20 Recipes That Will Make You (Really!) Excited to Eat Chicken

Chicken is a go-to protein for a reason: It’s cheap and healthy, easy and versatile. But it doesn’t have a reputation for being the most exciting thing to make for dinner. If chicken boredom has set in, we have you covered with our chicken recipes mega-list. Whatever you have in the fridge, be it leftover rotisserie chicken, ground chicken, chicken thighs, or boneless skinless chicken breasts, there’s something here for you.

From a healthier chicken broccoli casserole (with vegan alfredo!) to creamy butter chicken, here are 20 recipes that will make you excited to eat chicken.

1. Whole 30 Chicken Broccoli Casserole from Downshiftology

This version of chicken broccoli casserole takes all the classic components and makes them lighter and healthier — so you don’t feel like a block of cheese afterward. The secret? Vegan Alfredo sauce. It takes 45 minutes to make, but it’ll go even quicker if you have a rotisserie chicken or pre-shredded chicken on hand.

Photo Credit: Isabel Eats

2. Easy Crockpot Chicken Breast Fajitas from Isabel Eats

This recipe takes a little over 4 hours; however, you can easily set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours instead. Being able to adjust the cooking time according to your to-do list is probably the next best thing since, well, slow cookers were invented.

Photo Credit: The Defined Dish

3. The Best Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata from The Defined Dish

If you’re on a budget, but still want to get a little fancy look no further than this sheet pan chicken piccata, which will send your taste buds on a magical journey.

Photo Credit: Eating Bird Food

4. Egg Roll in a Bowl from Eating Bird Food

Whoever first came up with deconstructing an egg roll and putting it in a bowl deserves an award. There are many variations out there, but this one is a real crowd-pleaser. You’ll definitely want to batch cook so you have meals throughout the week!

Photo Credit: Life Made Keto

5. Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken from Life Made Keto

We like to swap out the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk, and it’s just as good, if not better! Bonus: you can easily shred this chicken and use it in on salad or in soups for lunch the next day.

Photo Credit: Minimalist Baker

6. Grain-Free Burrito Bowls with Shredded Mexican Chicken from Minimalist Baker

If you need to get dinner on the table freaky fast, make this chicken recipe. If you have a precooked, rotisserie chicken in the fridge, you can make this recipe even quicker. And get ready to have your world rocked with this southwestern burrito bowl.

Photo Credit: Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

7. Gluten-Free Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

If you’re looking for something lighter, but still substantial for dinner, this recipe hits the mark. It’s also a great dish to prep ahead for easy WFH lunches.

Photo Credit: Ambitious Kitchen

8. Baked Paleo Chicken Tenders from Ambitious Kitchen

Sometimes you want chicken fingers. After making this recipe, you’ll never think about chicken fingers in the frozen section at the grocery store again.

Photo Credit: 40 Aprons

9. Whole30 Indian Butter Chicken from 40 Aprons

This delicious and filling recipe is full of flavor, Whole30-friendly, and takes just 30 minutes to cook. Enough said.

Photo Credit: Rachael’s Good Eats

10. New & Improved Quesadillas from Rachael’s Good Eats

If you have a couple of chicken breasts or a cooked rotisserie chicken in the fridge, do yourself a favor and make this recipe. It takes 10 minutes to cook and you’ll be amazed at how flavorful it is. It pairs well with homemade guacamole.

Photo Credit: Half-Baked Harvest

11. Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken With Chickpeas And Sweet Potatoes from Half-Baked Harvest

This flavorful recipe takes less than an hour from start to finish, with barely any dishes. Sounds too good to be true, right? Make this recipe and see just how great it is for yourself!

Photo Credit: What’s Gaby Cooking

12. Thai Chicken Coconut Curry from What’s Gaby Cooking

This Thai coconut curry recipe is an easy, but exciting one-pot meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes. It’s also super versatile, so you can customize it to your liking.

Photo Credit: Gathered Nutrition

13. Paleo Chicken Tortillaless Soup from Gathered Nutrition

A word of advice: Don’t skimp on the toppings! Load it up with sliced avocado, cilantro, lime, jalapeños, or whatever you’re feeling.

Photo Credit: Nom Nom Paleo

14. Ginger-Scallion Chicken from Nom Nom Paleo

If you’ve never cooked with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, don’t be intimidated! It gives the meat more flavor. Combine that with the simple but crazy-flavorful ingredients and you have a weeknight dish that tastes like a treat.

Photo Credit: Unbound Wellness

15. Bacon-Ranch Chicken Poppers from Unbound Wellness

These easy, healthy chicken nuggets are baked instead of fried and they’re also grain-free. Plus, there’s even some carrots involved.

Photo Credit: Wholesomelicious

16. Slow-Cooker Chicken Marsala from Wholesomelicious

This classic, restaurant-quality chicken dinner is made simple with the slow cooker. Cauliflower rice or zoodles and a salad are all you need to round out the plate.

Photo Credit: Joyful Healthy Eats

17. Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowls from Joyful Healthy Eats

Anything good is better with buffalo hot sauce on it, are we right? Definitely true in this dish, where it transforms a humble grain bowl into something to get excited about.

Photo Credit: Gimme Delicious

18. 15-Minute Healthy Roasted Chicken and Veggies from Gimme Delicious

Everything goes on a single sheet pan to make this easy, healthy dish that’s also loaded with flavor. Did we mention clean-up is also a breeze?

Photo Credit: The Modern Proper

19. Curried Chicken Salad from The Modern Proper

We hate to choose favorites, but we have a thing for curried chicken salad. It’s incredible what a little bit of curry powder can do for something that’s normally so simple! This recipe also uses Greek yogurt as a creamy base to lighten things up, and includes golden raisins and celery for some added texture.

Photo Credit: Damn Delicious

20. Honey-Balsamic Chicken Breast from Damn Delicious

Marinating the chicken overnight is the secret to making the sheet pan dinner super-tasty. Tomatoes, potatoes, and asparagus make it a complete dinner.