The 10 Best Pioneer Woman Chicken Recipes
Chicken is the king of weeknight dinners. It’s basically a blank canvas! Chicken pairs well with pasta, cheese, vegetables, and you can add it to chili or enchiladas depending on your mood. And since it’s so versatile and easy to cook, it should always be on your list of go-to dinner recipes.
If there’s one person who knows how to make a hearty, satisfying dinner for her family, it’s Ree Drummond, otherwise known as the Pioneer Woman. That’s why we’ve gathered 10 of her most beloved, reliable, and of course delicious, chicken recipes that your loved ones would be thrilled to eat any night of the week. The only problem you’ll have with one of these recipes is picking which one to make tonight.
Classics:
This crispy Parmesan cheese-covered chicken dish can be served over a bed of buttery noodles, but don’t be intimidated by the ingredients. It’s actually simple enough to prepare that you’ll keep it in your back pocket for those nights when your family needs a little extra nourishment.
Chicken pot pie is a comfort food classic, and the Pioneer Woman’s version hits all the right notes: It has a buttery flaky crust, tender chicken and vegetables, and a warming gravy broth. Pro tip: You can use leftover chicken (or turkey) in this recipe, too.
This dish is a Southern delicacy: The crispy golden brown chicken is smothered in a creamy gravy made with just whole milk, flour, and salt and pepper for seasoning. Sure, it’s a little greasy, so you might not want to cook this one every night, but it’s a treat your family will appreciate on special occasions.
This might be the most tricky dish on this list to make, but it’s well worth it once you taste that perfectly crunchy chicken skin. To make it work, be sure to soak the chicken in the buttermilk bath overnight. Once you’re ready to cook, mix a little buttermilk in with your flour mixture, which will make it shaggy, and give it that ideal crunch. You might also want to quickly bake your chicken once it’s done frying, to ensure each piece is cooked all the way through.
The Pioneer Woman’s take on this classic chicken dinner adds all the elements of the dish (cheese, chicken, and ham topped with a creamy white sauce) into a baking dish which makes it both easier to serve and prepare — you’ll never have to individually fry each piece of chicken again.
Easy Weeknight Dinners:
Ree says this is her go-to weeknight dinner. Roasted chicken legs don’t take much effort to prepare (the most time-consuming part is letting the chicken marinate for at least half an hour) and the dish is versatile enough that you can prepare it in pretty much any season. Serve it again and again paired with a different side dish to keep dinner interesting.
This pasta dish could be a light dinner or an easy lunch. It’s packed with healthy vegetables like spinach and tomatoes, so Ree says it’s great for kids. Plus, it only takes 20 minutes to cook.
This is one of Ree’s all-time favorite recipes. All you have to do is put the chicken and the vegetables on a sheet pan, and the oven does most of the cooking for you. Your job is to season and marinate the ingredients to perfection, serve, and take all the credit for how delicious it is.
This recipe from Ree is popular for a reason. “Cashew chicken is definitely, for me, a lifelong comfort food,” she explains on her blog. It takes about 10 minutes to cook, with just five minutes of prep work. It’s the perfect weeknight meal for a hungry family.
Everyone already knows that Ree’s traditional chili recipe is legendary, but as one blogger put it, this variation is a ‘throw it in and turn it on’ slow cooker recipe. Sounds like a dream come true for busy parents who need to prep a nutritious, filling dinner in a hurry. The key is in the garnishes: A dollop of sour cream, cilantro, and a sprinkling of cheese amp the flavor way up.