We made 3 of Chrissy Teigen's recipes, and had the best homemade pizza we've ever tasted

Teigen has written two cookbooks, "Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat" and "Cravings: Hungry for More."

She also frequently posts videos of herself cooking to her social-media accounts, which have millions of followers.

The site is filled with recipes for easy weeknight meals and an inside look at her life with John Legend and their two kids. 

We settled on Herb Butter Chicken and Potatoes, Cast Iron Pizza, and Bocadillo (Sandwiches), figuring they would be easy to make.

We were able to get the ingredients — with a few small substitutions — for all three meals for $53.65. 

We shopped for ingredients at Trader Joe's when we tried these recipes in November 2019, but you could've gone to any grocery store.

You might already have flour, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil in your kitchen, but you might not have Manchego cheese — which, at just over $7, was the most expensive item we bought.

The recipe calls for four bone-in chicken thighs, softened butter, minced garlic, kosher salt, dried parsley, lemon, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil, and red potatoes.

You can see the full breakdown of ingredients on Teigen's website.

Sam had never minced garlic before, but she got the hang of it after a quick tutorial from Ian.

The garlic is part of the herb-butter rub.

Our butter was fresh out of the fridge, but popping it in the microwave for 10 seconds softened it without melting it, as Teigen suggests.

The recipe only calls for salt and pepper as seasoning. We were a bit suspicious about the lack of other spices, and concerned that it might lack flavor.

The potatoes should be "not too thin," according to Teigen. Ours turned out fairly similar to the photos on her website, though we didn't have a mandolin slicer like this one that Teigen suggests using.

The recipe calls for a cast-iron skillet, which we thought could be challenging for amateur chefs. 

Teigen suggests placing them in a circular pattern.

The chicken and potatoes are supposed to cook for an hour at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.  

We basted the chicken and potatoes, spooning hot oil from the sides of the pan over the food, once while the dish cooked in the oven.

Though the chicken was flavorful, we thought it could have used a little more kick. The potatoes were our favorite part of the dish because they were soaked in butter and garlic.

It would have been simpler and faster if we had a mandolin slicer and bought pre-minced garlic, but it was still pretty easy.

The recipe calls for store-bought pizza dough, flour, a can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, salt, a ball of mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil.

You can check out the full recipe on Teigen's website.

The dough has to be kneaded to remove air bubbles, and a floured surface prevents it from sticking as you work with it.

We then placed the dough aside for about 40 minutes to let it rise. Meanwhile, we placed our cast-iron on the top rack of the oven, which was set to broil on high; the skillet has to be hot for the pizza to cook correctly.

The crushing was messy, but it was slightly therapeutic after a long day of work. We aimed to get rid of any large chunks of tomato during the process without making the sauce feel too smooth.

If you're like us and don't have a rolling pin in your kitchen, we found using a bottle of wine an easy and effective substitute. Just make sure the cork or cap is tightly secured, and rub a thin layer of flour around the bottle to ensure it doesn't stick to the dough.

And when you're rolling the dough, make sure you don't roll over the edge of the pizza, since this will cause the crust to be too thin.

Final step: Pour yourself a glass of wine. You earned it.

We put the dough, a splash of olive oil, the sauce, and hand-ripped pieces of mozzarella onto the pan. We used more mozzerella than Teigen's recipe called for, because we're both big fans of cheese.

Then we quickly popped the dish back into the oven, where it was meant to cook for eight to nine minutes.

We found this part of the process slightly stressful, as we had to work fast. Make sure to have all of the ingredients nearby when trying this at home.

Oven temperatures differ, so it's best practice to keep a close eye on the pizza while it cooks. Remove it from the oven when the cheese bubbles and the crust starts to blacken.

We added fresh basil for flavor after we removed the pizza from the oven.

Ian thought this recipe turned out exactly like advertised: easy and delicious. He was also blown away by how simple the recipe was. 

Despite the speed required, we found the actual steps involved aren't that complicated. And Sam thought the taste was totally worth any momentary cooking stress.

The recipe calls for two Roma tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, two fresh baguettes, a garlic clove, prosciutto, and thinly sliced Manchego cheese.

You can see the full recipe breakdown on Teigen's website.

The tomatoes act as a base for the sauce that goes on the sandwich.

We pulsed the blender until the tomatoes were nearly smooth. Make sure to have your blender's lid on tight.

We also chopped the ends of the baguettes in order to fit them onto our baking sheet and for a more aesthetically pleasing sandwich.

We brushed olive oil onto both sides of the bread, and placed it in the oven for five minutes to toast.

Our slices were thick and rough, but it did the job.

Teigen didn't have a step-by-step visual guide for the sandwich on her site, so we had to use our best estimates.

We cut the garlic clove in half, exposing the juices, before we rubbed the bread.

We placed the cheese and prosciutto on one side, and spooned the tomato sauce on the other.

We bought larger baguettes, when the recipe calls for individual-sized. 

But we weren't upset by the large portions when we tasted the sandwiches.

In terms of ease, the Bocadillo was by far the best recipe. 

Sam thought the tomato sauce cut the sharp flavor of the prosciutto and cheese, creating one of the best sandwiches she'd ever had. It was comforting and filling.

The Cast-Iron Pizza was Ian's favorite, and Sam liked it as well. While it wasn't the easiest recipe of the three, it's fairly straightforward if you're comfortable with using a cast-iron skillet, and looks impressive and professional — especially on a weeknight.

Ian also thought this dish would be perfect for an affordable date-night-in. 

Next time, we might add some more spices to the chicken before cooking, like crushed red pepper or cayenne.

But she did call for a few pieces of kitchen equipment that the average home chef might not have at their disposal, so make sure to read the recipe in full before you try it.

Overall, we'd recommend giving recipes from Cravings by Chrissy Teigen a try.

Read more:

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