20 Easy Chicken Dinners You'll Want to Make Forever

a recipe photo of the Chicken Piccata Casserole
Photo:

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf

These delicious chicken dinners are here to add some flavor to even the busiest weeknights. Each recipe requires less than 30 minutes of active time so you can get in and out of the kitchen in a snap. Whether you're in the mood for a veggie-packed pasta or a quick and easy sheet-pan meal, we have a dinner idea to suit you. Recipes like our Chicken Piccata Casserole and Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli are tasty, filling ways to end your day.

01 of 20

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta," and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way, it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

02 of 20

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli

Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots Broccoli

This sweet and savory baked honey-garlic chicken thigh recipe comes with a side of veggies that cook on the same sheet pan as the chicken for the perfect weeknight dinner.

03 of 20

Lemon Chicken Pasta

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In this easy lemon chicken pasta recipe, we love the combination of lemon zest and toasted breadcrumbs. This healthy dinner is made with rotisserie chicken, quick-cooking spiralized zucchini and baby zucchini, so you get a complete meal in just 10 minutes.

04 of 20

Chicken Piccata Casserole

a recipe photo of the Chicken Piccata Casserole

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf

This protein-packed chicken piccata casserole brings all the flavors of classic chicken piccata together in one dish. It’s the easiest piccata you’ll ever make—no dredging or sauce required! Cooking the lemon slices in butter mellows their bite and helps jump-start the lemony flavor of the dish while helping the butter get a little brown, bringing some nuttiness to the dish.

05 of 20

Creamy Chicken & Penne alla Vodka Casserole with Peas

a recipe photo of the Creamy Chicken & Penne Alla Vodka Casserole with Peas

Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco

This cheesy chicken pasta casserole is perfect for a busy weeknight when you need a fast and easy dinner with minimal cleanup. Vodka sauce adds a creamy note to the sauce. If you don’t have vodka sauce on hand, add a few tablespoons of cream to regular marinara.

06 of 20

Adobo Chicken & Kale Enchiladas

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Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.

07 of 20

Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

Chicken and Vegetable Penne with Parsley-Walnut Pesto

Homemade pesto may seem daunting, but in this quick pasta recipe, you can make a simple sauce in minutes while the pasta water comes to a boil. You can substitute frozen green beans and cauliflower for fresh.

08 of 20

One-Pot Chicken Alfredo

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This creamy, simple chicken Alfredo recipe is incredibly comforting and cheesy from the combination of Parmesan and cream cheese. You'll taste a nice pop of pepper and nutty notes from the whole-wheat pasta, too. Plus, it's a one-pot meal, which means less cleaning for you and a dish that will quickly become your best chicken Alfredo recipe.

09 of 20

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

a recipe photo of the Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

The Greek lemon-chicken soup avgolemono is the inspiration for this 20-minute recipe. Eggs and lemon are tempered into the broth to add richness and creaminess. You can use microwaveable brown rice or use 1 cup leftover rice if you have it on hand.

10 of 20

Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts & Gnocchi

sheet-pan chicken thighs with Brussels sprouts & gnocchi

In this healthy dinner recipe, chicken thighs, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes and packaged gnocchi are all roasted on the same sheet pan for a complete meal that couldn't be easier to make. And though it's simple, this dish gets tons of flavor from seasonings, including garlic, oregano and red-wine vinegar. It all adds up to a dish that's ready to go into heavy weeknight rotation in your house.

11 of 20

One-Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus

one pot chicken pesto pasta

This healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe is easy to make thanks to convenience ingredients like rotisserie chicken and store-bought pesto. The addition of fresh asparagus brightens up the look and flavors of this easy one-pot dinner. Fresh basil, if you have it on hand, is a nice finishing touch.

12 of 20

Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts

This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.

13 of 20

BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

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This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a pre-shredded coleslaw blend.

14 of 20

Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry

a recipe photo of the Teriyaki Chicken Stir-Fry

Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Addelyn Evans, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

Look for presliced pepper-and-onion mix in the produce section of the supermarket. It helps save prep time in this quick five-ingredient dinner. This easy dinner calls for hot cooked brown rice, which is perfect if you have leftovers. If not, look for microwaveable brown rice or frozen brown rice to keep prep minimal.

15 of 20

Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach

This simple, ultra-quick chicken dinner—packed with spinach and peppers—is delicious on its own or served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.

16 of 20

Salt & Vinegar Sheet-Pan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts

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A strong vinegar, like malt or sherry, gives this baked chicken recipe a pucker factor reminiscent of salt-and-vinegar chips. Everything cooks on one pan, making this chicken sheet-pan dinner perfect for weeknights when you want big results for little effort (so, pretty much every weeknight!).

17 of 20

Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch

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This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.

18 of 20

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

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This healthy chicken pasta recipe is jazzed up with traditional bruschetta toppers, including cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil. Multicolored cherry tomatoes look pretty, but you can use all one color of tomato too. Either way, you've got an easy weeknight dinner that's ready in 25 minutes. We've called for spaghettini (thin spaghetti) in this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite shape of pasta.

19 of 20

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex-inspired chicken casserole recipe gets speedier when we mix everything together in a skillet and then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.

20 of 20

Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Serve these saucy, ultra-quick chicken cutlets over your favorite pasta. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite.

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