Quick and Easy Chicken Recipe Meals

Whether it’s the chicken quesadilla recipe my kids love or an easy chicken recipe thrown together with the help of a can of cream soup, chicken regularly appears at our family dinner table.

No wonder chicken is one of the most popular main dishes in the world. It’s economical, healthy, and is great for both everyday meals and special occasions.

And it’s versatile. The taste of chicken goes with just about anything. Add a different sauce and side dish and you have a whole new meal.

Chicken is also a wonderful substitute for ground beef in Italian and Mexican dishes.

All of these qualities make chicken the ideal base for quick, easy and tasty weekday meals for your busy family. You can fry, boil, broil, sauté, bake, stir-fry, stew, barbecue, or grill up an easy meal in no time flat.

The ways to prepare it are almost as vast as the number of delicious poultry recipes you can find in your favourite cookbook or magazine.

When it comes to weeknight chicken at our house, the easier the better. If I can start the meal in a crock pot in the morning and only have to cook some rice or boil some water for pasta or potatoes later in the day, it goes along way to becoming one of my favourites.

For most of us, weekday meals can’t be fancy. When time is a factor (and when isn’t it?), I rely on some prepared ingredients to help speed the process.

Some of my kid-friendly standbys start with a good old can of creamed soup mushroom, chicken or celery. Choose any one of them, because the taste is similar and the variety makes for a nice change.

A package of onion soup mix can also be the base of a great chicken sauce. When I want to put a quick and easy meal on the table, the crock pot is my best friend.

Place one to two pounds of skinless chicken (bone-in or out) in a crock pot. Mix in one can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of mushrooms (drained), half a can of water and one package of onion soup mix. Cook all day on low.

As above, use one to two pounds of skinless chicken (bone-in or out) and mix in one cup California style dressing, one cup apricot jam and one package of onion soup mix. Place in crock pot and let cook away on low all day.

Here are some of my favourite quick chicken dishes that don¹t involve the crock pot.

Each recipe is family-friendly, can be prepared in about 30 minutes and can be easily doubled and used for lunch the next day, or refrigerated for another even busier night later on in the week.

All delicious in their own way, they can be adapted to your family’s likes and dislikes. For instance, if your kids don¹t like green pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, or olives they can easily be eliminated and you will still have a meal that both you and your kids will enjoy.

Aside from being great for freezing, these recipes also reheat well in the microwave.

The recipes below were tested using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

If you ever crave a hearty chicken meal mid-week here¹s a wonderful recipe. Line a large casserole dish with boneless chicken breasts. One for each member of your family. Now cover with one or two cans of cream of celery soup. (A family of four can usually get by with one can.) Top with your favourite stuffing mixed with one third cup of melted butter.

I make my stuffing by cubing four to six slices of whatever bread I have on hand. I then toss in some diced celery and onion and sprinkle on a little sage, salt and pepper. The casserole dish with the soup mix can be combined the night before or the morning of and refrigerated. The stuffing can also be prepared in advance and left aside until ready to use. (Note: I sauté the celery and onion first in the butter and coat the bread by mixing everything together.) Top the chicken and sauce mixture with stuffing and bake for approx. 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Serves four or more.

Sauté chicken in a large skillet with one teaspoon of oil. Once cooked (about five minutes), add garlic cloves, green pepper, onions, zucchini and mushrooms. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Mix in the spaghetti sauce until heated through. Serve mixture on top of cooked spaghetti. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serves four.

For a tasty variation on the above try a Chicken Pasta Skillet - Italian Style. This recipe is created as above but uses a (796 ml) tin of diced tomatoes (drained) instead of the tomato sauce and cooked fusilli (corkscrew pasta) instead of spaghetti. (You could also substitute penne or medium shells.) Further, mix both the pasta and the sauce together along with one cup of grated mozzarella cheese. Serve with a little extra grated mozzarella cheese sprinkled on the top of each serving.

Brush a little olive oil on four tortillas (or coat with cooking spray). Place oiled sides down on large foil-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle tortillas with half of the cheddar cheese; the chicken mixture, then the mozzarella cheese and another tortilla. Now brush or spray some oil on the tops of the tortillas. Broil until golden brown.

Gently turn the quesadillas over with large spatula. Continue broiling until second side is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Cut each into wedges. Serve with the remaining salsa.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Put about two cups of Corn Flakes into a large zipper lock plastic bag. Squeeze out excess air and seal. Using a rolling pin, crush the Corn Flakes. Once crushed, add flour and seasoned salt. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl. First dip each piece in the egg mixture and then toss in the bag to coat both sides. Potato chips or soda crackers also work well in this recipe.

Put the chicken on baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray or coated with a little oil. Bake for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Flip the chicken part way through to evenly brown both sides. This recipe also works well with bone-in chicken breasts, thighs, and legs. Serve with white and sweet potato wedges and cut up raw vegetables. Serves four.

To make white and sweet potato wedges, peel and cut the appropriate number of potatoes and leave sit for several hours in cold water in the refrigerator. Drain and pat dry. Toss with on quarter cup of olive oil and bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes and then flip the wedges and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. Once the oven is preheated to 375 degrees put in the chicken. Continue baking until the chicken is done. Finish by sprinkling on a little seasoned salt.