30 Creative Chicken Dinner Recipes (2024)

Created by the students of Tilden Career Community Academy

This recipe was part of the healthy menu that won the 2009 Cooking Up Change healthy school lunch contest.

Get the recipe for Chicken–Vegetable Jambalaya

Created by Laura Pensiero

This chicken's got it all: sweetness, tang and a bevy of nutrients.

Get the recipe for Citrus Pomegranate Chicken over Whole Wheat Couscous

Recipe created by Jessica Seinfeld

Do you know any kid who doesn't like chicken nuggets? "Just don't tell them what's hidden inside!" says Jessica Seinfeld, author of Double Delicious!

Get the recipe for Chicken Nuggets (with Broccoli or Spinach or Sweet Potato or Beet)

Recipe from Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook

During Season 1 of Bravo's reality cooking show Top Chef, contestants were challenged to serve three plates of high-protein, high-carb, low-fat food for the cast of Cirque du Soleil's Kà. Challenge yourself in your own kitchen using this recipe!

Get the recipe for Harold's Pan-Roasted Chicken with Potato Gnocchi

Recipe created by Rori Trovato

A classic marriage of flavors gets updated in these chicken liver crostini topped with a sweet-sour marmalade of caramelized onions, balsamic vinegar and sherry. Eat a few slices with a side salad as a meal, or skip the salad and pass it around as an appetizer at your next dinner party.

Get the recipe for Caramelized Onion and Sherry Marmalade on Chicken Liver Crostini

This recipe is part of our fresh spring dinner party menu.

Recipe from Biggest Loser Family Cookbook

Dijon mustard lovers will love this twist on traditional chicken salad—and will also be shocked by the creaminess of the dressing, given that it has about one-third of the calories and one-fourth of the fat usually found in a similar-size serving. Serve over a bed of butter lettuce or fresh spinach or on sprouted grain or multigrain bread.

Get the recipe for Chicken Salad Dijon with Grapes and Apple

Recipe created by Joanne Chen

This simple salad lets the fresh, sweet flavor of mangoes shine through.

Get the recipe for Mango Chicken Salad

Recipe created by Donna Hay

With Sydney's iconic opera house and sparkling harbor in the distance, Oprah Show Ultimate Viewers dined on dishes created by Australian chef Donna Hay.

Get the recipe for Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken

Try this chicken entrée alongside other recipes from Oprah's Royal Botanic Garden Party menu.

Recipe from Now Eat This! by Rocco DiSpirito

These tender vittles are flash fried—which means 20 grams of fat and at least 250 calories less than traditional fried chicken without leaving behind the great taste.

Get the recipe for Flash-Fried Finger-Lickin' Chicken

Tastes great with: Easy Garlic–Cheese Biscuits

Recipe created by Susan Feniger

Marinated and baked before being battered and fried, crispy tatsutage chicken is easy to prepare.

Get the recipe for Tatsutage Fried Chicken with Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce

Another not-your-average-chicken-nugget option: Deceptively Delicious Chicken Nuggets

Recipe from Double Delicious! by Jessica Seinfeld

Double Delicious! author Jessica Seinfeld says, "My family cannot get enough of this rich and creamy soup. My kids would prefer to eat this above anything else. I add a squeeze of lemon at the end—my friend's Italian grandmother taught me this old Mediterranean secret."

Get the recipe for Chicken and Rice Soup

Created by Rori Trovato

Udon is a popular, thick, spaghetti-like Japanese noodle found at specialty markets.

Get the recipe for Chicken and Udon in Ginger, Thai Basil and Lime Broth

Recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

This dish makes use of a tender, juicy Asian cabbage called baby bok choy, which is simple to cook and really tasty. You should be able to find baby bok choy (also known as pak choy, Chinese white cabbage or hakusai) in your local grocery store, but if not, a nice heart of romaine (halved) or a handful or two of baby spinach thrown into the wok for the last two or three minutes of cooking will do the trick.

Get the recipe for Chicken Chow Mein

Recipe created by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier

A leisurely soak in a brine of cranberry juice, red wine, lime leaves and herbs stained this chicken deep crimson before being roasted. The recipe takes its name from a classic Chinese method of marinating chicken in sweet rice wine—and proves that our beloved, all-American cranberry is more culturally versatile than we may think.

Get the recipe for Cranberry and Lime-Leaf Drunken Chicken

This recipe is one of O's 7 different ways to cook with cranberries.

Recipe created by Mark Bittman

This dish combines the comfort of potatoes, the warmth of spices and the crunch of fresh snow peas.

Get the recipe for Curried Chicken Stir-Fry with New Potatoes and Snow Peas

This recipe is part of Meals Two Ways: 8 Fresh Twists on Everyday Dinners

Created by Rori Trovato

Aromatic and full of flavor, cinnamon curry roasted chicken is complemented by a cool, silky tomato yogurt sauce. Round out this Indian-inspired meal with pappadam and a simple basmati rice.

Get the recipe for Cinnamon Curry Chicken with Tomato Yogurt Sauce

This recipe is one of 14 romantic dinners.

Recipe from Double Delicious! by Jessica Seinfeld

Double Delicious! author Jessica Seinfeld says, "Anything served on a stick is exciting to my family. This sauce is sensational—'peanutty' and sweet. Serve with veggies and rice for a fun dinner."

Get the recipe for Jessica Seinfeld's Chicken Satay

Recipe created by Adam Perry Lang

Filled with bright, warm aromas—chilies, fresh punches of basil, browning chicken and garlic—intensified by the heat of the grill, this dish is the perfect starter and one of the best ways there is to treat yourself to the drumsticks you loved as a kid.

Get the recipe for Sticky Drumsticks

Tastes great with: Perfectly grilled corn

Recipe created by Cathy and Tony Mantuano

Thrillingly versatile harissa paste adds depth and spice to roast chicken legs.

Get the recipe for Roast Chicken with Harissa and Couscous

This recipe is made from ingredients featured in The Great Pantry Makeover.

Recipe created by Laura Pensiero

A meal in a pot, this biscuit-topped chicken stew contains cancer-fighting turnips, plus carrots and sweet potatoes, which are packed with vitamins A and C.

Get the recipe for Biscuit-Topped Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew

Recipe created by Andrea Reusing; Photo: Christopher Baker

What if adding a single ingredient could change your same old go-to dishes? A kick of ginger transforms this chicken dumpling soup.

Get the recipe for Chicken and Watercress Soup with Ginger and Smoked Ham

Get more Asian-inspired twists on your favorite dinner recipes

Created by Paula Disbrowe

Balance the decadence of rich pancetta and Fontina cheese with a lean chicken breast in this tasty hot sandwich.

Get the recipe for Chicken and Pancetta Panini with Fontina, Arugula and Provençale Mustard

This recipe is one of our super sandwiches.

Recipe from Food & Wine's Reinventing the Classics

This one-skillet chicken potpie recipe is made even easier by using store-bought rotisserie chicken and replacing the standard puff pastry crust with buttered white bread.

This recipe is from .

Recipe created by Laura Pensiero; Photo by Gentl & Hyers

Low-fat cheese can be both creamy and bubbly—that's why it's so perfect for healthy cooking. This chicken lasagna recipe features a low-fat version of béchamel, a base sauce that can go in a thousand different directions.

Get the recipe for Chicken, Mushroom and Radicchio Lasagna

Recipe created by Rori Trovato

This spicy soup, jazzed up with the flavors of Mexico, is a great start to a south-of-the-border meal.

Get the recipe for Tortilla Soup

Recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver

This crumbing technique is so versatile—you can cook pork or even cod in exactly the same way. As there is butter in the crumb mixture, you can grill, fry, roast or bake the meat dry in the oven and it will go lovely and golden.

Get the recipe for Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Learn more about Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Recipe created by Cristina Ferrare

Cristina Ferrare says this is a feel-good meal! It's traditional without a catch but very satisfying—not to mention easy and fast.

Get the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe from Now Eat This! by Rocco DiSpirito

Chicken parm is one of Rocco DiSpirito's all-time favorite dishes. In this version, thin chicken cutlets are grilled and topped with reduced-fat mozzarella, and then sprinkled with breadcrumbs just before finishing the dish for a crispy browned topping.

Get the recipe for Grilled Chicken Parmigiano

Recipe created by Nina Simonds

The garlicky hoisin marinade is used here with chicken, but is also delicious with pork loin, lamb chops and shrimp.

Get the recipe for Hoisin-Barbecued Chicken Breasts

Recipe courtesy of How to Grill by Steven Raichlen

Beer works deliciously with this recipe, but you can also try a can of cola, lemon-lime soda or root beer.

Get the recipe for The One and Only Beer-Can Chicken