RecipeLion Test Kitchen's 30 Best Chicken Recipes
We've tried each of these easy chicken recipes, and they are all truly amazing chicken dishes!
Over the last few years, chicken has beaten out beef to become America's most-consumed meat. The average American consumes an estimated two pounds of chicken per week. That's roughly one hundred pounds (thirty chickens) per year! With that in mind, it's no wonder that we're always looking for easy chicken recipes. Chicken is inexpensive and delicious, meaning that chicken recipes for dinner are incredibly popular. Thirty chickens per year adds up to a whole lot of dishes with chicken, so you might as well make sure that you're eating the best chicken recipes you can find!
You may not have known this, but RecipeLion has its own in-house test kitchen. Every week, we invent some of the best recipes on the Internet and taste them for you. That's how this list of RecipeLion Test Kitchen's 30 Best Chicken Recipes came to be. So, if you're looking for easy meals with chicken, we've done a lot of experimenting, and we've got you covered
This list includes our favorite healthy chicken recipes, fried chicken recipes (yum!), baked chicken recipes, chicken recipes from around the world, chicken soup recipes, chicken recipes for two, and slow cooker chicken recipes. There are even a few restaurant copycat chicken recipes thrown in for good measure! So sit back and enjoy, because these easy meals with chicken are all so good that you won't know which one to pick. Guess you'll have to try them all!
Table of Contents
Baked Chicken Recipes
Baked chicken is easily one of the most classic preparations for chicken that there is. Good for chicken lunches and chicken dinners, baked chicken is easy to make, healthy, and delicious.
Easily one of our favorite chicken recipes is this superb Crispy Lemon Chicken. It's hard to go wrong with lemon chicken entrees in the first place, but this recipe is even better. It tastes and looks like fried chicken, but because it's baked in the oven, you avoid the grease and fat. Win-win!
This recipe for Ritzy Baked Chicken is both crispy and juicy. With a simple egg wash and seasoned crackers, this baked chicken dinner is ready to serve in no time at all. We recommend serving it with honey mustard dipping sauce for an amazing flavor you're sure to crave.
Get the best of both worlds when you make this Sweet and Savory Chicken. This baked chicken dinner is easy to make and exploding with flavor, sure to please all ages.
You're sure to fall in love with this Baked Stuffed Poblano Chicken after just one bite! This Southwestern-inspired chicken recipe is great for nights when you want to spice things up a bit in the kitchen. It's also ready in just 25 minutes, so you'll be able to eat a deliciously hearty meal with your family in no time at all.
World's Most Irresistible Chicken
Made with only six easy ingredients, this easy baked chicken dinner is elegant, yet uncomplicated. This is a great meal to throw in the oven casually for a dinner party. The rosemary especially adds just the right balance of flavor to an already-delightful recipe.
Healthy Chicken Recipes
Chicken is already one of the healthier proteins out there (when it's not breaded and fried, that is!), so it's understandable as to why many people look to chicken for easy, healthy dinners. Here are some of the RecipeLion Test Kitchen's most successful healthy chicken meals.
One that stands above the rest is Paradise Mango Coconut Chicken. This recipe's mango sauce contains cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika, while the chicken is marinated with lime juice, brown sugar, jalapenos, and more. If there's one thing this recipe has in spades, it's taste. Impress the family with a unique chicken dinner!
5-Ingredient Honey Lime Chicken
This special 5-Ingredient Baked Honey Lime Chicken is full of bold and delicious flavors that come together flawlessly. Serve this dish with some and a mango or orange fruit salsa to take the dish to the next level and give you something amazing to eat at the end of a long day.
Frugal Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
In this recipe for Frugal Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, comforting ingredients such as chicken breasts, Cheddar cheese, and cream of broccoli soup create a creamy, crave-able dish that will leave your mouth watering. This is one of those classic family recipes you will come back to again and again.
Have you heard the myth behind this classic chicken dinner? We can't guarantee that this dish will be the reason your significant other says "yes," but we can bet this dish will come in handy for celebrating once the question has been popped.
Healthy Mongolian Chicken is a quick, easy chicken dinner that will be a hit with your family. This delicious chicken stir-fry combines low-sodium soy sauce with rice wine, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. You can whip up this dish with minimal effort, so it's perfect for busy nights when you're feeling lazy but still want to put a quality meal on the table.
Searching for some more healthy proteins that you can serve for a guilt-free meal? Check out our great collection of11 Healthy Ground Beef Recipes
Fried Chicken Recipes
Alright, it's time to get that healthy stuff out of here--let's look at these great fried chicken recipes! It can be hard to find easy fried chicken recipes, but we've tried out each and every one of the recipes below, and let us assure you, these quick fried chicken recipes are as good as it gets. There's nothing like the crunch of perfectly fried and breaded chicken skin, followed by the juices of a moist drumstick or breast. Just trust us, these easy fried chicken recipes won't let you down.
Have you ever used an air fryer? Well, these easy Air Fryer Chicken Wings are about to revolutionize your cooking process. Thanks to the air fryer, you only need a tiny bit of oil to get delicious, mouthwatering, grease- and guilt-free chicken wings every single time. These crispy, easy fried chicken drumsticks are perfect for game day or as an easy party appetizer.
These chicken poppers are about to become one of your new favorite party foods. The RecipeLion Test Kitchen has tried out four of our favorite flavor combinations here, so everyone can find something to love. There's something so fun about snacking on these chicken poppers.
Copycat KFC Fried Chicken Recipe
We just can't stop raving about this easy fried chicken recipe. Our Test Kitchen Copycat KFC Fried Chicken is so good, we bet you can fool your friends and family into thinking it's from the drive-thru! To make this Southern meal complete, don't forget the 'taters and slaw!
Chicken Recipes from Around the World
We've mentioned how much Americans love chicken, but the rest of the world isn't sleeping on this awesome, versatile protein, either. It's difficult to get the exact numbers, but it's suspected that the amount of chicken consumed worldwide per day is 276 million kilograms! With that in mind, it's no wonder that there are so many mouthwatering chicken recipes from different cultures and far-flung places in the world. These global chicken recipes are sure to shake up your usual weeknight dinner schedule.
For example, we know that you'll love this Babushka's Slow Chicken. This Russian chicken dish is made in the slow cooker and includes a whole lot of Russian salad dressing, bringing the flavors of mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, pimentos, chives, and spices to this tender chicken meal.
Slow Cooked General Tso's Chicken
Slow Cooked General Tso's Chicken is a lazy cook's dream come true. All you have to do is thicken the sauce and shred your chicken. We recommend making the meal complete by serving your chicken over a bed of white rice and adding in some veggies of your choice!
La Preferida Chicken and Black Bean Wrap
This chicken recipe will make the best of all the wonderful ingredients that can be found at La Preferida. Simply combine strips of chicken with La Preferida Thick n’ Chunky Salsa, black beans, and green chilies and spoon into 10″ flour tortillas or spinach wraps.
Chicken and Chili Mexican Soup
This Chicken and Chili Mexican Soup has all of those "south of the border" flavors that you've come to know and love: poblano peppers, green chilis, chili powder, cumin, and cilantro. It's almost like you're eating a chicken taco — just without the mess of a split tortilla shell.
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
This Indonesian-style dish includes ingredients like curry, lime, coconut milk, and peanut butter. Try something new and bold this week! This traditional recipe is served on skewers and with a dipping sauce on the side.
Chicken Soup Recipes
When it comes to easy chicken meals, is there anything more comforting than a bowl of hot, homemade chicken soup? These quick and easy chicken soup recipes will warm you up from the inside out.
If you like your chicken soup to have a bit of a kick, try out our King of Chicken Soups. This is like a spicy chicken casserole recipe in soup form! Chicken breast, a variety of spices, and plenty of Velveeta make this soup creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor.
Turning king ranch chicken casserole into a soup makes it warm, comforting, and perfect for the colder months. King Ranch Chicken Soup is an easy soup recipe made with creamy Velveeta and cream cheese and a variety of spices. This easy one pot meal is perfect for a busy weeknight.
This easy tortilla soup recipe is packed with jalapeno and cumin, which go wonderfully with the mild avocado and sour cream. Top this delicious Mexican soup with shredded cheese and cilantro for a perfect finish. This might just become your new favorite chicken soup recipe!
Chicken Recipes for Two
Sometimes, all that you want is a nice, quiet, intimate meal with someone that you love--without going to a restaurant or breaking the bank. These cheap and easy chicken recipes for two will satisfy every one of those needs.
What cozy chicken meal is better to share than Paula's Coveted Chicken Pot Pie? This chicken pot pie recipe could not be easier. You'll have dinner on the table in no time at all, leaving you more time to spend with your loved one.
Copycat Cracker Barrel Broccoli Cheddar Chicken
Copycat Cracker Barrel Cheesy Chicken is a deliciously cheesy and crunchy chicken casserole, and now you don't even have to go out to eat it! This is one of the more budget-friendly recipes you're likely to find. If you love the version you've had at Cracker Barrel, why not make your own at home this week? It's likely you have most of these ingredients at home already!
We have to say from our own experience, this French Onion Chicken Skillet might be the best chicken dinner recipe we've ever had. If you love French onion soup, this is sure to become one of your newest go-to chicken dinners. All you need is a skillet, chicken breasts, a can of French onion soup, croutons of your choice, Swiss cheese, and olive oil, and you're on your way to a tantalizing dinner.
This recipe is one of the quirkier chicken recipes on our list. Chicken thighs, broccoli, and ... peaches? You may not be used to baking fruit with chicken, but the cream sauce ties everything together, and you just might find yourself going back for seconds.
If hot spices make you shy, no worries. This Spicy Chicken Casserole is drenched in unbelievably delicious Alfredo sauce. It melds beautifully with the red pepper flakes for a chicken dinner for two that you're both sure to adore.
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
I think we can all agree that the slow cooker is one of the best inventions known to man. All of these slow cooker chicken recipes are incredibly easy to make and bursting with flavor. We loved tasting them in our Test Kitchen, and we know you'll love them too.
For a coconut twist on a chicken slow cooker recipe, try out this Slow Cooker Paradise Chicken. With the coconut and the apricot, this aromatic chicken meal will put a smile on your face.
This easy, simple One Pot Slow Cooker Chicken comes together in your slow cooker so you don't have to lift a finger from the time you put on the lid. Made with onions and kielbasa, this slow cooker favorite is hearty and filling, with a decadent sauce made of cream cheese, chicken stock, salt, pepper, garlic, mustard and white wine.
Slow Cooker BBQ Coca Cola Chicken
This delicious slow cooker chicken recipe will bring everyone to the table. Serve with rice and a side salad for a tasty (and easy!) weeknight meal.
Best-Ever Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken
This delicious slow cooker chicken recipe is so good it will knock your socks off! It's the perfect comfort food for any time of year. It's extra tasty with a side of roasted vegetables and warm bread. You can't go wrong with this test kitchen recipe.
Do you want to know how to perfect these Test Kitchen recipes? Here are tips and tricks from RecipeLion's Executive Producer, Addie Gundry:Test Kitchen Tips with Addie Gundry
If you were to pick all your favorite ingredients, what would be in your perfect chicken recipe? Let us know in the comments!