Omg OP, your sister’s recipe sounds amazing! “Alexa, add chicken thighs to shopping list” 😂
Ultimate lazy midweek dinner for us is roast some chicken drumsticks (on a glass baking tray / oven dish so it can go in the dishwasher), boiled / steamed / microwave rice, peas and sweetcorn. Use any seasonings you like for the drumsticks, I tend to do salt, onion powder, garlic granules, smoked paprika. Old Bay seasoning is really good too, as is Cape Herb Louisiana Cajun Rub (nice and spicy, available in Asda and Sainsbury’s, so probably most supermarkets).
Another one is bake salmon fillets in foil parcels with butter, lemon juice, chilli flakes, maybe some capers if you like them. Serve on top of tagliatelle with all the cooking juices, with spinach or salad on the side. Can also cook frozen leaf spinach in with the tagliatelle instead of fresh spinach.
Or if you just want to do a big pasta mess sort of dinner - cook penne or fusilli, after about 5 mins, throw in frozen sweetcorn and frozen spinach. Once all cooked, drain, add tin(s) of tuna, and sundried tomato paste / red pesto / chilli pesto. Mix it all up, serve with salad if you feel you need more veg, lots of grated cheese, and maybe garlic bread if you need even more carbs (this one’s a store cupboard staple for us).