30+ Incredibly Easy Baked Chicken Recipes

Slow-Baked Chicken Thighs with Tomato, Fennel, and Lemon Recipe

Meet your new Sunday supper--a dish that's great on the weekend, when you have more time for the pleasures of slow cooking. Serve on crusty toast slabs or a bed of pasta. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper if you'd like a little kick.

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Vegetables Recipe

This pretty skillet supper tastes (and smells) as good as it looks. Choose small chicken thighs, which tend to be juicier and more flavorful than large ones. Serve with plenty of crusty bread on the side for mopping up the pan sauce.

Nashville Hot Chicken Bake Recipe

If you’re craving hot chicken but don’t feel like doing the work, try this quick and fun dish. It’s spicy with hints of sweetness, with juicy and flavorful chicken and crunchy bread topping. 

Baked Chicken Moussaka Recipe

This Greek dish is similar to lasagna, but it's traditionally layered with eggplant, tomatoes, ground beef or lamb, and a béchamel sauce. Our lightened version for the Cooking Light Diet calls for ground chicken, using a mix of light and dark meat for added richness, and a yogurt-based sauce. Brown the chicken well; most of the rich, meaty flavor comes from that step. Serve the casserole with a Greek salad and toasted whole-wheat pita.

Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake Recipe

Cheese-filled tortellini and a chopped pecan topping add extra flavor to kid-friendly Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake, while broccoli and red bell pepper contribute pops of color throughout this one-dish meal.

Chicken-and-Kale Alfredo Bake Recipe

A creamy, Parmesan-laced sauce is a no-brainer for an easy, cheesy pasta bake. Skip the jar and make your own with sautéed shallot and fresh lemon, picking up all the flavor from the same pan used to cook the chicken. If you have yet to try whole-grain pasta, this dish is a fantastic introduction: The noodles hold up nicely throughout boiling and baking and won’t overwhelm the dish with a strong wheat flavor. Keep whole-wheat panko in your pantry as your new all-purpose breadcrumb; the light, crisp texture will make an excellent crust for fish fillets or chicken breasts.

Baked Chicken Tortillas Recipe

Serve this veggie-packed baked chicken tortilla to your family for a quick weeknight dinner. It cooks up in just 15 minutes. Add cheese at the end of baking so it has time to melt.

King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole Recipe

This ain't your mama's chicken casserole. The comfort food classic gets a modern, nutrient-dense makeover with the addition of quinoa. Beyond being warm, cheesy, and generally delightful, this flavor-packed casserole is loaded with protein and is sure to become a new family favorite. 

Simple Sheet Pan Chicken And Veggies Recipe

Comforting, savory, and satisfying, this sheet pan chicken dinner is perfect for weeknights. The chicken has a crispy, slightly salty skin with a juicy, tender interior. Meanwhile, the vegetables get lightly bathed in the chicken’s buttery juices. Feel free to cut up and use any leftover veggies you have—this recipe is all about technique. Line the baking sheet with foil for the fastest after-dinner cleanup ever. 

Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs with Green Beans and Potatoes  Recipe

Looking for a sheet pan meal that’s just as delicious as it is seamless? These tender, juicy sheet pan chicken thighs have just enough bbq sauce glaze to make them super tasty and beautiful. The potatoes get cooked until they’re tender in the middle, but crispy on the outside, and the green beans cook while the glaze achieves perfection. Everything comes together in an hour, and cleanup is a breeze. Be sure to section off the sheet pan and make enough room for each ingredient so you won’t have to waste time or oven heat. 

Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots Recipe

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a sheet pan supper that’s high on flavor and low on cleanup. This tangy sheet pan chicken supper gets a little kick from cayenne pepper that’s balanced in the sauce with caramelized grapes. Roasted cauliflower and carrots offer a savory touch to the dinner, while couscous makes it hearty and healthy. Since the chicken is bone-in, it takes a little longer to roast than thin filets; but the amount of flavor in the end is more than worth it! The seedless grapes are definitely the secret ingredient in this dish. They melt and caramelize while roasting, adding a subtle hint of sweetness to the sauce.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts Recipe

If you need a break from chicken tenders, try this no-fuss, kid-friendly meal that will also please the adults around the table. The creamy sauce is a delicious companion to the chicken and potatoes, and it can be used as a salad dressing as well. Choose pieces of center-cut, not thick-cut bacon because they will wrap around the chicken more easily.

Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Two spice rack staples—cinnamon and nutmeg—give this chicken a wonderful depth of flavor, and fresh tomatoes, lemons, and herbs add zest. Buy bone-in chicken breasts that are about the same size so that they cook evenly.

Chicken Thighs and BBQ Beans Recipe

This chicken recipe, from Atlanta chef Todd Richards’ cookbook Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes, is a favorite in his family. “This is inspired by the beans my dad made as a side dish when he grilled for celebrations during the summer,” says Richards. “He always made too much so we’d have leftover beans, and this recipe does the same.”

Chicken-and-Kale Alfredo Bake Recipe

A creamy, Parmesan-laced sauce is a no-brainer for an easy, cheesy pasta bake. Skip the jar and make your own with sautéed shallot and fresh lemon, picking up all the flavor from the same pan used to cook the chicken. If you have yet to try whole-grain pasta, this dish is a fantastic introduction: The noodles hold up nicely throughout boiling and baking and won’t overwhelm the dish with a strong wheat flavor. Keep whole-wheat panko in your pantry as your new all-purpose breadcrumb; the light, crisp texture will make an excellent crust for fish fillets or chicken breasts.

Mini Chicken Potpies Recipe

Filled with tender sweet potato, meaty mushrooms, and shredded chicken, these personal potpies are a one-dish meal your family will love. Let the puff pastry thaw in the fridge for about 45 minutes before using.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

If you’d like to make this comforting dish ahead of time, you can freeze the unbaked casserole up to three months. Let it thaw completely; top with Parmesan and panko, then bake at 350°F until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole Recipe

Loaded out cheesy, chicken, and potato casserole is as easy as 1-2-3. For lighter and more sensitive palates, reduce the hot sauce measurement by half.
 

Super Crispy Chicken-Skin Nachos Recipe

For a show-stopping appetizer, these unlikely nachos are just what you need. If you have a local market that butchers their own meat, they will likely be able to sell you chicken skins for cheap. You can use either the thigh skins or the breast skins here, both will work great. Drying the chicken skins with paper towels and sandwiching them between two pans is the key to getting them flat and crispy (without the second pan weighing them down, youe skins would shrivel up). Do note, after step 1 in the recipe below (i.e. cooking the skins for 35-40 minutes, they may very well be crisped and ready to go) which allows you to skip step 2 entirely. Continue to cook the skins uncovered only if they aren't quite browned and crisp, but keep a close eye on them so they do not burn. You can cook these in mulitple batches if you don’t have enough pans to make them in a single batch, but watch the second round of chicken skins closely because it will probably cook faster. 

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole Recipe

Don't Stir!

Best Damn Chicken Pot Pie  Recipe

The name says it all—this pot pie is damn delicious! This crowd-winning chicken pot pie recipe comes from Julie Grimes’s $10 Dinners: Delicious Meals for a Family of 4 that Don't Break the Bank; grab a copy today for more budget-friendly recipes that taste like a million bucks. 

Mexican Chili Verde Chicken Casserole Recipe

This casserole is a favorite in our test kitchen and it's easy to see why. It's delicious, family friendly and easy to prep. You might want to double this recipe—you're going to want leftovers. 

Bacon-and-Sage-Wrapped Chicken Breasts Recipe

These juicy chicken breasts are wrapped with bacon and sage—and make a mouthwatering dinner option. They're even more delicious alongside mashed potatoes and crunchy green beans.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Brown Rice Casserole Recipe

This healthy whole-grain spin on a comfort food classic is indulgent, creamy, and a guaranteed family-pleaser. Cost for 4: $10.31

Curry-Roasted Chicken Thighs Recipe

Be sure to rub the paste under the skin to keep it from sticking or burning.

Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake Recipe

Cheese-filled tortellini and a chopped pecan topping add extra flavor to kid-friendly Pasta-Chicken-Broccoli Bake, while broccoli and red bell pepper contribute pops of color throughout this one-dish meal.

Paprika-Rubbed Sheet-Tray Chicken Recipe

Roman also uses this paprika rub to smear on pork roasts or to marinate chicken.

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Although the yellow and green squash give this chicken and rice casserole a colorful appearance, you can use one or the other, if you prefer.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce Recipe

Are you ready for the best chicken enchiladas of your life? While you could use a rotisserie chicken for this cheesy enchilada recipe, poaching chicken breasts in a delicately flavored liquid both creates succulently tender meat (that won’t dry out as the casserole bakes) and adds another layer of flavor to the dish. The key to successful poaching is temperature control; you want to keep your poaching liquid from ever reaching a boil. In fact, you should aim to keep the water at a state of releasing wispy spouts of steam from the surface, but never bubbling, throughout the entirety of the cooking process. (It’s not nearly as intense/difficult as it seems.) You should also try to purchase chicken breasts that are roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate. While the total prep time on this recipe isn’t exactly what you might consider “speedy,” it’s a fun dish to prepare and assemble with another helper in the kitchen. Prep a pan (or two, so you have one for the freezer!) on Sunday to enjoy heading into a new week. Featuring smoky ancho chili powder and some of the poaching liquid, the homemade enchilada sauce is another distinguishing delight of this dish; however, if you’re looking to shave time off of the recipe, you can substitute store-bought sauce. And if you opt to use rotisserie or leftover chicken as a shortcut, but still want to make your sauce from scratch, simply substitute water and/or chicken stock for the liquid called for. 

Chicken Chili Pot Pie Recipe

This hearty and comforting chicken chili is made with poblano chiles and butternut squash. You can make individual servings in 10-ounce ramekins or one large pot pie using a 3-quart baking dish. Either way, everyone will love the puffed, cheesy cilantro-grits crust.

Hawaiian Chicken Casserole Recipe

This delicious throwback dish offers an indulgent balance of sweet and savory the whole family is sure to love. Opting for frozen, crispy breaded chicken tenders keeps this casserole fast and easy to prepare, and combats your saucy chicken from becoming soggy. Fresh bursts of flavor from pineapple and scallions brighten up the entire dish. If you want to lighten this casserole a bit, you can swap the chicken for peeled and deveined shrimp. 

Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole Recipe

Wild rice is wonderfully fragrant; it’s the perfect counter to the creamy, earthy mushroom mixture and has enough texture that the grains won’t bloat or fall apart in the casserole. Simmer 11/2 cups rice in 6 cups water for 45 minutes and drain. You can also use 1 (13-ounce) package frozen cooked wild rice, such as Engine 2, which is sold at Whole Foods. Cook the mushroom mixture on the stove while the chicken finishes in the oven (use the same casserole dishes to avoid extra clean up). Serve with simply sautéed green beans or a mixed greens salad.

Cake Pan Tuscan Chicken Dinner Recipe

A 9x13-inch pan is the perfect cooking vessel for this fresh and satisfying meal. Perfectly golden-crisp chicken thighs flavor the bean and vegetable mixture beneath them with rich, savory juices as they cook. This simple-to-prep entree is sure to be a fast family favorite.