Top 10 Main Dishes of 2012

Quick chicken dishes and comforting stews got top billing in your kitchens this year, along with lightened-up versions of favorite restaurant dishes. Read on to see what readers were clicking and cooking in 2012.

“This is by far the world's best mac and cheese,” declares reviewer Ashley Elizabeth. “I added bread crumbs … and it was amazing." 

Commenter Pattyr1114 says, “I had a busy day yesterday so I thought I'd try this recipe. When I walked back into my house after a long day out all I can say is wow! The smell was amazing."

Commenter Mamma44 says, “I made these this week and I did not use the sage leaves; I used a little ground sage instead and the kids loved them! They are getting bored with the standard meals and I thought it was time to shake some things up! This is a keeper.”

“This recipe turned me into a rockstar in my household,” exclaims commenter Instyle33. “It feeds a lot of people especially when you double it as I did for the holidays ... it has become a monthly staple in my house." 

Commenter KathyG44 declares: “This truly is the world's best chicken. I put an orange in because we were out of lemons, and the results were spectacular. My husband, the poultry cooking expert of the family, even said this version was better than any we've had!”

 “I prepared this recipe tonight because I wanted to avoid getting take-out, and it was amazing!” says Edgar694. “Way better than take out! I modified it by adding sliced carrots.” 

Fans of this recipe loved having instructions for both the stovetop and the slow cooker. Commenter Foxy Loxy recommends an addition: “I added a cup of a nice red wine and let it simmer away for about the last hour of cooking; [it] added a nice depth to the flavor, and complimented the vinegar nicely."

Commenter Hnanzetta shares a chicken-shredding shortcut: “This works if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a flat paddle beater. While the chicken is still warm (important) put in the mixing bowl, turn the mixer on low, and let the flat paddle beater do its work. In a minute or two, you'll have shredded chicken!”

Many fans of this 25-minute dinner put their own twists on it, including commenter Marymaryhart, who threw in 1/4 cup Kalamata olives and added white wine to the sauce when cooking the chicken. 

This lightened-up take on the Italian-American classic scored big points in lots of households. Tdevenzio declares, “This was delicious! I used half eggplant and half zucchini. I will never fry again!”