what I needed. Quiet. Peace. No family drama (I love my family, and we love drama). Delicious food.
Aside from the mountain of dishes, I had a perfect Thanksgiving.
Might I suggest cooking yourself a Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner?
Might I suggest cooking yourself Merry Little Solo Dinner for Christmas, if you celebrate the holiday? Leading up to Christmas, I’m going to post some tips for planning for and cooking an elaborate meal for one, as well as a recipe for my carrot and dill soup with lemon that I’ve served to acclaim for Christmas dinner in years past. You don’t need to be an expert cook a huge budget to cook a memorable solo dinner (that soup exploits cheap ingredients and the basic recipe was one of the first things I ever learned how to cook). I’ll have a little menu you can customize to add a touch of ceremony to your holiday.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, cooking multicourse meals for just yourself is a joy. I encourage you to give cooking for one a go, if you haven’t tried it already.
Are you in? Do you cook like this for yourself already? Let me know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out the other posts in the Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner series!
Recipes!
Cranberry Roasted Chicken with Oranges
Equipment
- cast iron frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 chicken leg quarters can substitute 4 chicken thighs
For the Marinade
- ½ large orange, juiced
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig flat-leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic, smashed should be on the smaller side. Use half if a large clove
- kosher salt
To Cook
- 1 tbsp neutral oil just enough to coat the skillet
- 2 shallots, quartered if large, as they often can be in the US, use 1 or 1 and 1/2. If they are large, then cut into six pieces
- ½ orange, sliced, plus a couple more slices for presentation
- 2 cups cranberries
- 2 tbsp Bourbon or rye I used rye, because that's what I had
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar you can start with less if you want to and adjust after the dish has cooked
- 3 sprigs thyme
- kosher salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Generously salt the chicken
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl or a ziploc bag and then add the chicken. Mix to coat thoroughly. Cover, if using a bowl
- Refrigerate for at least 2 but preferably 4 hours or longer, mixing a few times to make sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Transfer the chicken to a safe surface, patting it dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade.
Cook the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 425° and ensure that you have the a rack in the middle of the oven
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and swirl it around to make sure that it's coating. Add the chicken, skin side down to the cold pan. Then, turn the heat up to medium high.
- Leave the chicken undisturbed as it browns, though move the pan around to ensure even browning. Check after about five minutes. Be careful; the chicken will splatter. Once the skin is nice and browned, remove the chicken from the pan to a plate (skin side up)
- Add the shallots to the pan and stir and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for a couple of minutes until they get some color on them and start to soften. If they're getting a lot of color, turn down the heat a bit more
- Add the orange slices from the half an orange, reserving some for presentation. Give everything a good stir and cook for a minute or so, stirring gently so as not to break up the oranges too too much (some will break up, and that's totally fine)
- Add the cranberries and stir. They might pop some. Cook for a minute or so and then add the Bourbon or rye. Stir and reduce (this is quick)
- Reduce heat to low and add the brown sugar. Mix thoroughly and then add the thyme. Cook for another two minutes or so, until the cranberries start to soften. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat
- Add the chicken on top, skin side up. Add three or four orange slices and tuck them around the chicken
- Roast until the chicken reaches 165 degrees, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven
- Take a cranberry, and, when it is cool enough, taste it. If you're satisfied with the sweetness (remembering that it's going to be tart, and it will complement the rest of the dish. You just don't want to be shocked), then just let the chicken rest in the skillet for about ten minutes and serve it from there (pretty, isn't it?). This is what should happen, but we're all different
- If it's too puckery, fret not. Remove the chicken and the presentation orange slices to a plate (you may wish to cover with foil to keep it warm). Then, turn the heat on medium and add a little more brown sugar (think a heaping teaspoon) and mix. Taste again and repeat if necessary (it shouldn't be)
- Plate chicken with some of the sauce and a presentation slice of orange
Video
Even more recipes for your Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner! (click on an image to access the post)
Drinks
Appetizers, soups, and salads
L’Apéro: Marinated Olives Make For a Happier Hour
Lemony Carrot Soup with Dill: My Original Back-Pocket Recipe
Make Olive Tapenade for Your Next Apéro
Retro Recipe: The Best Artichoke Spinach Dip
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup: Celebrate Autumn
Salad with Goat Cheese, Almonds, and Cherry Vinaigrette
Shallot Cranberry Confit and Cheese: Celebrate Autumn
Shop for Your Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner, And a Recipe
Smoked Trout Rillettes
Winter Citrus Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Side dishes
Main Courses
Cheese course and desserts
Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner Series
Cook Yourself a Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner
Plan Yourself a Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner
Shop for Your Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner, And a Recipe
Cook (and Eat!) Your Merry Little Solo Christmas Dinner!
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Meg
Cannot wait for the details on your carrot and dill soup!
Sara Scott
It’s easy AND delicious!