Chicken in all its many forms—from breasts to thighs, or grilled to fried—has long been considered the dinner winner winner, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, that can mean falling into a dinner rut much too easily for our liking. If you’re like us and just can’t bear to make your (or your family’s) old standbys for the umpteenth time, we’ve got you. Get inspired with our list of 105 best chicken dinner recipes—you’ll be sure to find a new weeknight favorite.
minute meals
We’ve tested our recipes over and over to make sure they’re easy to follow, and will result in chef-worthy dinners (even if you’re only a novice in the kitchen). Modern high-volume poultry farms, with rows of cages stacked indoors for control of heat, light, and humidity, began to proliferate in Great Britain about 1920 and in the United States after World War II. Females (mature hens and younger chickens, called pullets) are raised for meat and for their edible eggs. Farmers have developed numerous breeds and varieties to fulfill commercial requirements. Chicken is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of what’s for dinner, and that train of thought has never let us down.
Chicken thighs are tossed in a simple green goddess dressing and grilled immediately for a no-wait, no-fuss dinner that hits all those alfresco dinner vibes. Rooted in Italian tradition, chicken cacciatore—meaning “hunter-style”—was originally a rustic dish made with whatever was on hand. Our modern take keeps that comforting vibe but makes it foolproof for any home cook. This version brings perfectly tender chicken and a rich tomato sauce to your table every time.
There is some debate about what the chicken’s scientific name should be. Although many taxonomists and ornithologists consider it as a domesticated form of the wild red jungle fowl, some classify it as a subspecies of the red jungle fowl (i.e., G. gallus domesticus), whereas others, including the U.S. Chicken domestication likely occurred more than once in Southeast Asia and possibly India over the most recent 7,400 years, and the first domestications may have been for religious reasons or for the raising of fighting birds. Descendants of those domestications have spread throughout the world in several waves for at least the last 2,000 years.
- The market for chicken meat has grown dramatically since then, with worldwide exports reaching nearly 12.5 million metric tons (about 13.8 million tons) by the early 21st century.
- Chicken domestication likely occurred more than once in Southeast Asia and possibly India over the most recent 7,400 years, and the first domestications may have been for religious reasons or for the raising of fighting birds.
- There is some debate about what the chicken’s scientific name should be.
- Featuring store-bought pesto along with just six other ingredients, this 30-minute, one-pan meal is truly the lazy cook’s dream.
- Each flock of chickens develops a social hierarchy that determines access to food, nesting sites, mates, and other resources.
This is the kind of weeknight dinner that checks all of our boxes. It’s easy, only requires a few dishes, doesn’t make me regret cooking, and most importantly—packs a wild amount of flavor into one sheet pan. This chicken shawarma sheet-pan dinner is the perfect meal for those nights when you just need something easy yet satisfying, or when you’re on the fence about cooking or ordering takeout.Get the Chicken Shawarma Sheet-Pan Dinner recipe. Despite the chicken’s close relationship with the red jungle fowl, there is evidence that the gray jungle fowl (G. sonneratii) of southern India and other jungle fowl species, also members of Gallus, may have contributed to the bird’s ancestry.
Chicken with chorizo and potatoes
For most of that period, chickens were a common part of the livestock complement of farms and ranches throughout Eurasia and Africa. Only in the early 20th century, however, did chicken meat and eggs become mass-production commodities. Egg laying is stimulated by the long stretches of daylight that occur during the warmer months; however, artificial lights placed in chicken coops can trigger a hen’s egg laying response throughout the year. The time between ovulation and egg-laying is approximately 23–26 hours. Subsequent ovulations may occur within an hour after the previous egg was laid, allowing some hens to produce as many as 300 eggs per year. We’ve got something here for everyone, whether you’re looking for tried-and-true classics, creative recipes the whole family will love, or even fast-food copycats like our copycat Raising Cane’s chicken and sauce.
The market for chicken meat has grown dramatically since then, with worldwide exports reaching nearly 12.5 million metric tons (about 13.8 million tons) by the early 21st century. Chickens belonging to the same age cohort and sex are often kept together in industrial production settings. The pecking order is established within groups of female chicks by the 10th week of life. In groups of male chicks, however, fights for dominance may continue into adulthood.
Just because it’s summer, doesn’t mean there’s not still room for comforting casseroles on the menu. Our enchilada casserole, our baked chicken spaghetti, and our tater tot chicken pot pie are great places to start, then check out our best chicken casseroles for even more ideas. Don’t worry, we’ve got tons of sides for chicken too, and all the springy salads you’ll need too. Mature males have long been used for sport (i.e., cockfighting, now outlawed in many jurisdictions) as well as for breeding.
Easy chicken recipes
In situations where one adult bird challenges another—which happens most often when a new bird is introduced into the flock—fights involving males risk injury and death more often than fights involving females. It’s an easy one-pot meal that doesn’t taste like one (seriously, you just might be eating the rice straight out of the pan). It makes for incredible leftovers, so you can enjoy it all week long. A saucy glazed chicken thigh is typically pretty hard to beat, but this Hawaiian shoyu chicken is really something special. Featuring a ridiculously simple soy and brown sugar sauce, this easy one-pot meal will become your new go-to weeknight dinner. Summer cookouts call for food with bright herbs, creamy sauces, and tons of char, and this green goddess grilled chicken is bringing all that and more.
Green Goddess Grilled Chicken
Each flock of chickens develops a social hierarchy that determines access to food, nesting sites, mates, and other resources. A flock usually includes one dominant adult male, a few subdominant males, and two or more females that are carefully watched over by the dominant male. Social hierarchies in chickens are segregated by sex and manifest as a pecking order, in which individuals of higher social rank may strike out at individuals of lower rank with their beaks (pecking) to ensure access to food and other resources.
Altercations, however, may also include pummeling with wings and scratching with claws. Only hens that could no longer produce enough eggs were killed and sold for meat. By the mid-20th century, however, meat production had outstripped egg production as a specialized industry.
- Descendants of those domestications have spread throughout the world in several waves for at least the last 2,000 years.
- It makes for incredible leftovers, so you can enjoy it all week long.
- Many immature males (cockerels) are castrated (usually chemically, with hormones that cause atrophying of the testicles) to become meat birds (capons).
- Their economic importance makes them a central component of global animal husbandry and agriculture.
- Chickens are social animals with complex vocalizations and behaviors, and feature prominently in folklore, religion, and literature across many societies.
Fertilized embryos develop quickly, and chicks hatch approximately 21 days later. Chicks are born covered in down, but they mature quickly, becoming fully feathered after four to five weeks. At about six months, males produce viable sperm, and females produce viable eggs. In 2003, more than 75% of all flocks were moulted in the US.92 Chickens are one of the most efficient sources of foods for many different purposes. Chicken, (Gallus gallus), any of more than 60 breeds of medium-sized poultry that are primarily descended from the wild red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus, family Phasianidae, order Galliformes) of India. The chicken is perhaps the most widely domesticated fowl, raised worldwide for its meat and eggs.
Chicken Dinner Recipes Perfect For Weeknights, Date Nights, & More
There’s a lot more to your Prime membership than fast, free delivery and access to tons of great entertainment benefits. Has there ever been a combination more harmonious than pineapple and BBQ sauce? Sweet and tangy with just a hint of spice, this chicken dinner is practically guaranteed to make you everyone’s favorite person at the cookout. Featuring store-bought pesto along with just six other ingredients, this 30-minute, one-pan meal is truly the lazy cook’s dream.
Tender chicken thighs are coated in a fragrant mix of ginger, garlic, and soy-based stir-fry sauce, perfectly charred alongside vibrant broccoli, crisp snow peas, and scallions. Toss in the springy ramen noodles, give it one last broil to crisp everything up, and you’ve got a golden, caramelized masterpiece. Cane’s juicy, fried chicken strips dunked in tangy, peppery sauce is the kind of fast food meal I dream about. I tested and tested and retested this recipe so that I could confidently say, this copycat is as good as the real thing. If you just can’t get enough of the classic Panda Express dish, this copycat recipe will be a game-changer.
Ready in under an hour with all of the same sweet and savory flavors you love, staying in for weeknight dinner has never been easier. When the craving for satisfying comfort food meets the need for a straightforward dinner, chicken enchiladas are a guaranteed winner. They’re easy, filling, and take less than an hour to chicken road game google play store prepare from start to finish.
As of 2023, the global chicken population exceeds 26.5 billion, with more than 50 billion birds produced annually for consumption. Specialized breeds such as broilers and laying hens have been developed for meat and egg production, respectively. Chickens are social animals with complex vocalizations and behaviors, and feature prominently in folklore, religion, and literature across many societies. Their economic importance makes them a central component of global animal husbandry and agriculture.
