10 Fast and Easy Chicken Dinners Perfect for Any Weeknight

This chicken parmesan is calling your name. You know it.

Can’t decide what’s for dinner tonight? Allow us to make a suggestion: chicken. The bird makes a super-speedy, ultra-easy dinner choice for countless reasons: It’s relatively inexpensive, naturally lower in saturated fat than red meat and generally a crowd favorite. Whether you’re in the mood for hearty paprikash, a spicy Southeast Asian soup or tangy lettuce wraps, we’ve got tonight’s menu covered—and chicken is the star of the show.

Tequila-Lime Chicken Tacos with Radish-Avocado Salad The longer you can marinate the chicken for these fresh-tasting tacos, the better their flavor will be. Watermelon radishes make the dish especially pretty, but if you can’t find them, substitute French or regular radishes, which taste almost exactly the same.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Larb is a beloved Southeast Asian salad that can be made with almost any type of minced meat. Here, we use ground chicken and wrap the savory meat mixture in lettuce leaves for a fresh and light take on this dish. For a casual dinner, place the chicken mixture, lettuce leaves and garnishes on the table and let diners help themselves.

Chicken Parmesan with Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach This updated classic includes lots of vegetables, making it a nutritious meal that both kids and grown-ups will enjoy, especially when it’s served with warm bread or buttered spaghetti. Spoon any excess marinara sauce in the bottom of the baking dish around the chicken breasts to keep the meat moist during cooking. To ensure the bread crumb coating doesn’t become soggy, serve this dish right out of the oven.

Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash The deep, rich color and slightly piquant flavor of paprika lays the groundwork for this classic Hungarian stew, which is traditionally served over hot cooked egg noodles. If your slow cooker doesn’t have a flameproof insert, brown the chicken and sauté the onions and bell peppers in a Dutch oven or large sauté pan, then transfer the contents of the deglazed pan and the chicken to a slow cooker to finish cooking.

Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas Making homemade enchiladas doesn’t have to be time-consuming, especially if you start with shredded cooked chicken that’s left over from last Sunday’s supper or purchased at your market. If you’d like to use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas, wrap the stack of tortillas in aluminum foil and slip them in the preheated oven until they are pliable, about 5 minutes. Corn tortillas fold more easily when they’re heated.

Grilled Chicken, Mango and Green Onion Tacos Sweet and fragrant, mangoes are even more luscious and juicy when they are heated on the grill, which caramelizes their sugars. For the most flavorful dish, choose a mango that is fragrant and is slightly soft when you squeeze it. Like an avocado, mangoes continue to ripen after they are picked, so make sure you buy them ahead of time.

Sautéed Chicken with Mustard-Tarragon Cream Sauce The most important trick to mastering the art of sautéing is to never crowd the pan.  Take the time to sauté your food in batches so that it cooks evenly and caramelizes beautifully. Serve this chicken with brown or white rice mixed with chopped fresh parsley and a salad alongside.

Grilled Chicken Taco Salad with Avocado Dressing Here, the ubiquitous taco salad gets an update with the addition of a flavorful dressing made from creamy avocado and flavorful cilantro. If it’s still too cold for grilling outdoors, you can grill the chicken and corn on an indoor grill pan for similarly delicious results.

Chicken Piccata with Artichokes In this recipe chicken piccata, a traditional Italian dish that typically consists of thin chicken cutlets that are pan-fried and topped with a pan sauce made with lemon juice and capers, is updated with the addition of meaty artichoke hearts. For extra vegetables, add a few handfuls of fresh spinach along with the capers.

Thai Green Chicken Curry with Asparagus Thai green curry paste has a bold, concentrated taste and heat. Tempered by rich, creamy coconut milk, it makes a fragrant sauce for chicken, asparagus and fragrant Thai basil.