19 Chicken Dinners You Can Make in 30 Minutes

There are so many quick, easy, and delicious ways to cook poultry.

By
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo Quinn
Myo's recipes, writing, and food styling can be found on King Arthur Baking, Food Network, Delish, Food52, and more. She collaborated on the cookbook Delish Vegan Dinners and trained at Gramercy Tavern and Untitled at the Whitney Museum.
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Published April 25, 2025
Myo Quinn
creamy tuscan chicken in a pot next to sliced bread on a wooden board

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

I never order chicken at restaurants. Of all the things a trained chef could whip up and that I would pay for, chicken doesn't feel special enough. I cook it at least twice a week. After all, it has a rap for being practical and reliable even for the worst cooks. No wonder it's the most consumed meat in the United States—an average American eats almost 100 pounds of chicken each year!

It's also the most popular topic on Simply Recipes, with over 2,000 recipes and stories about chicken. There are so many quick, easy, and delicious ways to cook it.

Here you'll find 19 chicken dinner recipes that take 30 minutes or less to make, including handy tips from Simply Recipes readers, contributors, and editors.

  • Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

    Lemon Pepper Chicken in a Pan Garnished with Shredded Parsley and Lemon Slices

    Simply Recipes / Marta Rivera Diaz

    "There is only one big problem with this recipe and that is if you like leftovers you won't get any! There was nothing left but the dishes. I will need to double it next time." —Eric Peters, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Greek Chicken Skewers

    Greek Chicken Skewers with Flatbread and Yogurt Sauce (Chicken Souvlaki)

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    "Look for Maras, or Marash, pepper at Middle Eastern groceries and specialty markets. If you can't find it, substitute paprika with a few good pinches of cayenne pepper for some heat." —Sally Vargas, Contributor

  • Creamy Chicken Florentine

    Creamy chicken Florentine in skillet.

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    "Dry white wines I recommend for this recipe: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or a dry Riesling." —Laurel Randolph, Senior Recipe Editor

  • Ginger Chicken with Almonds

    Almond Chicken

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "This is one of my all-time favorite dishes! I make this at least once a week. So easy, so delicious! I skip julienning the ginger and just grate extra—it really bumps up the flavor." —Kim, Simply Recipes Reader

    Continue to 5 of 19 below

  • Bourbon Chicken

    Overhead view of The BEST Bourbon Chicken Recipe served over rice.

    Simply Recipes / Nick Evans

    "The trick to making a good bourbon chicken dish is to lightly dust your chicken pieces with cornstarch before cooking. Coating the chicken in cornstarch and then sautéing it allows the chicken bites to form a crust on the outside. Once combined with the sauce, it thickens the sauce and helps the sauce adhere to the chicken." —Nick Evans, Contributor

  • Classic Chicken Salad

    Chicken Salad with celery and bell pepper

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "The "secret sauce," so to speak, of this chicken salad, is the tablespoon of plum preserves my mom adds to the mayo-based dressing." —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

  • Restaurant-Style Poached Chicken

    Sliced poached chicken on a plate with lemon slices.

    Simply Recipes / Lori Rice

    "Good quality plastic wrap is imperative for this recipe. Off-brand plastic wrap is fine for most food storage but for exposure to heat, you want to go with the good stuff. The easiest way to know plastic wrap is good quality and can withstand heat is to use plastic wrap that's clearly marked 'microwave safe.'" —Simply Recipes Editors

  • Baked Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

    A serving tray with homemade chicken nuggets and ketchup on it.

    Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

    "The color of your roasting pan may make a difference in your results. A dark roasting pan may impart more heat and may brown the bottom of the chicken more." —Elise

    Continue to 9 of 19 below

  • Million Dollar Chicken

    Million dollar chicken on a parchment lined baking sheet with a bowl of sliced scallions

    Simply Recipes / Sara Haas, RDN

    "Adding the baking sheet to the oven while it heats up expedites the cooking process. Your chicken will start cooking as soon as it hits the hot surface and this, along with pounding the chicken, helps shorten the cooking time." —Sara Haas, Contributor

  • Chicken Marsala

    chicken marsala in a cast iron skillet

    Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

    "Make sure you get a good bottle of Marsala. You don't have to break the bank, just do an upgrade." —bastisraul, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets

    Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets in a stainless steel skillet

    Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

    "Made this last night. We all really enjoyed it. I upped the garlic and seasoning as we like really flavourful stuff. It was delicious and cheesy. We served over pasta and it was a hit. My husband said it's a definite make again." —Cassandra Lipnicki, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

    chicken scampi

    Simply Recipes / Aaron Hutcherson

    "Because angel hair pasta is so thin, it sticks together easily and is not the most ideal pasta if you know you'll be reheating this dish. We suggest using a thicker pasta such as spaghetti or even a shaped pasta such as rotini if you know you'll have a significant amount of leftovers that you'll want to reheat." —Simply Recipes Editors

    Continue to 13 of 19 below

  • Tarragon Chicken Salad

    Plate of Tarragon Chicken Salad

    Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker

    "This is my FAVORITE chicken salad recipe. I've been making it for 3 years now and finally decided to comment. Just made it with cubed and roasted sweet potato which expanded it and made it taste even better!" —Libbie, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Apple Chicken Quesadilla

    Apple Chicken Quesadilla

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "My son is gobbling up his quesadilla as I am writing! Thanks for this kid-friendly recipe and idea. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch today, too! And I'm not struggling with my 3-year-old to get him to eat...next on the schedule, nap time!" —Rebecca, Simply Recipes Reader

  • Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps

    chicken mango lettuce wraps

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "Why the cornstarch? It's a cooking trick that you often find in Chinese recipes. The cornstarch helps the chicken hold in its moisture and keep it from drying out in the high heat of the stir-frying." —Elise

  • Chicken Curry in a Hurry

    coat chicken cutlets in sour cream sauce for chicken curry in a hurry

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    "The cutlets should be about 1/2-inch thick. If you are starting with full chicken breasts, cut them in half horizontally, or pound them to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat hammer between two layers of wax paper." —Elise

    Continue to 17 of 19 below

  • Microwave Oyakodon

    Microwave Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl) in a Microwavable Dish Surrounded by a Small Plate With Cooked Rice and a Small Plate of Kimchi

    Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

    "Skip the salt if using regular soy sauce or chicken stock instead of low-sodium versions." —Myo Quinn, Associate Editorial Director

  • Creamy Tuscan Chicken

    creamy tuscan chicken in a pot next to sliced bread on a wooden board

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    "If you can’t find chicken cutlets, buy 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds total). Lay the chicken breast flat on your cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife to cut it in half horizontally. Each chicken breast will give you 2 cutlets." —Sheela

  • Copycat Chipotle Chicken

    Bowl of copycat Chipotle chicken with a spoon, and in the surroundings, a bowl of lime quarters, glasses of water, and a scarlet table napkin

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

    "This recipe calls for the same ingredients Chipotle lists on their site and is based on a recipe revealed by a former Chipotle employee, but easier." —Melissa Gray, Contributor

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