28 Essential, Easy Chicken Recipes for Every Night of the Week (2024)

If you're ready to expand your culinary skills, you can't go wrong with any of these simple chicken recipes. Chicken is incredibly versatile, and there are beginner-friendly options for almost any kind of chicken dish, whether you're craving a classic like roast chicken, something indulgent like chicken wings, or something inventive like a chicken pizza.

While you may be used to fancy restaurant-quality chicken, don't let that scare you away from attempting one of these easy chicken recipes. Clear, step-by-step instructions will guide you through the whole cooking process and teach you staple techniques like how to bread chicken cutlets or how to spatchco*ck a chicken. Once you get a little practice, we hope you'll never have to stress over what to make for dinner again.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

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Homemade chicken noodle soup will warm your heart and your belly with a single bowl. This chicken noodle soup recipe calls for a whole chicken, which might seem like a lot of effort, but it also makes a whopping 12 servings, so you'll be slurping down savory chicken and tasty noodles for days.

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Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken With Fries

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Sometimes, you just need a crispy chicken dinner to satisfy your cravings. Here, skin-on chicken thighs are coated in honey mustard and panko before going into the oven. The chicken is paired with retro crinkly fries and a quick slaw for an easy dinner that comes together with 20 minutes of hands-on time.

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03of 28

Chicken and Chard Dumpling Soup

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This fresh take on chicken soup recipes uses chewy gnocchi, tender chicken, and Swiss chard for a balanced meal in a single bowl. (Best of all, it's easy to make—only 30 minutes of hands-on time.)

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04of 28

Southwestern Chicken Soup

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It's labeled a soup, but let's be honest: This is a real white chicken chili. It's got salsa verde for flavor and cannellini beans for weight, both main ingredients in any good white chicken chili recipe, plus cumin and green onions for extra taste.

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Instant Pot Chicken Pho

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If you're a fan of the Instant Pot, you likely already use it for almost everything, but trying something a little new with this Instant Pot chicken recipe. It'll give you all the pho flavors you know and love, but with less hands-on time.

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06of 28

Miso Chicken Noodle Soup

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Dress up your classic, comforting chicken noodle soup recipe with a little miso. This recipe from Healthyish by Lindsay Maitland Hunt uses white miso paste, soy sauce, tofu, udon or soba noodles, and chicken (of course) for a soup that is savory and satisfying all at once.

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07of 28

Grilled Pizza With Chicken and Peach

Chicken may not be the first topping that comes to mind when you think of pizza, but this summer chicken recipe proves that it's on the same level as mozzarella and peppers. Best of all, this recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, so you can spend more time focusing on the pizza and less cooking chicken.

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Zesty Chicken Salad

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For this chicken salad recipe, you'll poach chicken breasts—it's easier than you think—and mix it with dill pickles, mayonnaise, shallot, and more for a homemade chicken salad you can rely on for office lunches, picnics, and more.

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Grilled Chicken and Pepper Salad

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This easy chicken recipe has a salad base, but don't think that means it won't fill you up. Delicious marinated grilled chicken brings flavor and heft to the meal, and a homemade salad dressing means you can be certain this is a healthy dish.

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Almond-Crusted Chicken With Arugula Salad

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This easy weeknight chicken dish can be made quickly, but speed doesn't come at the expense of flavor: With almond flour and sesame seeds for flavor and crunch on the chicken breast cutlets and a customizable salad, this is sure to become a regular in your weekly meal rotation.

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Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Patties

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Chicken may be the main ingredient in this recipe, but the vinaigrette is the star of the show. With fish sauce, sambal oelek, and chile, it dresses up the ground chicken meatballs and rice vermicelli noodle base nicely.

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Cherry-Bourbon Chicken Wings

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Make watching the game at home special with this irresistible chicken wings recipe. These wings are saucy, sweet, and sour, for a near-complete flavor palette in every bite. If you cook them on the grill, they'll even get a crispy, caramelized finish that will keep everyone coming back for more.

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13of 28

Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings

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If you strongly believe that garlic makes everything better, this chicken wings recipe is for you. They're messy and delicious—everything wings should be—and can be cooked on the grill or in a broiler, depending on the cooking tools available for you.

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14of 28

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Green salsa verde and Muenster cheese (or Monterey Jack, if you prefer) offer an alternative to the classic red enchilada sauce in this chicken enchiladas recipe. Mild and tangy, these enchiladas are sure to be a crowd favorite. Plus, they have corn in them, so you can serve them on their own as a full meal or add a side salad for an even more balanced meal.

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Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

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A homemade enchilada sauce takes this easy chicken enchiladas recipe from good to great. Using a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own saves you time and effort—so you can focus on the sauce—and the four-serving yield feeds the whole family.

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16of 28

Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken With Biscuits

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With this slow-cooker recipe, your cooker takes care of the chicken. When the chicken is almost ready, all you have to do is make some easy-drop biscuits, and then combine it all in a bowl. It'll taste amazing on night one and every night afterward, if you're meal-prepping.

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17of 28

Chicken and Vegetable Potpie

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Potpie might be the pinnacle of comfort food. This chicken potpie recipe includes onions, carrots, and peas, so it's healthy, too, without sacrificing any of the rich flavor you know and love.

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Creamy Chicken and Corn Potpie

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All good chicken potpies are creamy, but this chicken potpie recipe might be the creamiest, thanks to the addition of corn chowder, which both introduces tasty corn and veggies to the dish and adds plenty of luscious creaminess.

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Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

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Consider this chicken recipe with an eight-serving yield, so you can enjoy an indulgent chicken and pasta dish for days to come or feed a crowd. You'll need your stovetop and broiler for this one, so it's more suited to fall and winter than summer, but it's a dish you'll love in any season.

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Crunchy Baked Chicken With Ham and Swiss

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Baked chicken gets a fresh update with this quick, easy chicken recipe, which bakes chicken cutlets with a rich thyme-and-Swiss cheese sauce topped with prosciutto and breadcrumbs. Mouth watering yet? We've got great news: It's all ready in 30 minutes, too.

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Baked Chicken Parmesan

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Skip the breading step—easily the most challenging part of making chicken parmesan—with our clever baked chicken parmesan recipe, which layers those beloved chicken parm ingredients and bakes them for a still-satisfying (but easier) dish.

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Slow-Roasted Lemon and Herb Chicken

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This easy roast chicken recipe is sure to impress a crowd—but the secret is that it's incredibly easy to make. Foolproof, juicy, and well-seasoned, this is sure to be your new go-to roast chicken dish.

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Spatchco*cked Buffalo Chicken

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You don't need to know how to spatchco*ck chicken before you start this recipe—it's easier than you think, and you'll learn in the process. The finished product is tender with a kick, thanks to a hot sauce marinade, and when you serve it with a wax bean and celery salad on the side, it's a full chicken meal.

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Crispy Chicken With Roasted Radishes

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It sounds fancy and intensive, but this chicken recipe is actually incredibly easy—and all it takes is one pot. It's a chicken thigh recipe that is delightfully crispy and juicy, with roasted red onion and radish on the side—and some toasted baguette to soak up any extra sauces.

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Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Thighs

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Enjoy robust Middle Eastern flavors at home with this completely doable chicken thigh recipe. A delicious blend of spices brings the flavor, and the dish is served with a fresh tomato salad on the side.

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Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Artichoke Dressing

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This easy chicken recipe will have you serving a delicious chicken dinner in less than 30 minutes. The chicken cutlets are amazingly crispy, and the accompanying lemony dressing brings those just-right extra flavors to the meal. With fresh asparagus for the all-important vegetable, it's everything you want from a weeknight dinner.

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Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken With Ginger and Yogurt

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Put your slow-cooker to work with this easy chicken recipe. Cumin, curry powder, and fresh ginger bring the delicious curried taste, and when you set your slow-cooker up before work, you can come home for a ready-to-eat meal that the whole family will love.

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Teriyaki Chicken

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Make your favorite restaurant dish at home with this teriyaki chicken recipe. All you need is chicken and some teriyaki sauce—we'll teach you the rest.

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28 Essential, Easy Chicken Recipes for Every Night of the Week (2024)

FAQs

What to eat when you're tired of chicken? ›

13 awesome protein-rich foods that aren't chicken
  • 1) GREEK YOGHURT - TASTES GREAT WITH FRUIT. ...
  • 2) EAT COTTAGE CHEESE BEFORE BED. ...
  • 3) EGGS – THE PROTEIN POWERHOUSE. ...
  • 4) STEAK. ...
  • 5) LOAD UP ON POTASSIUM WITH YELLOWFIN TUNA. ...
  • 6) ANCHOVIES AREN'T JUST FOR PIZZA. ...
  • 7) SARDINES ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF SELENIUM.
Apr 6, 2022

What is the most popular method of cooking chicken? ›

Grilled chicken is always a popular dish, especially during the summer months. You can grill an entire cut up chicken, which is great because the breasts cook a lot faster than the thighs or drumsticks.

How to season chicken the day before? ›

I sprinkle or dry rub kosher salt on chicken as soon as I get home from the market, rewrap it and put it in the refrigerator until I'm ready to cook it. You can do this as much as two days ahead, but less than 2-4 hours ahead doesn't produce quite the effect you're looking for.

What are some different ways to cook chicken? ›

There are so many ways to prepare chicken. We can stir-fry, pan-fry, grill, barbeque, bake or roast chicken.

What has more protein than chicken? ›

Shrimp. Shrimp lovers, get stoked. A 5-ounce serving of shrimp blows chicken out of the water with 31 grams of protein.

What protein can replace chicken? ›

5 Protein-Packed Foods for Healthy, Meatless Meals
  • Eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein. ...
  • Tree Nuts. Tree nuts include walnuts, almonds and pecans — don't confuse them with peanuts, which are legumes. ...
  • Legumes. Legumes include a range of beans and peas such as black beans, chickpeas and lentils. ...
  • Soy. ...
  • Yogurt.

Is it better to saute or bake chicken breast? ›

Cooking a boneless and skinless chicken breast in a hot cast iron pan is by far the easiest and most tasty way to cook the breast. You are far less likely to overcook the chicken breast compared to baking it in the oven or poaching it in water.

Which is the most popular chicken dish in the world? ›

Butter chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, has recently claimed the top spot in the "Top 100 Chicken Dishes in the World" list by TasteAtlas, (an online guide for traditional food) solidifying its place as a global culinary sensation.

What cooking method makes chicken most tender? ›

Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.

What spices pair well with chicken? ›

5 best spice and herbs blends for chicken and meat
  • Paprika and garlic powder. Paprika is a great spice that makes any chicken dish stand out, it comes in many forms sweet, hot, regular and smoky. ...
  • Basil and rosemary. ...
  • Ginger and lemongrass. ...
  • Turmeric and chili. ...
  • Coriander and cumin.

How to make chicken more flavorful? ›

Add a touch of spice to your chicken breast by combining paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ginger, garlic and olive oil to create a paste. Then cover your chicken breast with the paste and pat down to secure.

Do you put olive oil on chicken before seasoning? ›

Seasoning skinless chicken is as straightforward as with any other cut of meat. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the chicken to act as a binder, sprinkle your seasoning on top, then gently press it in and let your chicken dry-marinate for about 45 minutes.

What not to do when cooking chicken? ›

  1. 4 Common Mistakes When Cooking Chicken. Chicken is one of the most versatile foods to cook, but there are still plenty of mistakes people make when preparing it. ...
  2. Buying Previously Frozen Meat. ...
  3. Not Brining the Chicken. ...
  4. Not Drying the Chicken. ...
  5. Cooking Meat Right Out of the Fridge.

What is the secret to cooking chicken? ›

Never cook it cold. By allowing chicken breast to come to room temperature, you'll ensure it cooks more evenly once it hits the pan. Plus, by opting for skin-on chicken instead of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you'll get a more flavorful dish with more texture and moisture.

What is the general rule for cooking chicken? ›

The FDA Food Code recommends cooking chicken to 165°F (74°C). But the pasteurization of chicken is actually a function of both temperature and time. If you can hold your chicken at 145°F (63°C) for 8.5 minutes, you can achieve the same bacterial reduction as at 165°F (74°C).

What can I eat instead of chicken? ›

Chicken meat replacements that are whole foods based tend to showcase ingredients like tofu, mushrooms, chickpeas, cauliflower, tempeh or home-made seitan (a mildly flavoured, high protein meat alternative made of gluten, the protein strand from wheat flour).

What is a healthy meat to eat besides chicken? ›

Lean pork is every bit as good for your body as lean beef and chicken. In one study, substituting lean pork for beef and chicken led to less body fat and better heart health. For a spicy take, try ancho-rubbed pork tenderloin. It's lean, flavorful, and perfect for grilling.

What to eat when tired of meat? ›

Energy Loss

The body absorbs more iron from meat than other foods, but it's not your only choice. You can also find it in green, leafy veggies like spinach, as well as iron-rich cereal, bread, and pasta. Look for protein in eggs, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.

What to eat when you're tired of all food? ›

What to Cook When You're Tired of Everything: 40 Easy Recipes to Get You Out of a Dinner Rut
  • 15-Minute Herb-Crumbed Fish. ...
  • Hot Honey Chicken Thighs. ...
  • Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas. ...
  • 50-50 Buttered Noodles and Greens. ...
  • Teriyaki Salmon Bowls. ...
  • Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich. ...
  • Slow Cooker Green Chicken Chili.
Jun 20, 2022

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