20 Best Chicken Recipes on Pinterest

Don’t get stuck in a rut when it comes to chicken dinners. These quesadillas cook up on the grill, and while they’re wonderfully satisfying (and especially easy) on a summer night, you can make them all year round on a grill pan or countertop grill. Treat this recipe like a sort of road map—just like grilled cheese, you can customize the meal however you like. Try using a few types of cheese, throw in other chopped vegetables, or use whole-wheat tortillas instead of the standard flour. Our version includes baby spinach and Monterey Jack.

Get the recipe: Grilled Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Just look at those perfectly browned chicken breasts atop a bed of hearty potatoes and green beans. Satisfying? Check. Easy to prepare? Yep. Nutritious and kid-approved? You bet. This supper hits the spot, and though it roasts in the oven for an hour, it requires a mere 15 minutes of hands-on time (mostly coating the vegetables in a lemon and garlic sauce and layering them in the pan over lemon slices and under the chicken). Double the recipe, and you’re set with a few seriously upgraded lunches later in the week.

Get the recipe: Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

Lettuce wraps have experienced a huge surge in popularity of late, thanks in part to the influx of low- and no-carb recipes and in part to restaurants like P.F. Changs. But some of the homemade versions don’t hold up—the fillings are either too juicy or too dry or, worse, don’t contain enough flavor to truly carry the otherwise straightforward dish. Our chicken and cashew mixture, spiked with ginger and scallions, creates the ideal filling, while water chestnuts and the outer lettuce shell bring just the right amount of pleasing crunch.

Get the recipe: Chicken and Cashews in Lettuce Wraps

Kick that same-old chicken and pasta combination to the curb. After one bite of this tender chicken and al dente orzo—all topped with a dressing of goat cheese, fresh parsley, and crushed red pepper—you’re sure to put the recipe in heavy rotation. Plus, the whole thing is ready in 20 minutes, from start to finish. Ultimately, any small pasta or grain will work here, but the oversize rice-shaped orzo proves a delicious match. Serve the dinner with a simple green salad or a vegetable on the side, and you’re good to go.

Get the recipe: Chicken With Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

Before roasting this whole chicken in the oven to perfect, you’ll stuff the cavity with sprigs of rosemary and slices of lemon—and rub a mixture of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and lemon zest under the skin. The result? Moist, flavorful chicken breasts, legs, and thighs. In other words, the whole package. If some members of your family prefer white meat while others prefer dark, this deceptively easy cooking method will more than fit the bill, particularly since a whole chicken is a more cost effective way to put the meat on the dinner table.

Get the recipe: Rosemary, Lemon, and Garlic Chicken

You might have a go-to beef stroganoff recipe tucked away in your kitchen cabinets or pinned on Pinterest. But have you ever thought about taking the flavors of the traditional Russian supper and pairing them with a more wallet- and waistline-friendly protein? Here, strips of boneless chicken breasts, mushrooms, and slices of green pepper and onions get drenched in an earthy, creamy sauce. (You won’t believe the shortcuts we’ve devised where that sauce is concerned!) Warming and comforting, the dish is an instant hit in cold months, but thanks to our swap, it’s light enough to enjoy year-round.

Get the recipe: Chicken Stroganoff

Another smart take on roasted chicken, this version benefits from a surprisingly simple but robust rub of whole-grain mustard and soy sauce. Another perk: You can purchase a whole chicken, and cut it into eight separate pieces, or buy a selection of chicken pieces (legs, thighs, or breasts), depending on whether your family prefers white or dark meat. The roasted vegetables (fennel, carrots, and red onion) cook in the same pan for all-in-one preparation, which makes it easy to substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand. File this one under hearty, unfussy dinners.

Get the recipe: Mustard-Roasted Chicken With Vegetables

For those nights when you can’t bear to turn on the oven (or put in much effort, for that matter), but really want a home-cooked meal, turn to this simple recipe for chicken and blistered cherry tomatoes. Serve it as is, with a salad or a vegetable side, or put the dish over rice, pasta, or couscous. It only takes 20 minutes, all told, to sauté the chicken, cook the tomatoes in a little white wine, then finish it off with fresh herbs and scallions. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Get the recipe: Chicken Cutlets With Tomato Sauté

Chicken finger, chicken nugget, chicken strip—whatever you call these irresistible little bites, you hardly feel great when fast food turns into lunch or dinner. (Hey, sometimes convenience calls the shots.) So give kids the tender fried chicken they crave, without any drive through-induced guilt: Our Crispy Popcorn Chicken is juicy on the inside, lightly breaded on the outside, and the perfect conduit for ketchup, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, honey...you name it. A kid favorite that’s also mom-approved, especially considering the chicken’s got a non-fried vegetable on the side, and it’s all ready in 20 minutes.

Get the recipe: Crispy Popcorn Chicken

Yep, you read that right. Feel like the combination’s a bit unexpected? Consider chicken and apple sausage. Or chicken salad with hunks of apple. The sweet and savory mix of moist chicken, simmered apples, and fragrant onions is one of those flavors that, once you taste it, you’ll kick yourself for not making this dish until now. And our one-pan supper isn’t just delicious, it’s easy to follow and cooks up quick: in 25 minutes, to be exact. Say hello to your new favorite way to celebrate fall (or channel the season all year long).

Get the recipe: Chicken Sautéed With Apples

That’s one good-looking sheet pan supper! We’ve found that roasting chicken pieces (a mix of white and dark meat) at a high temperature, right alongside root vegetables, olives, and lemon, lends the chicken an incredibly rich flavor and plenty of moisture. To save time, prep your carrots and lemons in the morning. You could cook up some rice, or another grain, while your dinner roasts, or serve the meal with a green salad, if you’re so inclined—but ultimately, this rustic chicken and vegetable dish holds its own. Get the recipe.

Get the recipe: Roasted Chicken and Carrots With Olives and Lemons

For those colder nights come fall and winter, when you find yourself missing spring and summer’s bounty of greens and other vegetables, enlist this recipe for roasted chicken. With a fresh dill garnish, green peas, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, it offers an herbaceous, citrusy jolt that recalls late spring, when the farmers markets are just beginning to bustle. It’s also an excellent way to cook bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, which offer a deeper, gamier flavor and really soak up our recipe’s rub, comprised of mustard and caraway seed.

Get the recipe: Herb-Roasted Chicken With Potatoes and Peas

Yet another reason to love charred corn and fresh, velvety avocado. This satisfying, protein-rich spinach salad couldn’t be more delicious. Simply throw the chicken and corn on the grill, whip up the fresh lemon-garlic vinaigrette, and put it all together. And so none of that precious avocado goes to waste, we’ve got a primer for practically every aspect of the tropical treat: Learn how best to pit an avocado, how to ripen avocados that feel too hard to eat, and how to slice and dice the thing for your salad.

Get the recipe: Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad With Avocado and Parmesan

What’s even better than a cheap meal that requires zero cooking (read: take out or delivery)? A cheap meal that requires just a little bit of cooking, made with wholesome ingredients and no added sugar or salt. Our take on this classic stir-fry comes together in 25 minutes, and trust us—it’s tastier than the to-go version from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant. If you’re feeling a little more motivated, double the recipe and freeze individual servings over rice for quick and oh-so-satisfying lunches down the road. The chicken stir-fry reheats quite nicely.

Get the recipe: Chicken and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Looking for a filling, sophisticated, nutritious approach to your typical chicken dinner? Look no further than this simple recipe: After browning the chicken, you’ll use the same skillet to cook mushrooms and peppers with garlic and white wine (or stock, if you’d rather). Throw in the spinach to wilt at the very end, and plate the vegetables alongside each chicken breast; the colorful side dish proves a perfect match for the tender meat. Not only is cooking this meal a snap, cleanup’s easy, too. Plus, the whole waistline-friendly meal clocks under 300 calories.

Get the recipe: Chicken With Spinach and Mushrooms

Simmered in dry white wine with pimento-stuffed olives, tomatoes, garlic, and onion, this comforting chicken dish is a real keeper. As the rice cooks, you’ll prepare the chicken and vegetables over the stovetop—and the whole meal’s on the table in 30 minutes. The olives add a nice, salty twist and a tiny bit of crunch, while the tomatoes break down a bit as they cook to create a chunky sauce. Bonus: The recipe only calls for ¾ cup of wine, which means you’ll have plenty leftover for a glass or two.

Get the recipe: Golden Chicken With Tomatoes and Olives

What this ridiculously simple stir-fry lacks in color, it makes up for in crunch—and ease of preparation. The recipe boasts just six ingredients (shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, bottled sesame salad dressing, cooked chicken, peanuts, and oil for the skillet). Yep, that’s it. And since you’re using already-cooked chicken, the only real “cooking” required here is throwing everything in a skillet to heat it through. From start to finish, this dinner takes just 15 minutes. Feeling like you need a little something green? Boil or steam frozen edamame as you wrap up the main course.

Get the recipe: Chicken Stir-Fry

Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you. Sure, this classic supper requires a fair amount of groceries, and a decent amount of chopping, too, but the legwork is worth it. In just over an hour, you’ll have a meal the whole family loves. Plus, our take on chicken and rice has a twist: tart bites of apple interspersed among the slow-cooked chicken, green and yellow peppers, and onion. Don’t be surprised if the kids start requesting this supper come fall and winter—it’s the ultimate comfort food (and, thankfully, one that’s easy on the cook).

Get the recipe: Arroz con Pollo With Apples

Another version of Arroz con Pollo, this recipe is a bit more straightforward. Be warned: Purists, along with more adventurous diners, will likely be reaching for seconds. Aside from fresh parsley, bell pepper and onion (which are available year-round in most grocery stores), the remainder of the ingredients required are frozen or shelf-stable. Keep a jar of pimento-stuffed olives, a can of diced tomatoes, and frozen peas stocked, and you can whip this dish up on a weeknight after nabbing just a few other items. Double and freeze the second meal to enjoy at a later date.

Get the recipe: Spanish Chicken and Rice

Just when you thought you couldn’t bear to look at another boring green salad. This recipe surprises and delights, with a dressing made from fresh lime juice, toasted sesame oil, red chili pepper, and a dash of sugar. A little bit spicy, a little bit sweet—and wonderfully crunchy—the meal takes just 15 minutes to get on the table. Feeling a salad for dinner, when other members of the family might balk? Everybody else can have some chicken, carrots, and crispy chow mein noodles, perhaps over some quick-cooking rice or a la carte. Problem solved.

Get the recipe: Sesame-Lime Chicken Salad