85 Creative Chicken Recipes For Weeknights When You Don't Want To Think About Dinner (2024)

This fast and easy one-pot chicken and broccoli recipe is coated in a sweet and savory sauce with plenty of ginger and garlic for a weeknight dinner that beats take-out. This dish comes together in 20 minutes with minimal prep work too. Win win!

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This recipe starts like just like its inspiration—cacio e pepe—with pecorino Romano and black pepper, but here’s where it deviates: we wanted to create a saucy moment, so we chose to sear and braise succulent bone-in chicken thighs in an aromatic white wine broth until tender.

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This casserole has all of the flavors of chicken enchiladas (with a few worthwhile additions), but eliminates the most tedious part of making them: all that rolling! In this recipe, you just layer all your components in a casserole dish, bake until melty and saucy, add your desired toppings, and serve.

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Chicken Alfredo and pizza are two kings of the comfort food realm, so when they join forces, you get something truly magical. Creamy Alfredo sauce is topped with sliced chicken, broccoli, and oodles of gooey mozz for a rich, saucy pizza that will revolutionize your weeknight dinner routine.

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Who can resist rice noodles bathed in an abundance of sweet and creamy peanut sauce? Not us! In this recipe, the prep actually takes longer than the cooking, so feel free to make some elements ahead. With all them behind you, the dish comes together in a snap.

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We love spinach–artichoke anything—the cheesy and veggie-packed combo is always a hit. While we’ve already paired these flavors with gnocchi, tortellini, pasta shells, and more, making a super-cheesy chicken, spinach, and artichoke lasagna just had to happen.

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If you're looking for a chicken dinner so good jaws will drop, this is the recipe for you. Chicken breasts are seared until golden, before being baked with a simple (but extremely satisfying) cream sauce. The result is a chicken dinner so good, you just might get a proposal by the last bite.

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The beauty about these grain bowls is that it's infinitely adaptable. You can roast just about any veggie, use any number of toppings, and it'll taste amazing in this recipe. The only thing we might insist you must keep on the bowl is the incredible peanut butter dressing.

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We can’t think of a better reason to enjoy a margarita than with these tequila chicken thighs. With a sauce inspired by the classic co*cktail (seriously), you’ll also have the ingredients on hand to mix one up while you cook and dine on this easy-to-make weeknight dinner.

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If you just can't get enough of the classic Panda Express dish, this copycat recipe will be a game-changer. Ready in under an hour with all of the same sweet and savory flavors you love, staying in for weeknight dinner has never been easier.

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Our ever-popular Peruvian roast chicken will forever be one of our favorites…unless we need to get dinner on the table ASAP. If that's you too, lean on chicken thighs instead for that smoky, garlicky chicken with its crispy skin, in less than half the time.

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When it comes to chicken breast recipes, it's hard to beat this one. The sauce is simple but so flavorful thanks to garlic, tomatoes, and most importantly, cream. It's bright and easy and just as good in the summer as it is in the winter, whether you're craving comfort food or a dinner fancy enough for guests.

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This chicken dinner uses deeply flavored chicken thighs, simmered in an ultra-silky and aromatic sauce of tomatoes, cream, and cashews. The cashews lend a buttery nuttiness and great texture to the sauce in this recipe, but blanched almonds would also work well. For the ultimate weeknight dinner, spoon this dish over steamed rice or serve with warm naan.

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We say the more toppings the merrier. We like our chicken tacos topped with red onion (pickled onions would be great too), avocado, cilantro, and cheese. Pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, or some crushed corn chips would also be delicious, so have fun with it!

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Say goodbye to boring chicken dinners—this Cajun-stuffed chicken is here to shake up your weeknight rotation. Spiced with peppers and cheese, this stuffed chicken is packed with flavor, but ready to be served in under an hour.

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We’ll be honest: we’re a little obsessed with French onion soup. The melty cheese, jammy caramelized onions, and rich broth is a flavor combination we just can’t get enough of, so we're taking it from soup season to summer in the form of these flavorful chicken meatballs.

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If our creamy Tuscan chicken is a mainstay at your house, this recipe is going to be just the thing to shake up your weeknight dinner routine. We paired quick-cooking chicken cutlets with a spicy-sweet coconut milk sauce that’s out-of-this-world tasty.

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With a creamy, cheesy sauce and tender chicken breasts, this is the pasta dish we turn to time and time again when we're craving the ultimate comfort meal. If you've never made pasta sauce from scratch before—this is where you should start. Fair warning: No jarred pasta sauce may compare after you've made this.

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You can practically throw any combination of protein, veggies, and sauce in a pan and call it good, but sometimes it’s helpful to have a basic formula to go off of. Enter: our chicken stir-fry recipe. Make it as is, or use it as a jumping-off point to create your own.

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Seasoned chicken breast gets pan-seared until golden brown, smothered in a strawberry chipotle sauce, and topped with fresh strawberry-jalapeño salsa to create this playful, bright dish. Sweet-and-spicy lovers, this is bound to become your go-to warm weather dinner.

Get the Strawberry Jalapeño Chicken recipe.