Winner, Winner, 27 Chicken Dinner Ideas

Chicken is one of the most versatile meats out there, and there are about a million and one ways to cook it! If you’re looking for chicken dinner ideas, read on to discover 27 easy, delicious, and inspiring recipes. From sheet pan dinners to soups and casseroles, there’s something for everyone!

Grilled Chicken

Grilled chicken is a quick and tasty dinner option on those warmer days—pull the cover off the barbecue and enjoy the coveted smoky flavor that can’t be achieved on the stovetop or in the oven. Whether you grill breasts, thighs, or drumsticks, you’ll be serving up juicy, flavorful chicken with a deliciously charred outside. 

1. Grilled Marinated Teriyaki Chicken

This teriyaki chicken is arguably better than takeout. Marinate chicken thighs in a homemade teriyaki sauce and grill for just 6-7 minutes on each side. Thicken the remaining sauce with cornstarch and brush over the grilled chicken. Serve with rice and garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. 

2. Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Chicken Legs

Ordinary chicken drumsticks get an upgrade with this recipe. First, marinate them in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, and sriracha. Then—and this is the best part—wrap each drumstick in a slice of bacon! The crispy and slightly charred bacon creates a perfect coating for the juicy, tender chicken.

3. Grilled Chicken with Buttermilk Marinade

Chicken breasts grilled right never disappoint, but what really makes this recipe shine is the marinade. Combine buttermilk with garlic, brown sugar, and herbs—the mixture will help the chicken remain tender while filling it with flavor. For best results, pound the chicken breasts to flatten them and ensure even cooking.

Broiled Chicken

The broiling function of your oven doesn’t just give a golden finish to cookies—it can help you cook dinner, too! When you broil chicken, you place it directly under high heat, which means it cooks much faster and doesn’t need additional oil. 

4. Lemon Rosemary Broiled Chicken Breast

Broiling is one of the best ways to achieve flavorful chicken breasts that aren’t dry on the inside. They’re in the oven for only five minutes on each side and come out perfectly tender and juicy. This recipe takes regular chicken breasts to another level with a mouthwatering marinade made with garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, rosemary, and thyme. 

5. Herb Broiled Chicken Recipe

Broiling a whole chicken is a little trickier because you need to make sure the entire chicken is thoroughly cooked without burning the top. This recipe suggests a brilliant workaround—splitting the breastbone and laying the bird flat. Simple ingredients like butter and fresh herbs help enhance the chicken’s natural flavors.

6. Spicy Chicken Thighs with Sweet & Tangy Honey Glaze

Coat boneless skinless chicken thighs in a mixture of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper and broil them for just five minutes on each side. Next, brush them with a mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar, before putting them back into the oven for another minute. The result is a quick, sweet, and spicy chicken dinner that’s perfect alongside rice or quinoa.

Roast Chicken

Roast chicken is a classic holiday or Sunday dinner meal for the whole family. It’s a “low and slow” cooking method, so it may take at least an hour and a half, but it’s well worth it. A great tip when roasting a whole chicken is to place it breast side down—this ensures that the breast doesn’t dry out and remains nice and juicy.

7. Dutch Oven Whole Roast Chicken

Roasting in a dutch oven means you can make use of the incredibly flavorful drippings and roast a side of vegetables all in one pot. This recipe calls for simple ingredients like garlic, onions, lemon rinds, and rosemary—stuff them inside the bird’s cavity to help flavor the chicken from the inside out.

8. Roast Chicken with Creole Stuffing

Stuffing isn’t just for Thanksgiving turkey. This recipe calls for a savory Creole stuffing made with rice, Italian sausage, green and red peppers, tomatoes, diced ham, and shrimp. It brings a ton of flavor and perfectly complements the roast chicken. This may just become your new favorite holiday dish!

9. Orange Herb Roasted Chicken

This roasted chicken is bursting with the flavors of fresh orange and rosemary. Make an orange sauce by combining orange juice and melted butter—you’ll use the sauce to baste the bird before it goes into the oven. Stuff a whole orange inside the cavity to help bring out the flavor even more.

Pan Roasted Chicken

Pan roasting chicken is a two-step process. First, the chicken is seared on the stovetop in an oven-safe skillet, giving it a golden brown color. Then, the skillet is placed in the oven to finish the cooking process. It’s the best way to ensure that the chicken has both a crispy outside and a juicy inside.

10. Skillet Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs With Roast Potatoes 

Sear chicken thighs and cubed potatoes in a skillet until they get an irresistibly crispy coating. Remove them from the skillet so that the sauce can be made—a thick bubbly mixture of butter, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar. Finally, nestle the chicken and potatoes back into the sauce and pop them in the oven for the final touch.

11. Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts With Dijon Wine Sauce

Coat chicken breasts in a blend of spices (including lavender!). Pan-sear them to seal in the juices and ensure that they remain moist and tender as they finish cooking in the oven. When the chicken is done, the same skillet can be used to make the sauce—a mixture of Dijon mustard, butter, white wine, chicken broth, and fresh spices.

12. Curried Apricot Pan-Roasted Chicken with Broccolini Amandine

The star of this dish is, of course, the curried apricot topping. Sauté sliced apricots in a mixture of onions, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and pepper flakes. Then, create a sauce around them by adding white wine, broth, honey, butter, and orange zest and letting them thicken. Serve this apricot chicken with a side of buttered broccolini topped with a handful of sliced almonds.

Pan Fried Chicken

Pan frying on high heat is an excellent way to prepare thinly sliced or cut up pieces of chicken because they cook quite quickly and never dry out. It’s also the best option if you want to toss your chicken in breadcrumbs for a delicious crunchy coating.

13. Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare and is perfect alongside mashed potatoes or in a salad. Kids love it, too, because it tastes like chicken nuggets! Simply slice a chicken breast in half so you get two flat cutlets. Dip each cutlet in zested parmesan cheese, a mixture of egg and spices, and finally, some bread crumbs. Fry in a little bit of oil for 5 minutes on each side and enjoy the cheesy, crispy goodness.

14. Easy Pan Fried Chicken With Cream Gravy 

To make this recipe, coat chicken breasts with a mixture of flour and spices, dip them in buttermilk, and then again in a bit of flour before frying. To make the cream gravy, melt butter in the same skillet, add a bit of flour, and slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth. Pour the thickened gravy over the chicken breasts and serve alongside mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

15. Spicy Garlic Pan Fried Chicken

For this recipe, you can use chopped up chicken thighs or breasts. Simply season the chicken pieces with spices and fry them with minced garlic on medium heat until they’re browned. You can use as much or as little cayenne pepper as you like to achieve your desired level of spiciness.

Sheet Pan Chicken

Sheet pan chicken dinners are incredibly easy to make—throw everything onto a sheet pan and let the oven do the work. The meat and the sides are cooked together, so there’s no additional work. You can even prep everything the day before and keep it in the fridge until about an hour before dinner time.

16. Sweet & Spicy Roast Chicken with Carrots, Dates & Pistachios

This sheet pan chicken starts with a beautiful marinade made from lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, and spices. Place the chicken, carrots, onions, and dates in a plastic bag, along with the marinade, and let it rest for at least 6 hours. When ready, roast for about 45 minutes and garnish with scallions and pistachios.

17. Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

These sheet pan chicken fajitas are so simple to make. Toss chicken strips, onions, and sliced peppers in a seasoning mix and bake on a sheet pan for about 25 minutes. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, and avocados.

18. Greek Sheet Pan Chicken

This sheet pan dinner brings together the best Mediterranean flavors. Combine chicken thighs with vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers and toss everything in a Greek marinade. For the last 15 minutes of baking, sprinkle on some olives and feta cheese for an irresistibly flavorful (and healthy!) sheet pan dinner. 

Chicken Soups

Is there anything better than a warm, hearty bowl of chicken soup on a chilly fall day? These soups are easy to make and are loaded with good-for-you ingredients that will take care of both your body and mind.

19. Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

This classic chicken noodle soup will help you get through sick days and cold winter months. Start by sauteéing onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to help release their flavors. Add chicken stock and chicken breasts and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken breasts and dice them before adding them back in, along with some pasta, for another few minutes.

20. Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

This recipe is very similar but calls for pre-cooked chicken. Start by mixing melted butter with flour and slowly mixing in chicken broth to create a rich base. Add in chopped up chicken breasts and veggies and finish by pouring in a cup of heavy cream.

21. Mexican Chicken Soup

This chunky chicken soup brings a bit of heat to really warm you up on a cold day. It features bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, salsa, corn, and black beans. Feel free to throw in some chopped tortilla chips to make it into chicken taco soup!

Chicken Stews

Chicken stew is the ultimate comfort food full of nutritious vegetables and warm spices. Cook a batch on the stovetop, in a Crock-Pot, or an Instant Pot and enjoy a hearty and healthy meal.

22. Creamy Chicken Stew

This stew couldn’t be simpler to make, as it relies on a can of cream of chicken soup as the base. Mix the soup with milk, sour cream, and ranch seasoning to make the sauce. Sauté diced chicken breasts with potatoes, carrots, celery, and green beans, before pouring the sauce over everything. Let the stew simmer for about 45 minutes and serve with biscuits! 

23. Slow Cooker White Wine Chicken Stew

Start by browning the chicken on a skillet for a few minutes. Add it to a slow cooker, along with some vegetables, spices, chicken broth, dry white wine, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar. When everything is just about ready, thicken the stew with flour and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

24. French Chicken Stew

This French chicken stew features mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, pasta sauce, and herbes de Provence. It’s cooked in chicken broth and wine, thickened with tapioca, and is perfect with a few toasted baguette slices.

Chicken Casseroles

Need to feed a crowd but don’t have very much time? Casseroles are the answer! They can be prepped ahead of time and baked into a creamy, cheesy dinner that’s perfect for any occasion.

25. Healthier Broccoli Chicken Casserole

To put this broccoli chicken casserole together, layer cooked pasta, broccoli, cooked chicken, and loads of cheddar cheese in a casserole dish. For the sauce, sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms, then stir in a bit of flour, and whisk in chicken stock and milk until it thickens. Pour the sauce over everything and bake.

26. Fiesta Chicken Casserole

Tex-mex flavors in a casserole? Yes please! This recipe calls for cooked chicken, a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, corn, instant (or cooked) rice, cream of chicken soup, taco seasoning, and a generous serving of shredded cheese. It’s like having a burrito in casserole form! 

27. Buffalo Chicken Casserole

Turn your love of buffalo chicken wings into a casserole. Simply combine cooked shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and cooked pasta in a casserole dish. Prepare a creamy, cheesy sauce with a generous splash of hot sauce. Pour over the casserole and sprinkle everything with breadcrumbs and more cheese. Make it ahead of time and reheat for game night!

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Written By

Sayana Lam

Sayana is a musician, writer and graphic designer based in Toronto, Canada.

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