23 Chicken Skillet Recipes for All Your Weeknight Dinner Needs

Sheela Prakash

updated Dec 20, 2022

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four pieces of chicken over curried cabbage and chickpeas — Credit: Photo: Jason Rampe; Food Styling: Amelia Rampe
One-Skillet Chicken Thighs with Curried Cabbage and Chickpeas

I am not sure which is more tried-and-true when it comes to weeknight cooking: a trusty skillet dinner or crowd-pleasing chicken. It really doesn’t matter, though, because if you bring the two together you have easy eating at its very best.

Take your pick between bone-in or boneless thighs or lean, mild-mannered chicken breasts because they’re all fair game in these chicken skillet recipes. These 18 recipes come together quickly in a single skillet and many of them are complete meals, cooked with a bed of tender rice, vegetables, or an irresistible sauce. From crispy, garlickly chicken thighs with green beans to sticky-sweet firecracker chicken to a creamy chicken skillet kissed with turmeric, here are the recipes to know.

Lodge 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Williams Sonoma

1 / 23

Pomegranate Molasses-Roasted Skillet Chicken

Thick, tart pomegranate molasses makes an excellent foil for succulent chicken legs and crispy potatoes in this oven-roasted skillet dinner.

2 / 23

Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Skillet

A creamy bed of gnocchi and wilted spinach doubles as a side in this easy chicken skillet.

3 / 23

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!

4 / 23

One-Skillet Chicken Thighs with Curried Cabbage and Chickpeas

This powerhouse meal is comprised of golden brown chicken thighs, leeks, cabbage, and chickpeas are simmered with curry powder and coconut milk all in one skillet.

5 / 23

Lemon Garlic Chicken

In less than 30 minutes, you'll be dragging pieces of tender chicken through a puddle of creamy lemon sauce. It's a good idea to round out dinner with some rice, couscous, or bread so you can soak up every last drop of this sauce.

6 / 23

Life-Changing Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs

To label a recipe as "life-changing" is a really bold statement. But trust me when I tell you that this easy weeknight chicken and veggie dinner will rock your world.

7 / 23

One-Pan Chicken and Rice with Olives and Lemon

With plenty of briny olives and zippy lemon, this chicken and rice skillet is anything but basic.

8 / 23

One-Skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

Crispy chicken thighs and tender potatoes join forces in this lemony, oregano-rich skillet dinner.

9 / 23

One-Skillet French Onion Chicken

You'll never regret giving mild-mannered chicken breast the French onion soup treatment, with lots of velvety caramelized onions and melty Gruyère.

10 / 23

Creamy Turmeric Chicken Skillet

You'll definitely want to serve this turmeric chicken skillet with a generous pile of fluffy rice to mop every last drop of creamy sauce.

11 / 23

Skillet Creamy French Mustard Chicken

Using both classic Dijon and whole-grain mustard means you get all the creamy goodness of the former with just the right bit of crunch and texture from the latter.

12 / 23

Parmesan Chicken and Kale Sauté

A big splash of white wine not only helps the kale wilt in the skillet, but it also ensures the chicken breast will stay nice and moist.

13 / 23

Lemon Thyme Chicken Thighs

A quick and easy recipe for crispy, skillet-cooked chicken thighs seasoned simply with fresh lemon and thyme.

14 / 23

Creamy Parmesan Garlic Mushroom Chicken

Think of this as grown-up cream of mushroom chicken. It ditches the can for a quick homemade sauce that's seasoned with lots of garlic and Parmesan.

15 / 23

Easy Apricot-Glazed Chicken

This glossy chicken hits all the flavor notes — sweet, spicy, and extra savory. It's wise to serve it over rice since there's lots of good sauce to be had.

16 / 23

Chicken Saltimbocca with Spinach and Potatoes

Since prosciutto is nice and fatty, when you layer it on chicken cutlets some of the fat seeps into the meat, so it's extra moist and flavorful.

17 / 23

Jerk Chicken Skillet Dinner

What makes this complete meal extra special is that the rice is simmered in coconut milk, so it gets sweet and fragrant and becomes a nice contrast to the spiced meat.

18 / 23

Broccolini, Chicken Sausage, and Orzo Skillet

This orzo skillet is almost risotto-like since the pasta releases some of its starches into the pan while it cooks to create a creamy sauce.

19 / 23

Easy Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

While chicken pot pie is usually reserved for leisurely weekends, this streamlined version is a weeknight dream, thanks to a bag of frozen mixed veggies and store-bought pie crust.

20 / 23

30-Minute Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese is an Italian-American favorite for good reason: It's crispy yet juicy and full of lemony flavor. This easy version may have you forgoing your neighborhood restaurant.

21 / 23

Hot Honey Garlic Skillet Chicken

Crispy chicken thighs meet tender Brussels sprouts in this sweet and spicy skillet dinner.

22 / 23

Green Goddess Skillet Chicken and Veggies

A bottle of herby green goddess dressing from Trader Joe's plays both that marinade and the sauce in this colorful chicken and radish skillet.

23 / 23

Sesame Ginger Skillet Chicken

Broccolini and chicken are a perfect pair in this Asian-inspired skillet dinner.

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