19 Skillet Chicken Recipes for Weeknight Dinners

You can never have too many easy chicken recipes in your back pocket and all of the ones featured here are made in a skillet and ready in an hour or less.

By
Carrie Havranek
Carrie Havranek
Carrie Havranek
Carrie has 10+ years experience as a food writer, editor, and recipe developer. She is the author of Tasting Pennsylvania and a contributor to Simply Recipes since 2017.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
and
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves
Robin Shreeves is a food and beverage writer.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated November 07, 2024
Skillet chicken divan in a cast iron skillet at a table setting with a bowl of salad, a bowl of parmesan, a small bowl of chopped parsley, and a utensils

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

There never seem to be enough chicken recipes, right?

Here, we’ve put together some of our favorites for your weeknight (or weekend!) inspiration. They all have an eye toward expedience and efficiency and are easily made in one skillet.

  • Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets

    Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets in a stainless steel skillet
    Coco Morante

    A favorite appetizer transitions to a main course, with parmesan and mozzarella and chicken cutlets.

  • Skillet Chicken Puttanesca

    Skillet Chicken Puttanesca

    The pantry is your friend for this dish—canned tomatoes, capers, anchovies, and olives, in particular! They come together to make this quick and flavorful skillet chicken puttanesca.

  • Pasta Skillet with Chicken Sausage, Cheese & Spinach

    Skillet Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Cheese & Spinach
    Lisa Lin

    It might be sausage, but it's still chicken! Here, it’s paired with cheese, pasta, and spinach. Hard to go wrong.

  • Skillet Chicken Divan

    Skillet chicken divan in a cast iron skillet (with some already served) at a table setting with a bowl of salad, a bowl of parmesan, a small bowl of chopped parsley, and a utensils

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    Simply Recipes Recipe Developer and Food Stylist Melissa Gray says, "This recipe is really open for substitutions. Swap the panko for crushed crackers, replace the parsley with thyme, rosemary, or sage, or use chopped leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken."

    Continue to 5 of 19 below

  • Chicken Fajitas

    Chicken Fajitas Recipe
    Elise Bauer

    Quickly sear the chicken on the stovetop, followed by onions and peppers. Warm up some tortillas, pile up some toppings, and dinner is ready.

  • Chicken Tikka Masala

    Easy chicken tikka masala served over basmati rice in bowl
    Lisa Lin

    This staple of Indian restaurants is surprisingly easy to make at home with a few spices, a can of tomatoes, and some yogurt.

  • Skillet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

    Skillet Chicken with Bok Choy
    Coco Morante

    When properly cooked, baby bok choy offers a combination of crisp and soft textures. Add some chicken breasts in a quick sauce and dinner is served.

  • Chicken Piccata

    chicken piccata
    Elise Bauer

    Chicken piccata is a classic for a reason. It's simple, it's flavorful—all lemony and briny—and it's ready in under 30 minutes.

    Continue to 9 of 19 below

  • Skillet Chermoula Chicken

    Skillet Chermoula Chicken
    Elise Bauer

    Never heard of Chermoula? It’s a North African herb sauce with cilantro, parsley, cumin, and coriander, and it's a great foil for chicken thighs. Serve with couscous.

  • Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter Style Chicken)

    Chicken Cacciatore
    Elise Bauer

    This Italian hunter-style chicken dish is a simple braise involving tomatoes, garlic, onion, and wine. It takes a little more time to cook, so save it for a night when you won't feel rushed.

  • One Pot Chicken and Orzo

    Skillet Chicken and Orzo
    Elise Bauer

    Chicken breasts cook on top of a bed of orzo and onions. Serve this all right in the pan in cooks in.

  • Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

    Chicken Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta
    Aaron Hutcherson

    Scampi is usually associated with shrimp and shellfish, but chicken works just as well when cooked with butter, olive oil, lemon juice, and white wine.

    Continue to 13 of 19 below

  • Spicy Orange Marinated Chicken

    Spicy Orange Marinated Chicken
    Sally Vargas

    Boneless thighs are pounded thin and marinated. In twenty minutes you’ve got a spicy, orangey chicken dish to serve with some Spanish rice.

  • Sicilian Skillet Chicken With Lemon, Olives, and Capers

    Sicilian chicken in skillet with olives, lemons, and capers.

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    Transport yourself to the sunny island of Sicily with this dish made with lemon, olives, and capers—all foods plentiful in Sicily. It's simple, rustic, and a real keeper.

  • Skillet Chicken and Rice

    skillet chicken, rice and peas
    Nick Evans

    A simple kid-friendly meal is so easy to make. Cook the chicken, add the veggies and rice, nestle the chicken back in, simmer it all together, and you have dinner.

  • Italian Skillet Chicken with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Onions

    Italian Skillet Chicken with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Onions
    Alison Bickle

    What is it about Mediterranean cuisine that lends itself so well to one-skillet cooking? Maybe it's because it's so flavorful, you can do so much with so little. Spinach, tomatoes, red onion, and capers add a lot of flavor to boneless, skinless chicken tenders.

    Continue to 17 of 19 below

  • Easy Chicken Caprese

    Skillet chicken capers with fresh basil

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    You already know the classic combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Add them to chicken and make a sauce with chicken stock, butter, and balsamic vinegar, and you have a flavor powerhouse in 30 minutes.

  • Skillet Lemon Rosemary Chicken

    Skillet Lemon Rosemary Chicken
    Elise Bauer

    Chicken thighs rubbed with fresh rosemary, lemon zest, garlic, and salt end up with crispy skin after starting on the stovetop and ending in the oven. Simple but satisfying. If you don't like rosemary, substitute fresh thyme.

  • Creamy Dijon Mustard Chicken

    chicken dijon sauce
    Elise Bauer

    Thinly-pounded chicken cutlets cook quickly, so this is a great recipe if you need dinner on the table super fast. Shallots, white wine, Dijon mustard, and herbs create a savory sauce. Serve with buttered noodles, and spoon a little of the sauce on top of them, too.

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