32 One-Pot Chicken Recipes for Busy Weeknight Dinners (2024)

Juicy, tender, and quick to cook, chicken is our go-to protein on busy weeknights—especially these one-pot chicken recipes, which come together in no time but taste like you've labored all afternoon. Requiring just a single pot or sheet pan, they're not only a cinch to prep, but they're also quick to clean up. Some recipes are made with boneless, skinless chicken cutlets or bone-in, skin-on breasts; others call for dark meat thighs, ground chicken, and even leftover roast chicken. They're the ideal solution when you need to get dinner on the table fast.

30 Easy Weeknight Chicken Recipes Your Family Will Love

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Pan-Roasted Chicken With Za'atar, Potatoes, and Greens

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This colorful sheet-pan dinner stars chicken thighs, fingerling potatoes, red onion, and lacinato kale. It tastes as good as it looks—za’atar is the magical spice mix that brings it all together.

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Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms With Egg Noodles

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Chicken breasts, mushrooms, and shallots set the stage for this one-pot chicken recipe. Egg noodles, cooked in the same pan, and cream cheese—which creates a quick, rich sauce—steal the show.

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One-Pot Chicken and Brown Rice

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A healthy, hearty one-pan dinner that’s economical too. Use up the celery and carrots that have been languishing in your crisper drawer, along with an onion, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and some brown rice.

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Lemon Chicken With Potatoes and Escarole

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Here's a sheet-pan chicken dinner you'll crave on the regular. Juicy roasted thighs, crispy potatoes, and wilted escarole combine for a cozy, delicious meal.

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15 Lemon Chicken Recipes That Prove It's a Perfect Pairing

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Chicken, Fennel, and Artichoke Fricassee

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Artichoke hearts, red onion, and fennel pair with chicken thighs for a skillet meal that's simply out of this world. The vegetables infuse the braising liquid, which cooks down into a flavorful pan sauce for the meat.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas

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Colorful and spicy, there's a lot to love about this one-sheet recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are sizzled together with yellow and green bell peppers and then topped with sour cream, salsa, and ripe avocado, delivering zesty flavor in each bite.

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Skillet Chicken With Leeks and Carrots

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Consider this one-pot chicken recipe a spring take on roast chicken. Instead of a whole bird, we use chicken breast halves, which cook atop leeks, carrots, and bread cubes that soak up the meat's flavorful juices.

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Broiled Yogurt-Marinated Chicken and Chickpeas

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For lightning-fast meals, look no further than your broiler. Here, yogurt-marinated boneless chicken thighs are nestled on a baking sheet with spiced carrots and chickpeas, then broiled to perfection and served with couscous or crusty bread.

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Summery Chicken-and-Rice Soup

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Light, fresh, and full of flavor, this one-pot chicken recipe features zucchini and yellow squash plus leafy greens, making it a delightful option for the summer months. Save prep time by using shredded cooked chicken from leftover roast or rotisserie chicken.

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Chicken Paillard With Caprese Panzanella

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Inspired by the Caprese salad, this chicken dinner features tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, celery hearts, and capers, along with strips of breaded chicken cutlets for a no-fuss warm-weather meal.

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Chicken Scarpariello

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Hot and spicy, this interpretation of the Italian-American standard unites browned chicken thighs, hot pickled peppers, shallots, and Italian sausage links. Rosemary infuses the dish with an irresistible aroma.

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Chicken-and-Mushroom Congee

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Warm and comforting, this savory rice porridge is prepared in one pan with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, ginger, scallions, and shiitake mushrooms. For extra oomph, top it with umami-rich sesame oil and chili sauce, such as sambal oelek, before serving,

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Ground Chicken Tacos

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This quick weeknight dinner is on the table in 35 minutes. The ground chicken mixture is flavored with cumin, coriander, and tomato paste, while minced chipotle in adobo brings the heat. It cooks on the stovetop in a skillet and is served in your favorite taco shells with all the fixings.

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo and Rice

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The only piece of cookware you need to make this Philippine-inspired recipe is your beloved Instant Pot. Red Thai chiles, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and garlic pack flavor, a winning combo with the bone-in, skin-in chicken thighs.

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Spicy Basil Chicken Stir-Fry

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A true crowd-pleaser, this Thai-inspired stir-fry recipe combines chicken thighs with shallots, fresh basil leaves, spicy serrano chile peppers, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. It's so flavorful that we guarantee there will be no leftovers.

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Creamy Lemon Chicken With Spinach and Artichokes

The secret to this rich, comforting one-skillet chicken recipe is the cream cheese, which creates a magical sauce when stirred into the pan juices. The results are rich and satisfying, with less fat than heavy cream.

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Cuban Chicken With Rice and Beans

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A little bit of bacon goes a long way in this recipe. Not only does it add richness to the rice and beans, but it also deepens the flavors of the chicken thighs, which are browned in bacon in an ovenproof skillet.

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Greek-Chicken Pasta

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Lemon juice and zest, plus plenty of fresh dill, brighten this chicken pasta dish. It's inspired by avgolemono, a classic Greek soup that's thickened with eggs instead of cream.

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Creamy Asparagus Chicken

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A splash of cream adds just the right amount of richness to this braised chicken dish with leeks, asparagus, and baby red potatoes. Finish with sprigs of dill.

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Instant Pot Chicken Marbella

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A retro one-dish delight with timeless flavors, this winning chicken dinner offsets salty, briny Castelvetrano olives with sweet, dark prunes. It all comes together in under an hour, thanks to that modern marvel, the Instant Pot,

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Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

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Few dishes are as comforting as a warming bowl of chicken noodle soup. All this one-pot chicken recipe requires is that you simmer the ingredients together on the stove.

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Garlic Chicken With Barley

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This set-it-and-forget-it one-pot chicken recipe uses a slow cooker, which requires more time but less hands-on cooking. A whole chicken is cut into pieces for a garlicky braise, then served on a bed of barley studded with peas and tarragon.

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Chicken and Mushrooms With Egg Noodles

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A one-pot dinner that's elegant enough for company, this dish bathes chicken in a rich cream sauce, offset by egg noodles. The finishing touch: chopped fresh dill and bits of bacon.

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Warm Quinoa and Chicken Salad

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For a taste of spring, quick-cooking quinoa is paired with boneless, skinless chicken breast. Light yet satisfying, this main-course salad is further enhanced with peas and asparagus.

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Chicken-Chile Stew

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Chicken thighs and cannellini beans are the base of this spicy stew that simmers in a Dutch oven. Poblano peppers and chili powder lend just enough subtle heat.

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Roast Chicken With Paprika and Roasted Garlic

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One pot doesn't just mean stews, soups, and skillet dishes. Here, chicken with a paprika-oregano rub is roasted alongside a medley of vegetables on a baking sheet, which cooks the bird faster than a traditional roasting pan.

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Instant-Pot Chicken Curry

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For a chicken curry in a hurry, there's no better small appliance than an Instant Pot. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are spiced with coriander, cumin seeds, and ginger for a whole lot of flavor in a short time.

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Chicken With Sausage and Potatoes

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Turn to your Dutch oven for this robust one-dish chicken recipe. Chicken breasts are teamed with Italian sausage and waxy potatoes, then perked up with red wine vinegar and fresh oregano for a hearty, rib-sticking stew.

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Roasted Chicken With Kale and Tomato Panzanella

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This sheet-pan supper is just a little different and altogether delicious. Chicken thighs and drumsticks are crisped up on the same sheet pan as the crusty bread, lacinato kale, and cherry tomatoes used for the panzanella that's served alongside.

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Pressure-Cooker Coq au Vin

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Take your taste buds on a trip to a French bistro without leaving your kitchen. This chicken dish is made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker in a fraction of the traditional stovetop meal time.

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Chicken and Rice With Swiss Chard

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Chicken legs simmer together with a bounty of vegetables and rice in this versatile recipe. Use parsnips if you don't have carrots or swap out the Swiss chard for spinach—and if you're fresh out of basmati rice, sub in Carolina, converted, or jasmine rice.

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Chicken-and-Broccoli Stir-Fry

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Yes, you can whip up this takeout favorite at home. The sauce couldn't be easier—simply make a slurry with soy sauce, rice vinegar, oyster sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil, then add it to the wok near the end of cooking.

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32 One-Pot Chicken Recipes for Busy Weeknight Dinners (2024)

FAQs

How many meals can I make out of one chicken? ›

1 Chicken = 5 Meals (All gluten free, by the way!)

This would go well served over rice or mashed white or sweet potatoes! I'd love to hear about your ideas of how to stretch a whole chicken and some of your favorite chicken dishes!

How do you make multiple meals out of one chicken? ›

How to make 3 meals from 1 chicken
  1. Roast Chicken with Rich Gravy. Ideally you want to serve that roast chicken with lots of sides so that a couple of slices of chicken will be enough to satisfy everyone. ...
  2. Chicken Fried Rice. ...
  3. Chicken and Vegetable soup.
Apr 11, 2020

How to cook a lot of chicken at once? ›

Use multiple cooking pots: If you need to cook a large amount of chicken, you may need multiple pots, like multiple slow cookers or roasting pans. You'll want to avoid overstuffing a single pot so the chicken can cook evenly and thoroughly.

How much chicken do you feed a crowd? ›

How Much Food to Serve at a Party
FOODSERVE 25SERVE 50
Meats
Chicken or turkey breast8–9 pounds16–18 pounds
Fish (fillets or steaks)7-1/2 pounds15 pounds
Hamburgers6-1/2–9-1/2 pounds13–15 pounds
35 more rows
Apr 1, 2024

Is one chicken enough for 8 people? ›

Whole Chickens and Cornish Game Hens

A whole 3 to 4-pound chicken will feed 4 to 6 people, depending on ages and appetite. For Cornish game hens, which are very small chickens, count on one small (1.25 pounds) game hen per person or half of a larger (2-pound) game hen.

How many chicken breasts should I eat in one meal? ›

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern recommends the average person eat 26 ounces of poultry (including chicken) per week. Per day, this would be roughly the same as eating 3.5 ounces of chicken breast.

How many pieces of chicken to feed 8 people? ›

Here are some general guidelines for popular chicken dishes: Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs:For a main course with boneless, skinless chicken, you might estimate approximately 4-6 ounces of chicken per person.

How do you make chicken last a week? ›

Six chicken recipes to make a roast last a week
  1. Meal 1: Roast chicken. Start the week with an indulgent roast, and serve with lots of seasonal veggie sides. ...
  2. Meal 2: Salad. Use the meat from one leg to make a Chicken salad. ...
  3. Meal 3: Chicken soup. ...
  4. Meal 4: Chicken and rice pie. ...
  5. Meal 5: Stock. ...
  6. Meal 6: Pasta.
Aug 11, 2017

What is the maximum amount of time to cook chicken? ›

The FDA recommends that food be cooled from 135°F to 41°F (57°C to 5°C) in six hours or less. This time limit helps prevent dangerous bacteria growth.

Can you cook chicken for the whole week? ›

Chicken is one of the best meats for meal prep because it's inexpensive and lasts for up to four days in the fridge after you've cooked it, so we're here to make sure that when it comes to chicken, your prep is perfect.

Does chicken get more tender the longer it cooks? ›

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook.

What is the best dinner for night? ›

Masoor Dal soup, 3 Bean/sprouts salad and Tofu or mutton curry with just 2 rotis. Complete with 1 glass chaas. High fibre dinner- When you want meals with high satiety. Kachumber salad (onions turnip cucumber tomato and carrot), brown rice/multi grain rotis with rajmah, Bhindi ki sabzi.

How many meals from one rotisserie chicken? ›

I turned Costco's $5 rotisserie chicken into five easy meals for two people. I like using the chicken to make quesadillas, burrito bowls, and pasta dishes. The chicken is also good to add to baked potatoes and the bones can be used to make a tasty broth.

Can you cook chicken multiple times? ›

Can You Reheat Chicken Twice? Chicken is no different from other meats, and you can reheat it safely two or more times. When you reheat chicken, it is important that you properly heat it the whole way through. Pieces of chicken must be steaming in the middle.

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