200+ Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Chicken is one of the most popular choices of meat in the United States. In fact, we eat about eight billion chickens per year in the US. That means we eat more than 21 million chickens a day! From chicken wings on game day to roasted chicken for holiday dinner, this delicious white meat is so inexpensive and versatile, it has become the go-to food for any occasion.
Besides being incredibly cheap and easy to prepare, chicken is also one of the healthiest meats you can eat. It is low in saturated fat, has high amounts of omega-6 acids, and is full of protein. It also has a lot of vitamins and minerals like B12, B6, copper, zinc, and iron. It can also help you lose weight. You cannot go wrong with poultry.
Another thing about chicken is that you can use it for just about any kind of meal. Chicken is good in a biscuit for breakfast, in a salad for lunch, and you can have fried chicken for dinner. The different parts of the chicken are special as well. Chicken wings have long been a snack food, drumsticks make a great lunch food, and the chicken breast is so versatile you can use it in any recipe.
In this section, we share some of our favorite chicken recipes from full entrees to light snack foods. You will find salads, soups, stews, and sandwiches as well as copycat recipes like Panda Express firecracker chicken and KFC copycat fried chicken. No matter what kind of chicken you have, it will certainly be delicious. Here are a few of our favorites.
Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe – Fresh or Frozen
What makes this recipe so great is that you can have a whole juicy instant pot chicken in less than an hour even if it is frozen! Using your instant pot or pressure cooker, all you need for this delicious bird is a chicken, some broth, and butter. You can add your own favorite herbs and spices inside the bird along with lemon for extra flavor.
To give it that crispy skin, this recipe calls for broiling it for an additional five minutes after you cook it. The buttery topping is seasoned with garlic, onion, thyme, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. There is also a recipe included for homemade gravy made with butter and flour combined with the pan juices.
Crockpot Chicken and Rice
For a meal that is ready when you get home, this crockpot chicken and rice recipe is so easy, all you have to do is dump everything in the pot and let it cook all day. It is a scrumptious meal including brown rice and chicken breasts so you have a whole dinner without any of the work. The tender meat is both creamy and lemony and is gluten-free.
All you need for this tasty meal is a few chicken breasts, long grain brown rice, chicken broth, garlic, onion, and butter. Then add your herbs and spices. We chose oregano, parsley, basil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. For best flavor, you can sear the chicken for a few minutes before adding it to the pot. Then just cook it for three hours on high or six hours on low.
Oven Baked Chicken Breasts
If you are looking for a basic easy chicken meal ready in less than 30 minutes, try our recipe for oven baked chicken breasts. They are perfectly juicy and have a zesty flavor of herbs mixes with butter for an amazing taste in every bite. You can add whatever flavors you and your family enjoy because this is a very flexible recipe.
One thing that makes this chicken so tasty is the brining. To get the juiciest meat, brine your chicken for about 30 minutes in saltwater. The longer you let it soak, the better the flavor. Then, rub it with seasonings and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite side dishes or use the chicken for sandwiches, salads, soups, or whatever you like.
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