28 Essential, Easy Chicken Recipes for Every Day of the Week

If you bake your chicken the same way every time, it's time you add another dish to your repertoire.

Easy chicken recipes - Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings
Photo: Greg DuPree

If you're ready to expand your culinary skills, you can't go wrong with any of these simple chicken recipes. Chicken is incredibly versatile, and there are beginner-friendly options for almost any kind of chicken dish, whether you're craving a classic like roast chicken, something indulgent like chicken wings, or something inventive like a chicken pizza.

While you may be used to fancy restaurant-quality chicken, don't let that scare you away from attempting one of these easy chicken recipes. Clear, step-by-step instructions will guide you through the whole cooking process and teach you staple techniques like how to bread chicken cutlets or how to spatchcock a chicken. Once you get a little practice, we hope you'll never have to stress over what to make for dinner again.

01 of 28

Chicken Noodle Soup

Easy chicken recipes - Chicken Noodle Soup
Jen Causey

Homemade chicken noodle soup will warm your heart and your belly with a single bowl. This chicken noodle soup recipe calls for a whole chicken, which might seem like a lot of effort, but it also makes a whopping 12 servings, so you'll be slurping down savory chicken and tasty noodles for days.

02 of 28

Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken With Fries

1123coo-honey-mustard-chicken-With-Apple-Slaw

Fred Hardy

Sometimes, you just need a crispy chicken dinner to satisfy your cravings. Here, skin-on chicken thighs are coated in honey mustard and panko before going into the oven. The chicken is paired with retro crinkly fries and a quick slaw for an easy dinner that comes together with 20 minutes of hands-on time.

03 of 28

Chicken and Chard Dumpling Soup

Easy chicken recipes - Chicken and Chard Dumpling Soup
Greg DuPree

This fresh take on chicken soup recipes uses chewy gnocchi, tender chicken, and Swiss chard for a balanced meal in a single bowl. (Best of all, it's easy to make—only 30 minutes of hands-on time.)

04 of 28

Southwestern Chicken Soup

Easy chicken recipes - Southwestern Chicken Soup
Alexandra Rowley

It's labeled a soup, but let's be honest: This is a real white chicken chili. It's got salsa verde for flavor and cannellini beans for weight, both main ingredients in any good white chicken chili recipe, plus cumin and green onions for extra taste.

05 of 28

Instant Pot Chicken Pho

Easy chicken recipes - Instant Pot Chicken Pho
Antonis Achilleos

If you're a fan of the Instant Pot, you likely already use it for almost everything, but trying something a little new with this Instant Pot chicken recipe. It'll give you all the pho flavors you know and love, but with less hands-on time.

06 of 28

Miso Chicken Noodle Soup

Easy chicken recipes - Miso Chicken Noodle Soup
Linda Pugliese

Dress up your classic, comforting chicken noodle soup recipe with a little miso. This recipe from Healthyish by Lindsay Maitland Hunt uses white miso paste, soy sauce, tofu, udon or soba noodles, and chicken (of course) for a soup that is savory and satisfying all at once.

07 of 28

Grilled Pizza With Chicken and Peach

Easy chicken recipes - Grilled Pizza With Chicken and Peach
Andrew Purcell

Chicken may not be the first topping that comes to mind when you think of pizza, but this summer chicken recipe proves that it's on the same level as mozzarella and peppers. Best of all, this recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, so you can spend more time focusing on the pizza and less cooking chicken.

08 of 28

Zesty Chicken Salad

Easy chicken recipes - Zesty Chicken Salad
Greg DuPree

For this chicken salad recipe, you'll poach chicken breasts—it's easier than you think—and mix it with dill pickles, mayonnaise, shallot, and more for a homemade chicken salad you can rely on for office lunches, picnics, and more.

09 of 28

Grilled Chicken and Pepper Salad

Easy chicken recipes - Grilled Chicken and Pepper Salad
Caitlin Bensel

This easy chicken recipe has a salad base, but don't think that means it won't fill you up. Delicious marinated grilled chicken brings flavor and heft to the meal, and a homemade salad dressing means you can be certain this is a healthy dish.

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Almond-Crusted Chicken With Arugula Salad

Easy chicken recipes - Almond-Crusted Chicken With Arugula Salad
Caitlin Bensel

This easy weeknight chicken dish can be made quickly, but speed doesn't come at the expense of flavor: With almond flour and sesame seeds for flavor and crunch on the chicken breast cutlets and a customizable salad, this is sure to become a regular in your weekly meal rotation.

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Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Patties

Easy chicken recipes - Vietnamese-Inspired Chicken Patties
Greg DuPree

Chicken may be the main ingredient in this recipe, but the vinaigrette is the star of the show. With fish sauce, sambal oelek, and chile, it dresses up the ground chicken meatballs and rice vermicelli noodle base nicely.

12 of 28

Cherry-Bourbon Chicken Wings

Easy chicken recipes - Cherry-Bourbon Chicken Wings
Victor Protasio

Make watching the game at home special with this irresistible chicken wings recipe. These wings are saucy, sweet, and sour, for a near-complete flavor palette in every bite. If you cook them on the grill, they'll even get a crispy, caramelized finish that will keep everyone coming back for more.

13 of 28

Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings

Easy chicken recipes - Garlic-Parmesan Chicken Wings
Greg DuPree

If you strongly believe that garlic makes everything better, this chicken wings recipe is for you. They're messy and delicious—everything wings should be—and can be cooked on the grill or in a broiler, depending on the cooking tools available for you.

14 of 28

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Easy chicken recipes - Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
Hans Gissinger

Green salsa verde and Muenster cheese (or Monterey Jack, if you prefer) offer an alternative to the classic red enchilada sauce in this chicken enchiladas recipe. Mild and tangy, these enchiladas are sure to be a crowd favorite. Plus, they have corn in them, so you can serve them on their own as a full meal or add a side salad for an even more balanced meal.

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Zesty Chicken Enchiladas

Easy chicken recipes - Zesty Chicken Enchiladas
Dana Gallagher

A homemade enchilada sauce takes this easy chicken enchiladas recipe from good to great. Using a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own saves you time and effort—so you can focus on the sauce—and the four-serving yield feeds the whole family.

16 of 28

Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken With Biscuits

Easy chicken recipes - Slow-Cooker Crockpot Creamy Chicken With Biscuits
José Picayo

With this slow-cooker recipe, your cooker takes care of the chicken. When the chicken is almost ready, all you have to do is make some easy-drop biscuits, and then combine it all in a bowl. It'll taste amazing on night one and every night afterward, if you're meal-prepping.

17 of 28

Chicken and Vegetable Potpie

Easy chicken recipes - Chicken and Vegetable Potpie
Roland Bello

Potpie might be the pinnacle of comfort food. This chicken potpie recipe includes onions, carrots, and peas, so it's healthy, too, without sacrificing any of the rich flavor you know and love.

18 of 28

Creamy Chicken and Corn Potpie

Easy chicken recipes - Creamy Chicken and Corn Potpie
Tom Schierlitz

All good chicken potpies are creamy, but this chicken potpie recipe might be the creamiest, thanks to the addition of corn chowder, which both introduces tasty corn and veggies to the dish and adds plenty of luscious creaminess.

19 of 28

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Easy chicken recipes - Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Greg DuPree

Consider this chicken recipe with an eight-serving yield, so you can enjoy an indulgent chicken and pasta dish for days to come or feed a crowd. You'll need your stovetop and broiler for this one, so it's more suited to fall and winter than summer, but it's a dish you'll love in any season.

20 of 28

Crunchy Baked Chicken With Ham and Swiss

Easy chicken recipes - Crunchy Baked Chicken With Ham and Swiss
Jen Causey

Baked chicken gets a fresh update with this quick, easy chicken recipe, which bakes chicken cutlets with a rich thyme-and-Swiss cheese sauce topped with prosciutto and breadcrumbs. Mouth watering yet? We've got great news: It's all ready in 30 minutes, too.

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Baked Chicken Parmesan

Easy chicken recipes - Baked Chicken Parmesan
Charles Masters

Skip the breading step—easily the most challenging part of making chicken parmesan—with our clever baked chicken parmesan recipe, which layers those beloved chicken parm ingredients and bakes them for a still-satisfying (but easier) dish.

22 of 28

Slow-Roasted Lemon and Herb Chicken

Easy chicken recipes - Slow-Roasted Lemon & Herb Chicken
Jen Causey

This easy roast chicken recipe is sure to impress a crowd—but the secret is that it's incredibly easy to make. Foolproof, juicy, and well-seasoned, this is sure to be your new go-to roast chicken dish.

23 of 28

Spatchcocked Buffalo Chicken

Easy chicken recipes - Spatchcocked Buffalo Chicken
Greg DuPree

You don't need to know how to spatchcock chicken before you start this recipe—it's easier than you think, and you'll learn in the process. The finished product is tender with a kick, thanks to a hot sauce marinade, and when you serve it with a wax bean and celery salad on the side, it's a full chicken meal.

24 of 28

Crispy Chicken With Roasted Radishes

Easy chicken recipes - Crispy Chicken With Roasted Radishes
Caitlin Bensel

It sounds fancy and intensive, but this chicken recipe is actually incredibly easy—and all it takes is one pot. It's a chicken thigh recipe that is delightfully crispy and juicy, with roasted red onion and radish on the side—and some toasted baguette to soak up any extra sauces.

25 of 28

Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Thighs

Easy chicken recipes - Shawarma-Spiced Chicken Thighs
Greg DuPree

Enjoy robust Middle Eastern flavors at home with this completely doable chicken thigh recipe. A delicious blend of spices brings the flavor, and the dish is served with a fresh tomato salad on the side.

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Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Artichoke Dressing

Easy chicken recipes - Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Artichoke Dressing
Greg DuPree

This easy chicken recipe will have you serving a delicious chicken dinner in less than 30 minutes. The chicken cutlets are amazingly crispy, and the accompanying lemony dressing brings those just-right extra flavors to the meal. With fresh asparagus for the all-important vegetable, it's everything you want from a weeknight dinner.

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Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken With Ginger and Yogurt

Easy chicken recipes - slow-cooker crock pot Curried Chicken With Ginger and Yogurt
José Picayo

Put your slow-cooker to work with this easy chicken recipe. Cumin, curry powder, and fresh ginger bring the delicious curried taste, and when you set your slow-cooker up before work, you can come home for a ready-to-eat meal that the whole family will love.

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Teriyaki Chicken

Easy chicken recipes - Teriyaki Chicken
Anna Williams

Make your favorite restaurant dish at home with this teriyaki chicken recipe. All you need is chicken and some teriyaki sauce—we'll teach you the rest.

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