What to Cook with Chicken: 28 Lunch and Dinner Ideas

For a complete family dinner, start with chicken and rice or chicken with potatoes. For a quick salad, use chicken that is already cooked or smoked. If you are feeding guests, choose a dish you can marinate or assemble ahead.

Chicken breast: wraps, quesadillas, soups and stuffed rolls. Thighs and drumsticks: roasting with vegetables. Wings: rice dishes, sticky glaze or a crisp coating. Ground chicken: stuffed patties and meatballs.

Choose these when you do not want to turn on the oven. Quesadillas and shawarma include their own bread; chicken in sauce and stuffed patties work well with a separate side.

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

20 minutes as listed in the recipe

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, tortillas, cheese, tomato and bell pepper.

A small-batch dinner or warm snack with a melted cheese filling. Allow more time if you are chopping slowly or cooking several batches of tortillas.

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Homemade Chicken Shawarma Wraps

40 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, lavash, cabbage, tomatoes and Korean-style carrots.

Meat, vegetables and sauce are wrapped together for a lunch or dinner that does not need a separate side. Assemble near serving time to keep the lavash from becoming soggy.

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Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken Wings

50 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken wings, flour, starch, spices and frying oil.

Choose these when you want a crisp coating rather than a sticky sauce. Serve with a dip on the side, and cook in batches if needed so the pan is not overcrowded.

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Jewish-Style Chicken with Onions

1 hour

Main ingredients: Chicken pieces, plenty of onions, oil and a small amount of baking soda.

The baking soda goes into the onions, not a marinade for chicken breast. The result is an onion sauce to spoon over rice, buckwheat or mashed potatoes.

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Chicken Patties Stuffed with Mushrooms and Cheese

55 minutes

Main ingredients: Ground chicken, mushrooms, cheese, egg and breadcrumbs.

These stuffed patties, also called zrazy, offer a change from plain chicken burgers. The filling is enclosed inside the meat and the outside is coated in breadcrumbs.

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The meat and side dish cook together. Compare the time before you choose: skillet chicken wings with rice are quicker than the oven-baked chicken and vegetable dish.

One-Pan Chicken Wings and Rice

55 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken wings, rice, carrots and onions.

The rice cooks with the chicken and vegetables in the same skillet. Pick this when you want a complete meal without cooking a pot of rice separately.

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Chicken Drumsticks and Potatoes in an Oven Bag

1 hour 30 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken drumsticks, potatoes, carrots, tomato paste and soy sauce.

The soy-tomato sauce seasons both the meat and the side dish. Cut the potatoes as directed in the recipe so they can cook through alongside the drumsticks.

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Oven-Baked Chicken with Potatoes and Zucchini

1 hour 30 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken thighs, potatoes, zucchini, carrots and onions.

The chicken and vegetables roast together, so there is no separate side dish to prepare. A practical choice for a family dinner when you have time to let the oven do the cooking.

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Options for guests include honey mustard chicken, stuffed mushrooms, chicken rolls and glazed wings. Plan around marinating and chilling, especially for the sliced chicken roulade.

Honey Mustard Chicken Legs in an Oven Bag

3 hours including marinating

Main ingredients: Chicken legs, onions, two kinds of mustard, honey and lemon.

An oven bag holds the chicken and its sauce together while they bake. Allow time for the honey mustard marinade; this is a plan-ahead dinner, not a last-minute meal.

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Creamy Chicken-Stuffed Mushrooms

45 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, large mushrooms, sour cream and cheese.

This chicken julienne is baked inside mushroom caps rather than individual dishes. Choose large mushrooms that can hold the filling and serve as a warm starter.

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Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken Breast Rolls

1 hour

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, oyster mushrooms, onions, milk and butter.

Thin pieces of chicken breast are wrapped around a mushroom filling and finished in milk sauce. Serve warm with a side dish or as individual portions for guests.

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Homemade Chicken Roulade

24 hours including resting and chilling

Main ingredients: Skin-on chicken breast and thighs, garlic and paprika.

A chilled chicken roll to slice for sandwiches or a sharing platter. Make it ahead: resting and chilling are part of the method, not optional time that can be left out.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

40 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken wings, soy sauce, honey, ketchup and mustard.

Choose these for a sticky glaze rather than a crisp coating. The linked method starts the wings in the oven before finishing them in the sauce; serve with rice or vegetables.

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Choose according to what you have: chicken breast, bone-in meat, ground chicken or ready-made stock. Ramen needs prepared stock, while the barley soup needs time for the grain.

Chicken Soup with Frozen Vegetables

35 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, frozen mixed vegetables, potatoes and onions.

A frozen vegetable mix saves some peeling and chopping. This recipe uses water and chicken breast, so you do not need to have homemade stock ready first.

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Chicken Ramen

20 minutes with stock and egg ready

Main ingredients: Chicken breast, noodles, stock, soy sauce and egg for serving.

A home-style chicken noodle soup with a ramen-inspired finish. The short time assumes you already have stock and an egg ready; making those from scratch takes longer.

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Cabbage Soup with Chicken Meatballs

50 minutes

Main ingredients: Ground chicken, fresh cabbage, sauerkraut and potatoes.

Fresh cabbage and sauerkraut give this soup different textures and a tangy flavour. Small chicken meatballs take the place of larger pieces of meat.

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Chicken and Red Bean Soup

55 minutes

Main ingredients: Chicken, canned red beans, potatoes and tomato paste.

Canned beans mean there is no need to soak and cook dried beans first. You still need enough time for the chicken and potatoes to cook through.

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Chicken, Barley and Pickle Soup

40 minutes, plus barley preparation

Main ingredients: Chicken thigh, pearl barley, pickled cucumbers and potatoes.

Also called rassolnik, this is a hearty soup with a tangy pickle flavour. Check how the barley is prepared before starting, rather than counting only the listed soup cooking time.

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A short assembly time does not always mean a quick recipe from scratch. Cooked meat, boiled eggs and chilled layers all need preparation before the salad is ready to serve.

Chicken and Bean Salad with Korean-Style Carrots

15 minutes with cooked chicken, plus optional chilling

Main ingredients: Cooked chicken, canned beans and Korean-style carrots.

A quick assembly option if the chicken is already cooked and chilled. Ready-made carrots and canned beans keep preparation short; allow extra time if you want to chill the finished salad.

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Smoked Chicken and Napa Cabbage Salad

30 minutes

Main ingredients: Smoked chicken, napa cabbage, sweetcorn and croutons.

The My Fair Lady recipe offers chicken or ham; choose chicken for this roundup. Napa cabbage brings a fresh crunch, and the croutons are best mixed in near serving time.

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Smoked Chicken Salad with Croutons and Poppy Seeds

25 minutes with eggs already cooked

Main ingredients: Smoked chicken, tomatoes, cooked eggs, croutons and poppy seeds.

Tomatoes and crunchy toppings define this salad; it does not contain mushrooms. Add the croutons close to serving so they keep their texture.

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Chicken Salad with Pineapple and Walnuts

35 minutes with cooked chicken, plus chilling

Main ingredients: Cooked chicken, pineapple, eggs, cheese and walnuts.

Use this version when you want plain cooked chicken rather than smoked meat. If starting with raw chicken, add time for cooking and cooling it before assembling the salad.

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Layered Smoked Chicken and Pineapple Salad

20 minutes assembly + 5-6 hours chilling

Main ingredients: Smoked chicken, pineapple, cooked eggs, cheese and walnuts.

A layered salad assembled in a ring for a neat finish. Have the eggs cooked in advance and allow for the recommended chilling time before removing the ring.

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Smoked Chicken and Mushroom Layered Salad

50 minutes, plus chilling

Main ingredients: Smoked chicken breast, mushrooms, eggs, processed cheese and tomatoes.

Known as Favorite Husband salad, this is a more elaborate party dish. Frying the mushrooms, boiling the eggs and assembling the layers take longer than mixing a simple chicken salad.

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Chicken Liver Salad with Carrots and Onions

45 minutes, plus cooling

Main ingredients: Chicken liver, eggs, carrots, onions and pickled cucumber.

Cooked vegetables and pickled cucumber complement the liver in this layered salad. Cool the cooked ingredients before combining them with the dressing.

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Use liver for pâté and hearts for braising with vegetables or sour cream. These ingredients cook differently from chicken breast, so check the method rather than swapping them directly.

Chicken Liver Pâté

1 hour, plus chilling

Main ingredients: Chicken liver, carrots, onions and butter.

Serve this smooth spread on toast, in sandwiches or in small pastry cases. Let it chill after blending so it firms up before serving.

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Chicken Hearts in Sour Cream Sauce

40 minutes as listed in the recipe

Main ingredients: Chicken hearts, sour cream, onions, carrots and garlic.

A creamy topping for buckwheat or mashed potatoes. Cooking time can vary with the hearts: if they are still firm, continue simmering gently and add a little water if needed.

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Braised Chicken Hearts with Vegetables

1 hour

Main ingredients: Chicken hearts, zucchini, bell pepper, carrots and onions.

A vegetable-based alternative to hearts in sour cream sauce. Give the hearts enough time to become tender; they are not a quick-cooking substitute for chicken breast.

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• Check whether the recipe needs raw chicken, bone-in pieces, cooked meat or smoked chicken. Their preparation times are not interchangeable.
• Start with the longest task, such as marinating, preparing grains or cooking meat. Chop vegetables and make the sauce while the main ingredient cooks.
• For make-ahead salads, store cooked meat and fresh ingredients separately where practical. Add croutons and dressing near serving.
• Check chicken with a food thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone. It should reach 165°F (74°C); a browned surface is not a reliable guide to the centre.

Refrigerate cooked chicken within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F (32°C). Keep it at 40°F (4°C) or colder and use within 3-4 days. For mixed dishes, consider the most perishable ingredient and how long any previously cooked meat has already been stored.