18 Comfort Food Chicken Dinners For Any Weeknight

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Chances are high that you always have chicken breasts on hand, even if you have to pull them out of the freezer. That means you always have a large variety of comfort dinners that you can choose from for dinner. Chicken is so versatile, you can use it in any type of cuisine and have a delicious meal as your end result. Here are 18 delicious chicken dinners that you can make any time for an amazing dinner that the whole family will love. 

1. Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Breasts

Two BBQ chicken breasts on a white plate, topped with sliced green onions.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Did you forget to set some chicken out of the freezer for dinner this morning? That’s not a problem thanks to the Instant Pot. You can have these Instant Pot BBQ chicken breasts on the dinner table in about an hour. Serve your perfectly cooked chicken breasts with some veggies and dinner is done. 

2. Orange Chicken

A closeup of orange chicken garnished with sliced green onions and laying on a bed of rice.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Orange chicken is a Chinese takeout favorite, but this homemade version is much healthier while still incredibly flavorful. The chicken pieces are tossed in a sweet and sticky orange sauce, which gives them an amazing flavor you’ll want to enjoy again and again.

3. Baked Chicken Marinara

A bowl of baked marinara chicken over a zucchini noodles sitting on a table.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you want convenience without giving up on flavor, try this baked chicken marinara for dinner. Dress up some chicken breasts with a delicious, clean jarred sauce, top with freshly grated parm, and serve over your favorite noodles.

4. Taco Chicken With Zucchini Pasta

Taco chicken on zucchini noodles, on a white plate, on a table.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Taco chicken with zucchini pasta is a delicious, low-carb meal that even carb eaters will enjoy. The chicken has tons of taco flavor, but this dish is very low-carb, making it the perfect choice for anyone counting carbs.

5. Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken Dinner

An overhead view looking down onto a sheet pan filled with a Sheet Pan Mexican Chicken Dinner.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This sheet pan Mexican chicken dinner is an easy one-pan meal that can be eaten as is with rice and beans or shredded and put into tacos or burritos.

6. Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts

A single Italian chicken rollup on a plate, topped with parmesan cheese.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

These Italian stuffed chicken breasts are a delicious way to enjoy chicken for dinner. You’ll get a dose of veggies from the zucchini and a good portion of tasty, cheesy flavor from the parmesan. It’s a delicious combination.

7. Bell Pepper Chicken

A skillet filled with bell pepper chicken.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Bell pepper chicken is a delicious skillet meal you can make in minutes. It cooks up quickly and has tons of flavor, and you can serve it with rice, mixed into pasta, or enjoy it all by itself.

8. Lemon Caper Chicken

An up close view of a chicken breast in a skillet being lifted out by a wooden spoon.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you love chicken piccata, this simple recipe is a great way to make it at home. Lemon caper chicken has a great savory flavor that has a little tang from the capers. It’s wonderful with mashed potatoes.

9. Air Fryer Chicken Breasts

An air fryer chicken breast cut in half, showing the stuffing on the inside.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

These air fryer chicken breasts are stuffed with nothing but pure flavor. They are well-seasoned and have some cheesy goodness in the middle. They are perfect for serving with rice and veggies.

10. Healthy Kung Pao Chicken

A white bowl holds a serving of kung pao chicken and is garnished with peanuts.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This healthy version of Kung Pao chicken is better than the stuff you get at a restaurant. And if you want to reduce the fat content even further, you can “fry” this in chicken broth instead of oil to lower the fat and calories.

11. Healthy Enchiladas

Homemade chicken enchiladas in a white casserole dish.
Photo Credit: Arina P Habich/Shutterstock.

They might not look like much, but these are some of the most authentic-tasting healthy enchiladas you’ll find. The made-from-scratch sauce is the secret to the amazing flavors of this dish. Don’t let the looks fool you. Make this immediately.

12. Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

A wooden bowl holds rice topped with slow cooker Hawaiian Chicken
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Love tropical flavors? This slow cooker Hawaiian chicken is a great way to bring those flavors to your dinner tables. Lean cuts of chicken, fresh pieces of pineapple, and some red bell pepper, all served over rice.

13. Chicken Korma

A small white bowl holds a serving of chicken korma.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

If you love Indian flavors, this chicken korma should definitely be on your to-cook list. It has all the classic flavors you love in Indian food, made with all-natural ingredients that are wonderful over a bowl of brown rice or with a side of naan.

14. Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken

A white crock filled with Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken, sits on a wood surface next to a white towel.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Southwestern flavors can be a fun option for dinner. They seem to go over well with people of all ages and usually make for a flavorful, filling meal. This slow cooker Southwestern chicken is no exception, and dinner will cook itself in the slow cooker.

15. Mexican Chicken And Beans

A white fluted bowl holds Mexican Chicken and Beans.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

You can enjoy this Mexican chicken and beans by itself, in tacos, or burritos. Pair it with Mexican rice and refried beans to round out the meal.

16. Mexican Chicken Skewers

Chicken skewers filled with taco chicken, bell peppers and onions for tacos.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This wonderful Mexican chicken skewer dish is great straight off the barbecue this summer. Eat it as is, or remove everything from the skewers after cooking and use it as a taco filling or burrito filling.

17. Sheet Pan Chicken And Cauliflower

A sheet pan full of cauliflower and chicken breasts.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Try this sheet pan chicken and cauliflower recipe for dinner tonight, or simply use all frozen ingredients to stock up your freezer with it for a fast and easy, busy weeknight meal.

18. Cinnamon Carrots And Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

A sheet pan from overhead filled with carrots and two chicken breasts.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

This cinnamon carrots and chicken sheet pan dinner is a simple, easy way to get a healthy dinner on the table. You can use all frozen ingredients if you wish, which makes it a great option for prepping ahead of time. Just dump everything on a baking pan, and dinner will come out of the oven an hour or so later. Serve with a side of rice to round out the meal.

More From The Gracious Pantry

A dutch oven with a cooked whole chicken topped with rosemary twigs.
Photo Credit: The Gracious Pantry.

Need more dinner ideas? These can help. Chicken and turkey are very versatile foods that can be used to create an unlimited number of dinners. Here are 118 ideas to get you started.

Author: Tiffany McCauley

Title: Food and Travel Journalist

Expertise: Food, cooking, travel

Bio:

Tiffany McCauley is a nationally syndicated journalist and an award-winning cookbook author and food blogger. She has been featured on MSN, Huffington Post, Country Living Magazine, HealthLine, Redbook, and many more. Her food specialty is healthy comfort food recipes.

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