25 Skillet Chicken Recipes for Weeknight Dinners
You can never have too many easy chicken recipes in your back pocket, so we've gathered our 25 favorites that are all made in a skillet and ready in an hour or less for the ultimate in weeknight ease.
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
A favorite appetizer transitions to a main course, with parmesan and mozzarella and chicken cutlets.
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
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
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."
Chicken Fajitas
Quickly sear the chicken on the stovetop, followed by onions and peppers. Warm up some tortillas, pile up some toppings, and dinner is ready.
Skillet Chicken with Cheesy Orzo and Zucchini
Simply Recipes Contributor Katie Workman says, "If you want to trade in the zucchini for 2 cups of small broccoli florets or peas, both are good options."
Chicken Tikka Masala
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
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 is a classic for a reason. It's simple, it's flavorful—all lemony and briny—and it's ready in under 30 minutes.
Skillet Chermoula Chicken
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)
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
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
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.
Spicy Orange Marinated Chicken
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
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 Thighs with Potatoes, Carrots, and Greens
Swiss chard, potatoes, and carrots cook alongside braised chicken thighs, all accompanied by a flavorful lemon broth. It's a warm and cozy meal.
Tuscan Chicken Pasta Skillet
A quick 15-minute marinade is all it takes to prepare this chicken dish before cooking it in the skillet. After it's done, the pasta cooks with tomatoes in the same skillet before you finish with artichoke hearts, olives, Parmesan cheese, sliced chicken, and basil.
Easy Chicken Skillet Enchiladas
30 minutes and one pan is all it takes to make this Mexican-inspired dish. It's a delicious way to use up leftover chicken. Serve with cilantro lime rice.
Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Who doesn't love chicken Parm? Making this comfort food in a skillet is quicker than the traditional way, and the chicken doesn't get a chance to dry out. Use an oven-proof skillet since this dish spends its last few minutes in the oven.
Skillet Chicken and Rice
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
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.
Southwest Skillet Chicken with Beans and Corn
Made with beans, corn, and bell peppers, this chicken skillet takes inspiration from the flavors of the Southwest. You'll have dinner on the table in under 40 minutes!
Easy Chicken Caprese
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
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
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.