In a rush and need a quick recipe for dinner tonight? This list has you covered with 55+ easy, kid friendly, chicken recipes that only require a few ingredients. Our weeknights are busy enough, so don’t make dinner more complicated than it needs to be! These chicken dinners are versatile, use pantry staples, and will leave you with a delicious dinner that is full of flavor. There is everything from skillet dinners to salads and wraps, so there is sure to be a life saving meal that your whole family will enjoy!
Family-Friendly Chicken Recipes Using a Few Ingredients
Look no further for family-friendly chicken recipes, that are crafted with just a few simple ingredients, and perfect for satisfying even the pickiest eaters! I also have this list of 40+ recipes that take less than 30 minutes!
- Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan Recipe
- Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks – what kid doesn’t like a drumstick?
- BBQ Chicken Enchiladas
- Creamy Greek Chicken
- Caprese Flatbread with Chicken
- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders – Bite sized yumminess that’s easy for little ones to eat.
- Cajun Chicken Skillet
- Baked Chicken Tacos – add toppings of your choice – sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, olives etc.
- Easy Teriyaki Chicken Bites – These will remind you of the mall days when you used to get teriyaki chicken!
Favorite Easy Chicken Breast Recipes
Not sure how to make a simple chicken breast recipe? I can always rely on my readers to pick their favorite easy recipes! These are created to simplify your weeknight cooking while delighting your taste buds at the same time. All that’s left to do is pick a favorite vegetable and have that as a side.
- Easy Baked Chicken – For perfectly tender chicken breasts, you need to try this.
- Whole Baked Chicken
- Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken
- Blackened Chicken Thighs – If you want to guarantee chicken that doesn’t dry out, thighs are your answer. They are juicy and delicious!
- Perfect Grilled Chicken
- Ranch Baked Chicken Thighs
One Dish Chicken Dinners Using Just a Few Ingredients
Whether it’s a casserole dish, a skillet or a sheet pan, these one pan recipes typically involve placing chicken and a few other ingredients together and baking them for a simple, flavorful meal. These are perfect for busy weeknights because everything is on your pan for a wholesome meal, and the clean up is easy!
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables with Potatoes – Use whatever veggies you like. Green beans are always a win.
- BLT Chicken Skillet
- Chicken Fajitas – We have fajitas almost once a week!
- Sheet Pan Pineapple Chicken – The sauce combined with perfectly roasted veggies like broccoli, onion, zucchini etc. makes for such a delicious meal.
- Chili Ranch Chicken Skillet
- Ginger Sesame Ground Chicken Stir Fry – This has more than a few ingredients, but is still so quick and easy. If you don’t have the time, you can just skip the sauce and use soy sauce to get the flavor you want with a stir fry.
- Hibachi Chicken
- Salsa Chicken – You seriously only need less than 5 minutes of prep time for this!
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Veggie Stir Fry with Zucchini – If you’re really in a rush, skip the sauce and just use soy sauce to add the stir-fry flavor.
- Tuscan Chicken Thigh Skillet
Healthy Chicken Dinner Recipes
All the delicious flavors you hope for in a meal, but a little on the healthy side. Keep it light with a side of some perfectly roasted vegetables.
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets
- Baked Chicken Bites – You all love these so much that they’ve gone viral on social media!
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo and Zoodles
- Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders
- Greek Chicken Bites
The Best Chicken Crockpot Recipes
Crockpot recipes sometimes get a bad rap. These crockpot recipes are anything but boring and a dump-and-go recipe is sometimes exactly what you need on those busy weeknights!
- BBQ Chicken – this only has 3 ingredients!
- Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
- Crockpot Lemon Chicken (with lemonade!!)
- Buffalo Chicken
- Crockpot Cranberry Chicken
- Crockpot Chicken Nachos
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Easy Chicken Casserole Recipes Using Pantry Staples
Discover a selection of quick and easy chicken casserole recipes that are wholesome, family-friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights.
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Baked Chicken and Rice
- Baked Chicken and Peppers – The Ultimate quick and easy meal!
- Easy Chicken Piccata Casserole
- Loaded Chicken Taco Casserole
- Poppyseed Chicken Casserole – a classic comfort food that my family loves.
Classic Chicken Bake Recipes
You can not go wrong with the convenience and flavor of my easy chicken bake recipes. They are perfect for busy weeknights and will please the whole family!
- Mesquite Chicken Bake
- Million Dollar Chicken Bake – The most popular recipe on the website!
- BBQ Chicken Bake
- Salsa Fresca Chicken
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Bake
- Oven Baked Cream of Mushroom Chicken
- Baked Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Salad, Sandwiches and Wraps
Many of these recipes use pre-cooked chicken and a few other ingredients to create a delicious salad or wrap. These are great for a light dinner, but also leftover for lunch the next day!
- Garlic Bread Chicken Caesar Sandwich
- Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap – Instead of using a french bread loaf, use a large tortilla or flatbread wrap. Butter and season one side of the wrap and grill over medium heat in a skillet. Then remove the wrap, fill the buttered side with the salad mixture and roll up.
- Shredded Chicken Sliders
- BBQ Chicken Sliders
- Baja Chicken Sandwich
- BBQ Chicken Wraps – Using the recipe above, but just add to a tortilla.
- Kale Caesar Sandwich – Follow my chicken caesar recipe but use half finely chopped kale and half chopped romaine.
- Easy Chicken Salad – it doesn’t get much easier than this.
- Greek Chicken Wraps
Quick Italian Chicken Dishes
These Italian chicken dishes will leave your family wondering if you ordered in from a restaurant. They bring the flavors of Italy to your dinner table in no time and with just a few ingredients.
- Chicken Alfredo – Serve over your favorite noodles.
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Casserole – try this homemade pesto recipe.
- Caprese Chicken – I love fresh basil but something about adding it to fresh tomatoes in this dish makes it feel extra special.
- Bruschetta Chicken
Favorite Chicken Breast Marinades
Marinating your chicken takes a little planning, but if you can do it the night before it will make dinner go by so much quicker! With just a few ingredients you’ll have some tasty, tender chicken.
- Teriyaki Chicken Marinade
- Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken Marinade
- Balsamic Chicken Marinade
- BBQ Chicken Marinade
- Mexican Chicken Marinade
- Greek Chicken Marinade
- Ranch Chicken Marinade
- Tex-Mex Chicken Marinade
- Grilled Chicken Marinade
If you’re looking for chicken recipes that require just a handful of ingredients, this list will be a keeper. If you need more chicken recipe ideas check out this MEGA list of recipes using diced chicken.
If you have a tried and true recipe that uses just a few ingredients for dinner, make sure and let me know in the comments!
How do you make plain chicken taste good?
Marinating chicken is always a great way to flavor and ensure tender chicken. Refrigerate the marinating chicken for up to 4 hours, with a minimum of 30 minutes.
What type of chicken is the healthiest?
Chicken is a great source of lean protein and has a low calorie count. Baked or grilled chicken is the healthiest choice vs fried or a more processed chicken.
What are different ways chicken can be used?
Chicken is a versatile source of great protein so the options are endless. Some options are to use chicken in a stir-fry, skewered and grilled, grilled chicken breast for juicy flavor, added into salads or pasta dishes for some extra protein, or breaded and baked etc.
One Dish Mesquite Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp mesquite seasoning
- ½ cup BBQ sauce, (mesquite flavored optional)
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup bacon bits
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- Season each side of the chicken with the mesquite seasoning and lay flat in a large baking dish.
- Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top of each chicken breast and sprinkle with diced onion.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then remove the dish, add cheese and bacon to the top and return to oven for 5-10 minute or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is done (internal temperature of 165˚F.)
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