These healthy dinner ideas chicken recipes are sure to become a weekend favorite for your family. Almost every variety is a no-fuss, quick and simple meals that’s perfect for busy families with a lot on their plates. Sink your teeth into these one pan dinners bursting with flavor and fresh, good-for-you ingredients. And I have also have added some veggie sides dish recipes that are as tasty as they are nutritious.
delicious, healthy chicken recipes you can make in 30 minutes or less
Chicken is a dinnertime staple for a reason — it’s healthy, it’s affordable, and there are so many ways you can prepare it. While we love having a roasted chicken fresh from the oven, paired with a side of veggies and warm, crusty dinner rolls, some weeknights we don’t have time to devote to that kind of meal.
Luckily, there are plenty of healthy chicken recipes that have a super-quick turnaround time. In less than 30 minutes, you can have these 10 healthy chicken recipes on the table and ready to serve. Stuck in a chicken recipe rut? Read on for some fantastic ideas.
Healthy chicken recipes for your dinner table
Chicken piccata
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Calories: 457
If you’re searching for a healthy chicken breast recipe that’s mouthwatering and easy enough for any night of the week, this is the one. The trick to this classic Italian dish is making sure that your chicken fillets are pounded super thin. Not only will that allow the chicken to cook in just about 10 minutes, but it will ensure that the pan-made lemon, caper, and butter sauce penetrates into the meat for incredible flavor in every bite.
Greek chicken pasta
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Calories: 488
With artichoke hearts, tomato, feta cheese, parsley, lemon juice, and pasta, this Greek-inspired chicken dish is packed with flavor, but has under 500 calories per serving. To up the flavor profile, toss in a few Kalamata olives.
Buffalo chicken bites
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Calories: 230
Love spicy Buffalo wings, but hate the mess and the deep-fried calories? These chicken bites are a healthier, easier, every-bit-as-delicious win for three simple reasons:
- They’re skinless. But you won’t miss the saturated fat one little bit.
- They’re sautéd. A quick sauté in heart-healthy olive oil replaces the typical deep-fried cook method but still maintains the crispiness.
- They’re boneless. That means: easier to eat and no messy bones to contend with at clean-up time.
Grilled chicken tacos with slaw & lime crema
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Calories: 339
A colorful and healthy vegetable slaw, dressed with a flavorful blend of sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro, gets topped with chicken tenders that are cooked on a grill pan for a crowd-pleasing chicken taco filling that comes together in just 25 minutes!
Quick and easy chicken noodle soup
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Calories: 253
Homemade chicken noodle soup in under 30 minutes? You’ve got this! This recipe is a real game-changer, giving you that homemade goodness your family deserves, without hours of stovetop simmering. The trick to this fast and easy version is the store-bought rotisserie chicken that substitutes for cooking a chicken from scratch. Add chicken broth, fresh veggies, some dried herbs, and egg noodles, and your family can enjoy a big bowl of homemade chicken soup that has all the flavor and nutrition of the classic kind, in less than half an hour
Parmesan-crusted chicken breast
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 12 minutes
The crunchy, crispy coating on this chicken breast recipe comes from just two ingredients: parmesan cheese and pepper. Add a tomato-basil topping and a side of potatoes for a dinner that goes from oven to table in just 27 minutes!
Crispy chicken stir fry
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Calories: 503
Skip the takeout and add this yummy chicken stir fry to your weeknight dinner repertoire. When making any stir fry, warm the pan prior to adding the oil. For this stir fry, it’s also important to cook the chicken separately from the vegetables, which will ensure that your meat is perfectly cooked and prevents overcooking the veggies
Easy Chicken Dinners You’ll Want to Make Forever
These delicious chicken dinners are here to add some flavor to even the busiest weeknights. Each recipe requires less than 30 minutes of active time, so you can get in and out of the kitchen in a snap. Whether you’re in the mood for a veggie-packed pasta or a quick and easy sheet-pan meal, we have a dinner idea to suit you. Recipes like our Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan and Honey-Garlic Chicken Thighs with Carrots & Broccoli are tasty, filling ways to end your day.
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Maple-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potato Wedges and Brussels Sprouts
This easy sheet-pan recipe brings together many fall favorites into a hearty dinner.
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BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a preshredded coleslaw blend.
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Skillet Lemon Chicken with Spinach
This simple, ultra-quick chicken dinner–packed with spinach and peppers–is delicious on its own or served over brown rice or your favorite pasta.
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Roasted Chicken Thighs, Potatoes & Scallions with Herb Vinaigrette
Roasting chicken thighs directly on top of the vegetables bastes the scallions and potatoes with delicious drippings in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach or a mixed green salad.
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Salt & Vinegar Sheet-Pan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
A strong vinegar, like malt or sherry, gives this baked chicken recipe a pucker factor reminiscent of salt-and-vinegar chips. Everything cooks on one pan, making this chicken sheet-pan dinner perfect for weeknights when you want big results for little effort (so, pretty much every weeknight!).
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Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch
This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you’ll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.
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Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
This healthy chicken pasta recipe is jazzed up with traditional bruschetta toppers, including cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil. Multicolored cherry tomatoes look pretty, but you can use all one color of tomato too. Either way, you’ve got an easy weeknight dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes. We’ve called for spaghettini (thin spaghetti) in this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite shape of pasta.
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Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.
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Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Spinach & Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Serve these saucy, ultra-quick chicken cutlets over your favorite pasta. This easy dinner recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite.
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Chicken Parmesan & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Chicken Parm gets a fun low-carb and gluten-free twist with these cheesy stuffed peppers with chicken and quinoa. Serve with a salad for a healthy dinner that’s easy to prep too.
Family-Friendly Chicken Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes
Each of these dinners serves at least four, so everyone can grab a bite of something delicious. Pick a one-pot pasta for easy cleanup or a pan of fajitas for something everyone can customize to their liking—no matter what recipe, you’ll have something healthy and tasty on the table in 30 minutes or less. Put that pack of chicken in the fridge to good use with recipes like our Chicken-&-Rice-Stuffed Peppers with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza with Red Peppers, Chicken & Spinach.
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One-Pot Chicken Pesto Pasta with Asparagus
This healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe is easy to make thanks to convenience ingredients like rotisserie chicken and store-bought pesto. The addition of fresh asparagus brightens up the look and flavors of this easy one-pot dinner. Fresh basil, if you have it on hand, is a nice finishing touch.
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Sweet & Sour Chicken
This 20-minute meal delivers a faster, lighter and more flavorful takeout alternative. It’s chock-full of fresh, crispy veggies and juicy chicken pieces, and it reheats well for meal-prep lunches. If you like heat, sub Sriracha for some of the ketchup.
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
This rich-tasting but better-for-you creamy chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time–look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you’re really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.
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Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole
Usually made by layering creamy chicken and tortillas (lasagna-style), this classic Tex-Mex chicken casserole gets speedier for an easy weeknight dinner when we mix everything together in a skillet, then pop the whole pan under the broiler to make the cheese topping gooey.
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BBQ Chicken Bowls
These BBQ chicken bowls are perfect for weeknight dinners. They come together in just 15 minutes and are chock-full of the classic barbecue flavors you love, including saucy beans, coleslaw and potatoes.
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Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a flavorful punch along with the tantalizing aroma of fresh marjoram in this rustic Italian-inspired dish. Serve with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.
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Chicken Hummus Bowls
The spiced chicken atop these bowls is ready fast with the help of the broiler. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita for scooping up extra hummus at the bottom of the bowl.
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Roasted Chicken Thighs, Potatoes & Scallions with Herb Vinaigrette
Roasting chicken thighs directly on top of the vegetables bastes the scallions and potatoes with delicious drippings in this healthy dinner recipe. Serve with steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach or a mixed green salad.
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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan
This one-pan pasta that combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal is garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it “Mom’s Skillet Pasta” and she called it “Devon’s Favorite Pasta.” Either way it’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It’s a simple dinner the whole family will love.
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25-Minute Chicken & Veggie Enchiladas
These chicken enchiladas are great for using up any veggies you have lingering in your fridge. Our chicken enchilada recipe calls for zucchini, squash and onion, but you could easily swap in spinach, onions or potatoes.
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Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl
This chipotle-flavored burrito bowl recipe is even better than takeout and just as fast. Loading it with vegetables and using quinoa in place of rice adds nutrition for a healthy dinner.