26 Chicken Skillet Dinners for Hectic Weeknights

Succulent, crispy-skinned thighs, vibrant veggies, and pillowy potato dumplings, all dressed in a luscious lemon-butter pan sauce—really, what more could you ask for? Treat yourself to a chicken dinner that’s 100% as impressive as it sounds. It’s not one of those “ready-in-15-minutes” meals, but it is a plate you’ll be happy you pulled together after a weekend trip to the farmers’ market. 

Our Skillet Chicken Breast with Beans and Greens is truly a one pan wonder. Our Test Kitchen came up with this tasty, family friendly chicken dinner which comes together in a single skillet. Packed with protein, loaded with fiber, and just 390 calories per serving, Skillet Chicken with Beans and Greens makes a healthy dinner any night of the week. This recipe is oh-so-versatile too—swap out the turnip greens for collards or kale. Use pinto beans, black beans, or chickpeas instead of cannellini beans. You can make this meal even heartier by serving the chicken and vegetables over cooked rice, whole grains (like quinoa, brown rice, or farro) or orzo pasta. Whatever you do, don’t forget to add a dash or two of hot pepper vinegar at the end. The tang and heat of this Southern pantry staple makes the dish sing, and also adds tons of flavor while keeping the dish light and fresh.

This elegant single-skillet meal for two is deceptively easy to make. Ready in under an hour, this skillet chicken dinner includes your protein (perfectly golden-crisp chicken thighs), green veggies (peas and asparagus), a starch (baby Yukon gold potatoes), and a whole lot of vibrant flavor (hello, shallot vinaigrette). A great recipe for anyone cooking for one or two, this easy weeknight chicken dinner is one you’re sure to come back to again and again. 

It doesn't get much easier, or more satisfying: a complete dinner in one pan in half an hour. Lemon brightens this hearty chicken and potatoes dinner.

This single-skillet recipe is impressive enough to make it company-worthy, but easy enough to make on a weeknight. It’s important to minimize moving the chicken and the onions as they cook in order to help them brown nicely and to reduce the chance of their releasing excess liquid into the pan. Pro tip: Keep a clean bowl or sheet tray handy when you’re making a single skillet meal such as this; that way, you can easily take items out of the pan and set aside as needed. 

Lean chicken breasts cook quickly--in just 15 minutes compared to the hour-long braise in most cacciatore recipes. If you'd like more heat in the sauce, kick up the crushed red pepper to 1/2 teaspoon.

Here's a saucy, creamy pasta dish without a lick of cream or milk and only a wee bit of cheese. The trick is to cook the pasta like risotto, which releases starch into the liquid that becomes the sauce. The toasting step adds nutty, rich character and is a step we don't advise skipping.

We’ve combined one of our favorite comfort foods with our favorite kitchen staple: a skillet. This Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Leeks and Mushrooms is creamy and flavorful. The chicken starts out in the slow cooker allowing it to develop rich flavors. Don’t forget reserve the stock from the chicken. It is the perfect addition to the creamy sauce for the pot pie.

Combine 4 cups romaine lettuce with 2 tablespoons chopped red onion and bottled vinaigrette for a quick side.

This rustic one-pot meal, a company's-coming riff on the old-school chicken-and-rice number, is held together by a tangy gravy flavored with country ham and mushrooms. Nutty wild rice helps sop up all the good chicken gravy.

A homemade yogurt sauce and simple chicken strips come together to make an over-the-top good Mediterranean meal at home. Serve with a simple side salad.

The tiniest bit of sugar helps the avocado halves char in the pan, adding robust toasty flavor.

Building incredible flavor in a single skillet is one of the smart tricks pro cooks use to get food on the table fast. That said, you’ll actually need 2 skillets—a 12-inch nonstick for cooking and a 10-inch cast-iron for weight—to make this fabulous chicken-under-a-brick inspired dinner. The heavy cast-iron acts as your “brick,” which is essential to getting glorious crispy skin and helps speed up the cooking. You could also use a large brick or tile wrapped in aluminum foil for the same effect. The result is super juicy chicken, with ridiculously crisp skin, ready in a fraction of the time it would typically take to cook whole chicken breasts on the stovetop. And once you throw marinara saucy and melty mozzarella into the mix… well, you’ve got a weeknight recipe the family is going to beg for again and again. Serve the completed saucy-cheesy chicken over pasta or on toasted hoagie rolls.  

Try this quick, playful spin to turn pizza night on its head—in a good way. You get all the creamy goodness of chicken potpie, in a fun, eat-with-your-hands way that kids will love. Grown-ups will dig it, too, especially if you offer hot sauce at the table. Cooking the pizza in a preheated cast-iron skillet makes the crust wonderfully crispy so that it doesn’t sog out when the creamy sauce goes on. Be sure to use only 10 ounces of dough (though you’ll likely have to purchase in a 1-pound or larger ball); save the remaining dough to make breadsticks the next night.

Yes! You can make chicken and rice in 20 minutes. When a craving for comfort food hits and you need it in a hurry, this fast take on chicken and rice hits the spot. Stirring chopped baby spinach into warm brown rice is a smart way to get more vegetables and jazz up an otherwise plain starchy side. Our pro tips for speedy cooking: Cut chicken into bite-size pieces so it cooks in just a few minutes, use precooked rice and heat it in the microwave, then use the hot rice to wilt the spinach for you while you finish the chicken. Fresh thyme, chopped basil, or parsley are all good stand-ins for the rosemary. Round out the meal with a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Escarole is amped up with a salty kick from fish sauce and pecorino and is brightened with sweet, crunchy carrots.

You’ll be delighted by the incredible results from this one-pot wonder: tender bulgur, creamy feta, and moist chicken. You don’t even need a sauce since there’s so much flavor in the pan. It’s a complete meal, though you could serve with a side salad if you’d like. Though you can swap dried oregano for fresh if you don’t have fresh on hand, we strongly urge you to stick with the fresh dill flourish at the end; it adds a burst of herbal goodness that you just won’t get from dried. If you don’t have a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, you can use any other medium-sized ovenproof skillet.

Chicken and pasta recipe flavored with Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese 

This dish is perfect for easing into fall and comes together in one pan to boot. To make the September 2016 cover recipe, use 4 (6-ounce) bone-in pork chops in place of chicken thighs. The thighs will finish cooking in the apple mixture, and the flavors will combine beautifully as they sit in the pot.

With this dish, you'll get the flavor of barbecue without having to fire up the grill. Two of the best features of this easy chicken dish are that it dresses up a store-bought barbecue sauce and everything is cooked in the same skillet. Use presliced onion and bell pepper to make preparing this meal even faster.

A tasty spin on chicken and noodles, with less than 5 ingredients! Chicken, smoky Petite Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle along with egg noodles. Try it Midwestern style over mashed potatoes…you’ll thank us later!

No chicken collection is complete without a potpie. You can substitute diced Yukon Gold potatoes and kale or chard for the turnips and turnip greens.

A tasty recipe for an easy one-skillet dish of chicken breast pieces, brown rice and Alexia potatoes and vegetables.

Learn how to make this fresh and vibrant 35-minute Skillet Chicken with Roasted Potatoes dish for dinner tonight. The bright flavors of lemon and the smooth notes of a rich sauce accompany chicken, potatoes, and carrots in this easy and hearty one-pan supper.

If you’re in need of a simple, tasty dish that works for a weeknight meal, consider that need fulfilled. This skillet dish is effortless to throw together and super customizable—you can use black beans or kidney beans instead of pinto. If you’re not in the mood for chicken, try shredded pulled pork from your favorite BBQ place. You can tailor the toppings as you see fit, so keep an open imagination. Serving is simple: just put everything on the table and let everyone make their own tacos.