Food & Cooking Recipes 30-Minute (or Less) Chicken Dinner Recipes Perfect for Busy Weeknights By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 16, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Lennart Weibull Serve an inspired weeknight dinner that comes together fast using our quick chicken recipes. We're sharing favorites—salad, soup, pasta, and more, that come together rapidly but taste top notch. Who needs takeout when you've got these fast, flavorful recipes to add to your repertoire? They're sure to become your new go-tos when you want to make chicken for dinner, and in no time at all. Whether you prefer chicken breasts, cutlets, or chicken thighs, we have the fast recipes you need. Try making a delicious Chicken-Teriyaki Noodle Bowl with chicken cutlets. A simple mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil does double duty as a marinade for the chicken and a sauce for udon noodles and vegetables. An any night chicken sandwich gets Thai flavor in this grilled-chicken baguette recipe; using a hearty, crusty baguette for the base instead of sandwich bread provides a sturdy base for colorful, flavorful ingredients including Masaman-curry paste and sweet creamy mango. We also suggest trying our Green-Chile Chicken Burgers—they just so happen to be one of our all-time favorite ways to use ground chicken. On a night when time is extra, extra tight, we recommend an easy and elegant dinner with quick-cooking chicken cutlets served with arugula, lemon wedges, and long curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano—it's a restaurant-level dinner that comes together so fast. There's comfort aplenty here, too, which is just what you need after a long workday in one easy bowl of Greek-Chicken One-Pan Pasta, Lemony-Pesto Chicken Soup, or Chicken Puttanesca with Orzo. Go ahead and set your timer for 30 minutes, then let the family know that a delicious, quick chicken dinner will be on the table soon. 01 of 14 Oat-Crusted Chicken Cutlets Sidney Bensimon Here's a healthier take on a favorite guilty pleasure dinner: chicken tenders. Rolled in oats and pan-fried, these chicken cutlets have a delicious crunch. Serve with a tossed green salad to keep it light. View Recipe 02 of 14 Chicken with Mushrooms Andrew Purcell All you need for this fast and elegant entrée is chicken cutlets, button mushrooms, broth, white wine, and fresh parsley. View Recipe 03 of 14 Chicken-Teriyaki Noodle Bowls Chris Simpson This family-friendly noodle-centric dinner is made with grilled chicken cutlets plus eggplant, edamame, and an irresistible soy marinade that does double duty as a dressing for the noodles. View Recipe 04 of 14 Thai Grilled-Chicken Baguettes Lennart Weibull With sweet slices of ripe mango and plenty of crunch thanks to sliced celery and cocktail peanuts, you know this no ordinary chicken cutlet sandwich. View Recipe 05 of 14 Spring Chicken Niçoise Sidney Bensimon This riff on a classic French dish—Niçoise salad— swaps chicken breasts for the traditional tuna and adds in sugar snap peas and feta cheese for a fresh take on a favorite. View Recipe 06 of 14 Lemon-Ginger Chicken and Green Beans Armando Rafael So fast, so flavorful! First boneless, skinless chicken breast halves are seared in a hot skillet, then steamed in a ginger-infused liquid. The result is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside meat. View Recipe 07 of 14 Greek-Chicken One-Pan Pasta Yunhee Kim For this one-pot, five ingredient pasta recipe, boneless chicken breasts are brightened with fresh lemon zest and dill. The sauce, made with olive oil and chicken broth, will reduce into a light, slightly creamy, absolutely delicious consistency. View Recipe 08 of 14 Green-Chile Chicken Burgers Bryan Gardner Just in time for grilling season—even if that means using a grill pan on your stovetop—comes this super burger. Toasting cumin seeds adds a depth of earthy, smoky flavor in these chicken patties. View Recipe 09 of 14 Chicken Scallopine with Arugula and Lemon For when you need a super-fast chicken dinner, there's this elegant and easy option. Thinly pounded chicken breasts are quickly sautéed and served alongside arugula, lemon, and big curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano. View Recipe 10 of 14 Seared-Chicken Salad with Green Beans, Almonds, and Dried Cherries To make this fast dinner even easier, prep the crispy chicken, green beans, and dressing up to a day in advance and refrigerate. Then assemble the salad just before serving. View Recipe 11 of 14 Vinegar-Glazed Chicken with Creamed Corn Lennart Weibull Chicken thighs are one of the test kitchen's favorite cuts of chicken. They're versatile, economical, and have plenty of flavor. Here we pair them with a richly-flavored vinegar glaze and creamed corn made with frozen (or fresh!) kernels, cream cheese, and milk. It's an indulgent side that the whole family will want to scoop up. View Recipe 12 of 14 Mediterranean Chopped-Chicken Pita David Malosh A colorful, quick entrée made with boneless chicken breasts, creamy, good-for-you hummus, and feta, plus a rainbow of tomatoes, radicchio, and scallions. View Recipe 13 of 14 Chicken Puttanesca with Orzo Romulo Yanes A different take on pasta dinner: Orzo is a fun-to-eat, short-cut pasta that looks like rice. Here it pairs with a traditional puttanesca sauce and crispy chicken cutlets. View Recipe 14 of 14 Lemony-Pesto Chicken Soup Pernille Loof There's nothing as comforting as chicken soup and this fast recipe delivers. Use leftover roast chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird with store-bought stock and pesto for a 20-minute bowl. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit