These 30 must try chicken dinner ideas are fun, delicious, and easy to make. If you love chicken as much as I do, you’ve got to try out these recipes.
I’m a big fan of chicken. Ground chicken, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken wings, you name it. Fried, baked, grilled, doesn’t matter. Chicken is awesome, and when I’m not sure what to cook, I often lean on some of my favorite chicken dinner ideas.
The chicken recipes in this list are perfect for all occasions. Some are hearty for a cold night, and some are refreshing for a warm evening. There’s snack food and finger food for a dinner party, and entrees for a night in. You’ve got to try these chicken dinner ideas!
Why Make These Chicken Dinner Ideas?
Here are some of the reasons why I’m such a big fan of making these chicken recipes.
- They’re cheap. Chicken is one of the most affordable proteins around. You can usually get all the chicken you need for a recipe for just a few dollars.
- They’re healthy. It’s also one of the healthiest proteins. You all know how much I love beef and pork, but there’s no denying that chicken is healthier than those meats.
- They’re diverse. It’s hard to think of a cuisine that doesn’t rely heavily on chicken. Whatever type of food you’re craving, you’ll be able to find an amazing chicken recipe.
Tips for Cooking Chicken
Here are a few tricks and tips for making amazing chicken every time.
- Buy a thermometer. For health reasons, you obviously don’t want to undercook chicken. But it gets dry quickly if you overcook it. Because of this, I’m a big fan of using a nice thermometer to make sure you cook your chicken to the right temperature.
- Don’t be scared of color. Whatever you do, don’t be scared of getting some color on your chicken. You’ll get a much more flavorful bird if you brown the meat a little bit.
- Buy a whole chicken. The cheapest way to buy chicken is by purchasing an entire bird. They’re surprisingly easy to break down, and you’ll be left with a carcass that you can use for soup or stock.
- Pull your chicken out of the fridge early. You don’t want to leave chicken at room temperature for very long, but it’s a great idea to pull it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking it. If you bring it up to temperature a little bit, it will be less cold in the middle, and you’ll be able to cook the chicken thoroughly without it drying out as much.
30 Chicken Dinner Ideas That You Have to Try
Whether you're hosting a party, wanting a fun dinner, or cozying up for a meal on the couch, you've got to try these chicken recipes. They're fun, bursting with flavor, and easy to make.
This dish takes a traditional Chinese-style chicken dish and turns it into a healthier, low-fat version. This air fryer recipe uses traditional ingredients like soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red chili pepper flakes to create a flavorful sauce.
Everyone should know how to make a simple roast chicken for dinner! Not only will you have a delicious meal, but the leftovers are wonderful for making soup, sandwiches and many other recipes!
Chicken Francese is a simple chicken recipe that's bursting with flavors. Chicken breasts simmer until tender in a white wine and chicken broth sauce with a pop of fresh lemon!
One of our most cooked chicken recipes! This chicken marsala recipe has a touch of cream at the end for the most luxurious sauce. Serve with rice or potatoes so you don't leave any sauce behind!
Everybody loves nachos, and this is a perfect recipe. Chicken breasts are marinated and roasted, then added to nachos with jalapeños, scallions, and other delicious ingredients. These are great for a party, or as game day food.
Tacos are one of my favorite things to make with chicken. And these tropical tacos are such a fun and unique recipe. Chicken is braised in a slow cooker with pineapple juice, brown sugar, and spicy seasonings, then topped with a mango salsa.
I’m of the belief that wings are a perfect food, and this is one of my favorite recipes for baked wings. These wings are bursting with garlic flavor, without it being overpowering, and the sauce is creamy and cheesy.
Not sure whether to have chicken or pork? Well this is the recipe for you! Chicken breasts are stuffed with sausage, ricotta, parmesan, and spinach, and baked in a marinara sauce. And yes, it’s as good as it sounds!
This recipe is so rich. Juicy and tender thighs are cooked in chicken broth and smothered with mushrooms and caramelized onions. Serve these over mashed potatoes for the most comforting winter meal imaginable.
Bacon and ranch is one of the best flavor combinations in the world, and it’s even better when chicken is added to the mix. These are the ultimate dinner roll, made by stuffing crescent roll dough with chicken, chopped bacon, ranch dressing, scallions, and mozzarella cheese.
There’s something special about wings that leave your fingers messy, and this is one of those recipes. The sticky, sweet, and spicy sauce has hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Trust me, these wings are good!
Carnitas are usually made with pork, but I think they’re as good (and a lot healthier) with chicken instead. These are made by cooking chicken breasts in orange juice, apple juice, and seasonings. The flavor is electric!
This dish has a little bit of everything in it. There’s chicken, sausage, potatoes, peppers, and gravy. And best of all? It’s so easy to make! All of the meats and veggies cook together in one sheet pan, and then get smothered in the gravy when they’re done cooking.
Two of my favorite Italian dishes are chicken marsala and fettuccine alfredo. So why not combine the two into one flawless pasta recipe?
The secret to this dish is a mouth-watering marinade that includes lime juice, garlic, taco seasoning, and lots of spices. The chicken is so tender, and packed with flavor. It’s a perfect tex-mex dish.
It’s pretty hard to beat a good old meal of chicken and veggies. This recipe has way more flavor than your standard chicken and vegetable dish, as the white meat is marinated in lemon juice, dijon mustard, soy sauce, garlic, and sweet chili sauce. The result is a juicy, tender, sticky, sweet, and spicy chicken with asparagus.
Don’t think that you need to use beef, pork, or veal to make a great meatball. These meatballs have all the flavor of a traditional meatball, but they’re a lot healthier. They’re also Asian inspired, with soy sauce, stir fry sauce, garlic, and ginger.
I’m a huge fan of chicken pot pies, but sometimes they can be a bit arduous to make. Not this recipe. Instead of making individual pot pies, this is one big pie made in a skillet. And instead of dealing with a dough for the top, it uses cornbread stuffing mix. It’s amazing!
When a recipe starts with “upside down pineapple,” your mind probably starts thinking of a cake, not a piece of chicken. The sweetness of the pineapple works so well with the richness of chicken thighs, and spicy peppadew peppers make this recipe explode with flavor.
This dish has a lot going on in its name … and a lot going on in the flavor department. It’s basically if you made a Philly cheesesteak with chicken instead of beef, and then decided to replace the bread with spaghetti and alfredo sauce. Just trust me when I say it’s all that and more.
Chicken is a very common protein in Thai cooking, and for good reason. It goes so well with the flavors of Thai cuisine. This is a fusion of Thai flavors and a traditional American dish, and the result is so, so good.
Yes, this recipe is as awesome as the name suggests. Are they nachos? Are they wings? They’re both! These wings are crusted with chips, baked, and then covered with traditional nacho toppings. They’re the ultimate party food.
This is a crossover between two of my all-time favorite foods: chicken cordon bleu, and meatloaf. It’s so rich and decadent, that you have to try it. A juicy and flavorful chicken meatloaf is topped with cheese and ham, and then covered with a creamy dijon gravy.
This is such a simple recipe, but in the best way. It’s juicy, breaded chicken that’s cooked to perfection, accompanied by a tangy, garlicky, sweet salad. It’s one of the most refreshing lunches you’ll ever make!
Now this is a timeless recipe for when you have a sunny day and want to step outside with the grill. Cooking the chicken on top of a can of beer helps the bird stand upright for an even cook, and keeps it extra moist.
No collection of chicken recipes could ever be complete without some authentic buffalo wings. This is the only buffalo wing recipe you’ll ever need, as the chicken is intensely seasoned before baking, and then tossed in hot sauce. Perfection.
Chicken and corn is a timeless combination, and so is chicken in soup. So why not a chicken and corn chowder? This dish is rich, creamy, hearty, and packed full of chicken flavor. And just for good measure, it has some bacon, too!
Don’t let anyone tell you that chicken nuggets are just for kids, or that they’re just for fast food restaurants. They’re an awesome food, and this recipe for marinated and grilled nuggets is ten times more flavorful than any nuggets that you’ll find in a restaurant or in the frozen food aisle.
If you don’t want to go out for hibachi, you can easily bring the hibachi to your kitchen. This recipe might taste complex, but it’s super easy to make, and you won’t find many recipes with more flavorful chicken than this one.
This is one of the most comforting recipes I’ve ever made. It’s hearty and healing, with mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, spinach, egg noodles, and even cream cheese. It’s full of winter herbs and seasonings, like red wine, tomato paste, and rosemary, and it’s perfect for a cold day.
