50 Things to Do with Chicken When You’re Bored with It

updated Apr 25, 2023
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Credit: Lauren Volo

We get it — chicken isn’t always the most exciting ingredient, especially when you eat it three times a week. Turning to it as a dinner option can feel more like an obligation than something you eagerly look forward to, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Think of perking things up a bit with a spicy chili and cheese stuffed chicken breast or switching over to the more flavorful chicken thigh with a recipe for grilled chicken thighs with chimichurri. Suddenly, chicken isn’t so boring anymore.

Quit the breast for bone-in thighs.

When it comes to chicken, the breast is the most boring cut of all. Try using the thighs instead for a more moist, flavorful bite of chicken.

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Grilled Chicken Thighs
Thanks to a soy-lime marinade flacked with punchy bits of garlic and ginger (that does double duty as a glaze at the end of cooking!), each piece of crispy-edged, juicy chicken is packed with a ton of flavor.
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Herby Lemony Chicken Thighs with Potatoes
Lemon adds acidity, brightness, and freshness to this easy skillet meal.
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One-Skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes
Crispy chicken thighs and tender potatoes join forces in this lemony, oregano-rich skillet dinner.
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Roasted Chicken Thighs with Fennel & Lemon
The simple method of roasting fennel wedges alongside chicken thighs allows the vegetable to absorb the rich juices from the meat while they caramelize on the sheet pan, making them incredibly addictive.
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Pan-Seared Crispy Chicken Thighs with Blistered Tomatoes and Basil
With just five ingredients and about 30 minutes on the clock, you can be feasting on crispy-skinned, tender chicken piled high with beautiful tomatoes and herbs.
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Lemon Thyme Chicken Thighs
Skillet-cooked chicken thighs are seasoned simply with fresh lemon and thyme for a quick and easy dinner that's totally classic.
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Balsamic & Mustard Glazed Chicken Thighs and Figs
Fresh figs make this skillet dinner feel especially fancy.
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Skillet Creamy French Mustard Chicken
Chicken thighs braise quickly in a sauce made with two kinds of mustard and just a touch of cream.
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Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki
Crispy chicken thighs are flavored with lemon and herbs, then partnered with red potatoes and sweet bell peppers for dinner ready in 30 minutes.
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Sheet Pan Chicken with Red Potatoes and Sage
Meet one of our favorite sheet pan supper combos - chicken thighs, little red potatoes, and herbs.
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Arnold Palmer Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs
The flavors of the drink — bitter, sweet, and sour — are a perfect match for roasted chicken thighs.
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Grilled Chicken Thighs with Chimichurri
Tossing the thighs with some of the sauce before it’s grilled ensures that the flavorful sauce will soak into every corner of the chicken.
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One-Skillet Chicken Thighs with Pearl Couscous and Eggplant
This one-skillet dish features crispy chicken thighs, pearl couscous, and eggplant simmered in a flavorful tomato base. A complete dinner with minimal dishes to wash? Yes, please!
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Or trade in for boneless thighs.

For the ultimate easy chicken dinner, use boneless, skinless thighs.

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Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
Rice, steamed broccoli, and carrots turn sweet and savory teriyaki chicken into a complete meal.
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Sheet Pan Pineapple Chicken
This Paleo-friendly dinner is a riff on Huli Huli chicken, a classic Hawaiian barbecue staple featuring a sweet and savory sauce made with pineapple juice, ketchup, and soy sauce.
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Ranch-enthusiasts will love this cheesy, flavor-packed casserole.
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Pollo ai Peperoni (Cacciatora Southern-Style Chicken Stew with Peppers)
Super-tender chicken and sweet bell peppers are cooked in a tangy white wine sauce in this light summer dinner.
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Oven-Roasted Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
This is foolproof method for tender, juicy chicken thighs that belongs in your weeknight dinner roster.
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Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs
While the ingredient list for this sauce is short, don’t let it fool you — it certainly doesn’t skimp on flavor.
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Instant Pot Weeknight Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowls
Filled with chicken, rice, black beans, corn, and salsa, these burrito bowls come together quickly with an Instant Pot.
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Honey & Chili Chicken Thighs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce
Just wait til you taste the sauce on these meaty thighs.
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Dill Pickle Chicken
Spicy and tangy pickle juice is the one-ingredient brine that makes the most tender and delicious chicken you will eat all summer.
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Orange Chicken and Kale Stir-Fry
This keep and easy stir-fry is one to keep on repeat.
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Chorizo Chicken Chili
This 30-minute chili, featuring the flavorful power couple of chorizo and chicken, is what you make on Wednesday when you hit a wall on what to make for dinner.
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Baked Chicken with Artichokes, Cinnamon, and Preserved Lemons
This one-pan dinner will also make your kitchen smell amazing.
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Chicken Curry in a Hurry
Michell Tam of Nom Nom Paleo makes her chicken curry in a hurry with a velvety coconut milk base, seared chicken thighs, and a spicy kick of curry paste.
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Lemongrass Grilled Chicken
This versatile grilled lemongrass chicken can be used in sandwiches, on noodle bowls, or just about any other time you crave chicken.
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Use just a little bit of chicken.

Instead of serving one large piece of chicken, cut or shred it into a complex dish with a lot of other flavors and textures going on for a less chicken-centric experience. It’s a good way to stretch that protein a little.

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Creamy Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll-Ups

Fortified with chicken and spinach and enhanced with both creamy Alfredo sauce and melty mozzarella, this is a rich and indulgent dinner.

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Upside-Down Chicken Curry Bowl
This bowl turns Indian take-out upside down with a bed of roasted cauliflower and lentil on the bottom and chicken tikka on top.
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Upside-Down BBQ Chicken Bowl

Like a delicious barbecue sandwich, this meal calls for slaw and pulled chicken, but here, the slaw is the base, not the topping.

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Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowl

This recipe brings the flavors of sesame chicken to the noodle bowl, with a sweet and savory mix of tamari, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a splash of rice wine vinegar.

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Chicken Parm and Pasta Skillet

Whether it’s crisping up the breaded chicken or baking everything in the oven, the method behind this 30-minute meal is just as streamlined as the ingredient list.

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White Chicken Chili Skillet Dip
This one-pan dinner dip is going to change how you feel about boring weeknight meals.
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Lemony Chicken and Artichoke Orzo
This pantry-friendly orzo dinner relies on marinated artichokes, Italian chicken sausage, and fresh lemon for intense yet effortless flavor.
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Combining the flavors of ranch dressing with chicken and bacon in this creamy pasta dish gives you an over-the-top dinner all in one dish.
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Chicken Pesto Pasta
If you love a good pesto pasta and have a soft spot for creamy sauces, you are going to love pesto chicken pasta.
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BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

This version is loaded with zesty barbecue chicken, black beans, and cheddar jack cheese for a Southwestern spin on the American classic.

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Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Mushrooms
This freezer-to-Instant Pot chicken dinner is light, fresh, and inspired by the flavors of Tuscany.
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Zhuzh it with flavor and spice.

Sometimes you have no choice, and chicken it is for dinner tonight. Since chicken is famous for being a blank canvas, blast it with lots of heat and flavor and you just may fall in love with chicken all over again.

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Spicy Chili Crisp Chicken Thighs
Laquared with honey, vinegar, and garlic chili crisp, these sheet pan thighs and vegetables are a weeknight knock out.
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Kung Pao Chicken
A spicy stir-fry of chicken, bell peppers, and roasted peanuts make this a takeout favorite you can make at home.
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Chili and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

Grab that last bit of leftover chili or a can from the pantry, and the nub of cheddar hanging out in the fridge, because they are the duo that’s going to make tonight’s mild-mannered chicken breast something to talk about.

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Tom Kha Gai

This Thai chicken soup is made from chicken lightly poached in a silky coconut milk broth which has been infused with galangal (kha), lemongrass, and makrut leaves.

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Pile warm tortillas with seasoned meat, peppers, and onions from a sizzling platter of fajitas.

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Spicy Korean Grilled Chicken

Using chicken drumsticks and chicken thigh meat doused in a spicy, flavorful marinade, this grilled chicken needs to make an appearance on your dinner table soon!

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Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

This Tex-Mex version has fire-roasted tomatoes, carrots, and black beans in a lightly spiced broth, and hits all the notes when you need a bright-yet-warming meal.

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Khao Soi (Egg Noodles in Rich Chicken Curry Sauce)

Chewy egg noodles coated in rich, fragrant curry sauce and topped with garnishes like crispy shallots, fresh cilantro and roasted peanuts make up this northern Thai dish.

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Chili Crisp and Honey Roasted Whole Chicken
A whole roasted chicken stuffed with aromatics with a chili crisp, scallion, and ginger glaze.
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Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Almonds and Chickpeas

This fragrant, heavily-spiced dish with jammy apricots and crunchy almonds is most certainly a “make your house smell amazing” weekend kind of meal.

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Chicken in Mole Poblano

Dark Mexican chocolate gives this rich sauce its very distinctive flavor.

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