{For When You Have No Idea What to Cook}
We eat chicken for dinner around here more than anything. It’s easy, versatile, goes with nearly everything, and can be cooked sooooooo many different ways! I can usually find some affordable cuts, and tend to fill my freezer when there’s a sale, but there are still days that come 5 pm I stand in my kitchen and blank stare at what’s in the fridge.
No ideas.
A wasted brain lacking inspiration.
It happens to all of us.
So for your sanity (and mine), I have put 5 of my favorites — really easy, fast meals that won’t require lots of grocery shopping — all in one place.
Pickle Chicken with Garlic Fries and Spicy Pickle Dip
This is a healthy 30-minute meal that will use up all the juice in a jar of pickles! My family flipped over this recipe. The chicken is totally tender and full of dill pickle garlic flavor. **Note that you should marinate this chicken the night before if you want to get dinner on the table fast**
We cooked ours on the grill, but a stove top grill pan would work just as well!
Click HERE for the Pickle Chicken Recipe
Pesto Chicken and Provolone Sandwiches
This is like… grilled cheese on a whole new level. Yow! I’m excited about this one. Especially because you could totally use leftover chicken for this sandwich. Or grab one of those rotisseries at the grocery store and shred it. You can make your own pesto — I have included a couple of awesome links to my pesto recipes — or you can use prepared pesto.
Click HERE for the Pesto Chicken and Provlone Sandwiches recipe
Easy Chicken Cutlets with Pan Sauce
Another 30-minute chicken cutlet dreamboat of a recipe. You can make the pan sauce with beer, bourbon, or broth! I served mine over couscous, but you could use rice, quinoa, egg noodles, cauliflower mash — pretty much whatever your dinner-making heart desires (or your fridge provides).
Click HERE for the Easy Chicken Cutlets in Pan Sauce Recipe
Chipotle Peach Chicken Tacos
This recipe will take a few extra minutes — maybe 45 or so — but it is so so so worth it. Poached chicken is shredded and then simmered in a peach chipotle BBQ sauce. I added rice to the tacos to cut some of the heat, and then I topped them with a peach salsa that is just the right kind of sweet heat. You can never go wrong with tacos, really.
Also! My kids like all these goodies stuffed into quesadillas. Bonus recipe idea.
Click HERE for the Chipotle Peach Chicken Taco Recipe
Chicken Parm Burgers
Ground chicken is mixed with fresh herbs and then coated in seasoned breadcrumbs. I cannot even express to you my very deep affection for fresh herbs, but ESPECIALLY in this recipe. Ground chicken sort of tastes like whatever you add to it, so I put my basil and oregano to good use. Marinara, melty cheese, a nice slice of tomato, and squishy soft bread — are you hungry yet?
Click HERE for the Chicken Parm Burger Recipe
Did this help you? I hope it helped you. If you are still stumped, I post a meal plan every Friday. You can find those HERE.