If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (2024)

Say goodbye to dry chicken.

By Kara Zauberman
If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (1)

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Chicken breast is one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table! Sure, we love the flavor that comes from chicken thigh recipes (who doesn't?) and ground chicken recipes are great for healthy meals but chicken breast is the best of both worlds. It's healthy, flavorful, and incredibly versatile. That said, it can also leave us feeling like we're stuck in a rut. If you don't put much thought into it, chicken breast can go from juicy and succulent to dry and bland pretty quickly. Luckily, The Pioneer Woman is here to make sure that never happens with her all-time best chicken breast recipes.

Chicken breast can be used in so many ways. It can be air fried, baked, grilled, or even made in an Instant Pot. You can bread your chicken breast for crispy chicken parmesan or dice it up in a chicken pasta recipe. In fact, once you know how to cook chicken breast, the options are endless. Ahead, you'll find popular chicken dinner recipes like Ree Drummond's lime chicken quesadillas along with hearty soups and a white chicken chili. You can also cook chicken breast and use it as a filling for tacos or a topper for your favorite Greek salad. Get ready to find your new favorite family meal!

1

Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (3)

Chicken parmesan is typically a labor of love, but this recipe makes things easy for weeknights by dredging the chicken breast in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, and Italian seasoning, then letting the air fryer do the work. The result is nice and crispy!

Get the Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan recipe.

SHOP AIR FRYERS

2

Cajun Chicken Pasta

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (4)

Anyone who likes a bit of spice will appreciate this creamy chicken pasta made with lots of Cajun seasoning. The blend usually containers a mixture of cayenne pepper, paprika, white pepper, and garlic or onion powder.

Get Ree's Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe.

3

Chicken Piccata

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (5)

This 30-minute meal takes boneless, skinless chicken breast to a whole new level with an ultra-creamy sauce made with white wine, butter, and lemon juice. Plus, the capers on top give it a brininess to cut through all the heavy cream.

Get Ree's Chicken Piccata recipe.

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4

Chicken Primavera

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (6)

Pasta, veggies, and chicken—what's not to love? This spring dish is loaded with flavor and color thanks to asparagus, peas, carrots and cherry tomatoes. Oh, and lots of parmesan cheese.

Get the Chicken Primavera recipe.

5

Instant Pot Chicken Breast

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (7)

Adding liquid, like chicken stock, to the Instant Pot along with the chicken breast will create steam and ensure that the meat comes out juicy every time. Best of all, it cooks up in 16 minutes or less!

Get the Instant Pot Chicken Breast recipe.

SHOP INSTANT POTS

6

Marry Me Chicken

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (8)

This chicken recipe is so good, it might even cause wedding bells to ring. The key is a dreamy sun-dried tomato sauce that's both creamy and cheesy.

Get the Marry Me Chicken recipe.

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7

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (9)

Everything from the chicken breasts and beans to the veggies gets cooked right in the slow cooker for this easy hands-off soup. It's the kind of meal that you can set, forget, and dig into at dinnertime!

Get Ree's Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.

8

Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Herb Sauce

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (10)

To make the cutlets for this easy chicken recipe, all you need to do is start with a full-sized chicken breast! Slice the chicken breast in half horizontally, then sear them in a skillet and top with a flavorful herb sauce that packs a punch.

Get Ree's Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Herb Sauce recipe.

9

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Tacos

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (11)

There's nothing dry or bland about this saucy chicken dish. Once the chicken is cooked in an Instant Pot with broth and seasonings, it's shredded and tossed with plenty of smoky barbecue sauce—perfect for serving up in corn tortillas.

Get Ree's Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Tacos recipe.

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10

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn

Roasting chicken breast in the oven is a great way to cook it, especially when it's made on a sheet pan with veggies. Your whole dinner can be on the table in less than an hour and cleanup is easy.

Get Ree's Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken and Corn recipe.

SHOP SHEET PANS

11

Popcorn Chicken

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (13)

These crispy, crunchy chicken bites are perfect for game day, picnics in the park, or any time you're craving fried chicken. They'll make both kids and adults smile when served with your favorite dipping sauce.

Get the Popcorn Chicken recipe.

12

Chicken Parm Salad

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (14)

This healthier twist on chicken parmesan takes crispy chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, and mozzarella, and serves it over a bed of arugula. The pesto dressing brings the whole thing together.

Get Ree's Chicken Parm Salad recipe.

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13

Lemon Pepper Chicken

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (15)

Try your hand at homemade lemon pepper seasoning! It packs a flavorful punch in this zippy chicken dinner.

Get the Lemon Pepper Chicken recipe.

14

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (16)

A good stir fry is meant to cook up quickly so you want to be sure you use quick-cooking ingredients like chicken breast and tender asparagus. Then, serve it over a fluffy bed of rice!

Get Ree's Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry recipe.

15

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (17)

Give comforting chicken soup a bright and fresh flavor by adding plenty of lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh dill. Instead of noodles, you can also lighten it up with orzo pasta instead.

Get Ree's Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup recipe.

SHOP BOWLS

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16

Greek Salad with Chicken

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (18)

When you're looking for something refreshing yet hearty, a Greek salad with chicken is the way to go! Just be sure to marinate the chicken in red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, and oregano before grilling to ensure plenty of flavor.

Get Ree's Greek Salad with Chicken recipe.

17

Grilled Chicken Sliders

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (19)

Cajun seasoning brings a pop of spice to these grilled chicken sliders. But it's the adobo mayo and grilled onions that really takes things over the top.

Get Ree's Grilled Chicken Sliders recipe.

18

Chicken Nachos

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (20)

You don't need an excuse to make cheesy nachos. When topped with saucy, spiced chicken it's hearty enough for dinner or a game day snack.

Get Ree's Chicken Nachos recipe.

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19

Grilled Chicken with Zucchini Noodles

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (21)

This easy, low-carb meal pairs simple grilled chicken marinated with lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, and garlic with noodles made from fresh zucchini! It's a dish that you can feel good about eating!

Get Ree's Grilled Chicken with Zucchini Noodles recipe.

20

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (22)

This chicken chili is one of the easiest meals you can make thanks to the slow cooker. Just toss everything in and let the kitchen appliance do the work! They key is using masa harina, a type of corn flour, as a thickener.

Get Ree's Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili recipe.

SHOP SLOW COOKERS

If You've Got a Pack of Chicken Breasts, You Can Make One of These Flavorful Meals (2024)

FAQs

How to make chicken breast more flavorful? ›

Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.

How do you get the most flavor out of chicken breast? ›

Marinate them.

If you're cooking chicken breasts without skin or fat, infuse them with some extra flavor and liquid to keep them tender. Choose your favorite marinade and throw them in a ziploc bag with the marinade. Marinate them overnight before grilling, baking, or searing. The difference is uncanny.

How do you make chicken meat more flavorful? ›

Italian seasoning, a mix of rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, and dried parsley, pairs well with chicken. Marinades: Tenderize the meat with a marinade, which will also infuse the chicken with flavor before you cook it.

What makes chicken more tasty? ›

Another way to make tasty, tender chicken is to add it to a salt-and-sugar rub. For chicken breasts, blend 1/3 cup of course salt and 1/3 cup of brown sugar with a mixture of your favorite seasonings. A tablespoon each of ground black pepper, paprika and chili powder are good seasonings to spice up this mix.

What does chicken breast taste good with? ›

Chicken Breasts with White Wine Pan Sauce, Crème Fraîche, and Spring Herbs. This simple white wine pan sauce enriched with créme fraîche and a generous handful of tender fresh herbs like tarragon, dill, and chives makes smart use of the pan drippings from pan-roasted chicken breasts.

What flavors compliment chicken? ›

5 best spice and herbs blends for chicken and meat
  • Paprika and garlic powder. Paprika is a great spice that makes any chicken dish stand out, it comes in many forms sweet, hot, regular and smoky. ...
  • Basil and rosemary. ...
  • Ginger and lemongrass. ...
  • Turmeric and chili. ...
  • Coriander and cumin.

How to cook chicken breasts so they are moist and tender? ›

  1. Flatten the chicken breasts. ...
  2. Heat the pan. ...
  3. Cook the chicken breasts over medium heat for 1 minute without moving. ...
  4. Flip the chicken breasts. ...
  5. Turn the heat down to low. ...
  6. Cover the pan and cook on low for 10 minutes. ...
  7. Turn off the heat and let sit for an additional 10 minutes. ...
  8. Remove lid and take temperature.

What is the secret to moist chicken breast? ›

Brines and marinades help tenderize the meat by bringing more moisture in the protein. With that extra moisture, you lose less when you cook. The simplest way to do this is with a dry brine — unwrap the chicken breasts, salt them on both sides and let them sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

How do you cook boneless skinless chicken breast without drying it out? ›

If you're baking it, keep it covered with a baking sheet or with the pan-top for about 80% of the total baking time, uncover it only when the breast is cooked and tender but there's juices in the pan. Once uncovered, the juices will evaporate quickly in the oven, and you'll have a juicy chicken breast to eat.

How to add flavor to already cooked chicken? ›

You can enhance the flavor of already cooked chicken by adding fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or basil, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, or a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese. These additions can elevate the taste of the chicken and make it more flavorful.

Should you soak chicken before cooking? ›

This is a personal preference and serves no purpose for food safety. If you choose to do this, however, preventing cross-contamination when soaking and removing the poultry from the water is essential. Also, poultry must not be left outside the refrigerator for more than two hours.

Should you salt chicken breast before cooking? ›

We almost always salt or brine chicken before cooking it, which not only seasons the meat but helps it cook up juicy. But which method we choose depends on several factors, including how much time and refrigerator space we have, and whether or not we want crispy skin.

Which is the tastiest chicken dish in the world? ›

Butter chicken, also known as Murgh Makhani, has recently claimed the top spot in the "Top 100 Chicken Dishes in the World" list by TasteAtlas, (an online guide for traditional food) solidifying its place as a global culinary sensation.

Why is my chicken so bland? ›

You're Not Adequately Seasoning Them

You don't need any fancy tricks or an expansive spice cabinet here, it's just important to hit the most basic seasonings and hit them well. You see, without a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, your chicken is basically destined for blandness.

Why is my chicken not tasty? ›

To taste good, chicken must be cooked on the bone yet so much of what is sold is cooked in the form of filleted thighs and breast which is just tasteless, dry and awful. Chicken is tastier than turkey, I guess. Both need some flavoring additives to make them tastier than if nothing is added.

Why is my chicken breast tasteless? ›

You see, without a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, your chicken is basically destined for blandness. After you've pulled your chicken out of its marinade (or even if you're not using a marinade), always sprinkle all sides of the breast with salt and pepper.

Should you season chicken breast? ›

Yes, you should always season your chicken before cooking when it's raw. You can even do this up to 24 hours before if you have the time. Why? Because leaving the seasoning on your chicken overnight in the fridge will help it start to trap moisture in the chicken, which will make it nice and juicy once cooked.

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