25 Chicken Dinners for the Busy Cook

You'll love this easy-to-make weeknight winner featuring tender breaded chicken served over linguine and topped with herbed tomato sauce and melted mozzarella.

Recipe: Champion Chicken Parmesan

Prepare chicken breasts scallopini-style by pounding them into thin, quick-cooking servings, then dredge in lemon juice and breadcrumbs and sauté for about 3 minutes on each side. The white wine sauce with capers complements the flavor of the lemon juice, and makes a great topping for wild rice.

Recipe: Chicken Scallopini

A vibrant six-ingredient pan sauce performs double-duty as a marinade and a vinaigrette in this quick-cooking recipe. The chicken cooks in minutes, and because it's served on top of a salad, there's no real need for side dishes. Just grab a few breadsticks and a glass of tea and enjoy.

Recipe: Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

Serve this flavorful dish in a bowl or wrap in a tortilla for festive Mexican flair. The simple homemade salsa adds spicy flavor and a healthy dose of corn and black beans. This recipe serves one, making it perfect for busy weeknights, and easily scales for two or four servings.

Recipe: Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

Serve this one-pan dish in less than 20 minutes. The rich maple syrup and Dijon mustard sauce is flavored with fresh dill and orange rind, the perfect combination to spice up a basic scallopini-style chicken dinner.

Recipe: Pan-Roasted Chicken Cutlets with Maple-Mustard Dill Sauce

Bring the flavor and ease of cooking outdoors into the kitchen with simple chicken skewers infused with the bright flavors of fresh lemon juice, apricot jam, and dried herbs. They broil in about 10 minutes, just long enough to steam a green veggie and microwave quick-cooking rice.

Recipe: Sweet-and-Sour Chicken-Apricot Skewers

Make this Szechuan restaurant classic in just 30 minutes. The chicken, cut into uniform strips, browns quickly and absorbs the flavor of the zesty hoisin sauce. Serve with quick-cooking white or brown rice.

Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

Bake a hearty chicken dinner with over-the-top flavor in less than 30 minutes. Smoky prosciutto, paired with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, spices up scallopini-style chicken breasts. Steam a side of broccoli and call the family to the table for an impressive dinner.

Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Go ahead, invite last-minute company over on a weeknight. This saucy chicken dish with sweet vermouth, fresh tarragon, and dried cranberrie, is impressively quick and delicious. Brown the chicken in a skillet, then bake in the oven until done. While the chicken bakes, quickly make the fragrant vermouth sauce and let it simmer while you open a bottle of wine or toss a simple salad.

Recipe: Sweet Vermouth Chicken

Cut chicken breasts into strips and pan-fry for a crispy, low-fat version of fried chicken tenders. A simple, six-ingredient dip, flavored with blue cheese, garlic, and red wine, accents the peppery buttermilk batter on the strips. Serve with a side of extra veggies for dipping, and you'll have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes.

Recipe: Chicken Strips with Blue Cheese Dressing

A three-minute dip into a pungent marinade is all that's needed to deliver big flavor to chicken breasts.

Recipe: Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Brown the chicken breasts in the skillet, and then make a tangy Asian-style sauce with soy sauce, sherry vinegar, red pepper flakes and green onions in the same skillet.

Recipe: Chicken with Sherry-Soy Sauce

Fresh and colorful, this main dish chicken salad get its Asian-style flavor from fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili paste. Almonds add crunch and orange sections add sweetness for a well-rounded meal.

Recipe: Asian Chicken Salad

Bake apples alongside the chicken, and then mash the apple for a flavorful, chunky sauce. To enhance the rustic nature of the dish, leave some of the peel on the apples.

Recipe: Chicken Thighs with Roasted Apples and Garlic

Make everybody in the family happy by serving pizza for dinner. Top with roasted chicken, tomato chutney and diced tomato to achieve easy barbecue chicken flavor.

Recipe: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Combine sweet, smoky, and salty flavors in this easy version of a classic Moroccan stew.

Recipe: Chicken Butternut Tagine

Navy beans, chicken and canned tomatoes make this main dish soup hearty and satisfying, and chipotle chile gives it a rich smoky flavor.

Recipe: Chipotle Chicken and Tomato Soup

Adding cornstarch to the tangy sweet lime sauce gives it a silky texture, and a small amount of butter contributes to the richness.

Recipe: Chicken with Lime Sauce

Combine colorful fresh veggies, herbs, pasta and shredded chicken for a nutrient-packed main dish salad. This one-dish meal is a great way to use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.

Recipe: Chicken-Penne Salad with Green Beans

Pile grilled chicken, feta cheese, refried beans, and homemade slaw on top of a crunchy tortilla shell for a simple dinner that's ready in a hurry.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Tostadas

Keep chicken, pasta, and canned tomatoes on hand so that you can toss this easy dinner together at any time. You can use any type of small pasta in place of penne.

Recipe: Penne and Chicken Tenderloins with Spiced Tomato Sauce

Add a little Asian flair to your dinner with this chilled noodle main dish featuring udon noodles and chicken flavored with rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and chili paste.

Recipe: Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Cucumbers

The delicate flavor of marjoram is ideal with the pan-cooked chicken, mushrooms and green onions in this 5-ingredient main dish. Serve with refrigerated mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Recipe: Mushroom-Herb Chicken

Five ingredients and 11 minutes is all you need to get this flavorful chicken entrée on the table. Serve with a quick-cooking barley or rice salad for a super-quick dinner.

Recipe: Tarragon Chicken

Spice up boneless, skinless chicken thighs with chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and ground red pepper–ingredients which you probably already have in your pantry.

Recipe: Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs