Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a weeknight lifesaver: They’re fuss-free, they cook quickly and their mild flavor works as a blank canvas, soaking up any marinades, seasonings or sauces they’re paired with. Below are 17 of our most popular boneless chicken breast recipes, most of which are ready in under an hour.
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 40 minutes
Coated with a layer of tomato paste and yogurt, this chicken from Yasmin Fahr stays juicy as it bakes atop a bed of cherry or grape tomatoes. The tomatoes burst as they roast, becoming a little saucy, and the panko bread crumbs and Parmesan crisp.
Recipe: Crispy Baked Tomato-Oregano Chicken
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Ready in: 40 minutes
Ali Slagle’s weeknight fajitas cook on a sheet pan in a flash. All the ingredients are thinly sliced, coated in a lime-chipotle marinade, roasted and then broiled until charred. Serve with tortillas and your desired toppings (guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream).
Recipe: Chicken Fajitas
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 50 minutes
Melissa Knific’s twist on chicken Alfredo is inspired by the bold flavors of Cajun cuisine. Chicken breasts are rubbed with a Cajun-style seasoning and browned in the same pan that’s later used to build the pasta sauce, which features bell peppers, scallions, garlic, Parmesan, lemon juice and heavy cream. For extra acidity and heat, drizzle with Louisiana-style hot sauce at the end.
Recipe: Creamy Cajun-Style Chicken Pasta
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Ready in: 30 minutes
If you like Caesar salad, you will enjoy this easy weeknight dinner from Christian Reynoso. Chicken breasts are seared until golden brown alongside broccoli florets and then served over a quick pan sauce of garlic, anchovy and lemon. Parmesan is grated over everything to your heart’s content.
Recipe: Garlic Chicken and Broccoli with Lemon
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Ready in: 25 minutes
Ali Slagle takes the common technique of spooning hot butter and aromatics over steak and applies it to boneless chicken breasts in this smart recipe. The butter-baste, which is infused with garlic and woodsy herbs like rosemary or sage, keeps the white meat from drying out while imparting it with flavor.
Recipe: Butter-Basted Chicken Breasts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 2¼ hours
Sarah DiGregorio’s slow-cooker recipe is the weeknight gift that keeps on giving. These simple, seasoned chicken breasts can be thrown into a salad, tucked into tacos or quesadillas or tossed with pasta. The spice mix — which features paprika, cumin, dried thyme and garlic powder — is punchy but neutral enough to work in many dishes, and you can easily adjust it to your taste.
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Boneless Chicken Breasts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 1 hour
Breaded with a seasoned cornflake mixture of paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, and then baked, these chicken cutlets are spicy and sweet thanks to a drizzle of homemade hot honey. (Store-bought is also fine.) For the most tender, evenly cooked chicken, Farideh Sadeghin’s recipe calls for pounding the chicken breasts until they are the same thickness all over. The cutlets can also be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer.
Recipe: Hot Honey Chicken
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Ready in: 50 minutes
“DELICIOUS. I learned something new with this recipe, and it will be on a regular rotation at my house,” one reader wrote about Kevin Pang’s chicken stir-fry. The secret here is a Chinese culinary technique called velveting, which makes lean meat tender and creates a silky sauce that beautifully clings to everything.
Recipe: Butter-Soy Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Yasmin Fahr’s honey-garlic chicken breasts.Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 25 minutes
These sweet and salty chicken breasts are, as one reader commented, “simple and truly excellent.” Yasmin Fahr’s recipe calls for searing the chicken in a hot pan until it’s golden brown, and then making a simple pan sauce of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and butter.
Recipe: Honey-Garlic Chicken
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Ready in: 35 minutes
Ali Slagle’s orange chicken-inspired dish is so quick and so flavorful. Skip the pre-marinade, and instead add seared chicken and broccoli (or any protein and vegetable you like) to a punchy sauce of tangerine juice, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and chile, which will keep the sometimes dry meat tender and juicy. Serve it over rice, soba or lettuce.
Recipe: Seared Orange Chicken and Broccoli
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Ready in: 15 minutes
It’s hard to believe that a delicious dinner like this one can come together so fast, but the trick is to cut the chicken into 1 ½-inch pieces. Kay Chun’s spicy-creamy sauce calls for just five ingredients — fresh ginger, coconut milk, sugar, gochujang and soy sauce — and would also be great on chicken wings, pork ribs or pan-fried tofu.
Recipe: Coconut-Gochujang Glazed Chicken With Broccoli
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 35 minutes
Naz Deravian’s panang curry, also known as phanaeng or panaeng curry, is made with chicken, but you’ll often find it made with beef or prawns. Spicy red curry paste, creamy coconut milk and crushed peanuts form the base of the dish, which is subtly spiced with coriander and cumin seeds.
Recipe: Panang Curry
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Ready in: 35 minutes
Cubed chicken and Brussels sprouts tossed in a maple-miso marinade roast at a high temperature, developing a sticky, caramelized exterior with a tender and juicy interior. Carolina Gelen calls for brushing the chicken mid-bake with sauce, which might seem a little fussy, but takes the meal to the next level. Serve over a bowl of rice or polenta.
Recipe: Miso-Maple Sheet-Pan Chicken With Brussels Sprouts
Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times
Ready in: 40 minutes
“Gong bao ji ding was one of my favorite meals when I lived in China,” one reader wrote. “There was a summer when I think I ate it 5 times a week. Since coming back to the U.S. I’ve hard such a hard time finding it. This recipe is a great version of it.” This chicken stir-fry with hot chiles and crunchy peanuts is from the scholar Fuchsia Dunlop, known for teaching Western audiences about authentic Chinese cuisine.
Recipe: Gong Bao Chicken With Peanuts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 20 minutes
Lidey Heuck’s easy weeknight recipe doubles up on lemon for fast flavor, using both store-bought lemon-pepper seasoning and fresh lemon. The lemon pepper does the heavy-lifting here, adding acid, salt and mild heat to the chicken breasts, while the fresh lemon juice brings a note of brightness to the garlicky butter pan sauce.
Recipe: Lemon-Pepper Chicken Breasts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Ready in: 20 minutes
Once you’ve learned the simple technique of blackening, you can turn any protein into something flavorful in practically no time. All you need is a cast iron skillet and a Cajun-style spice blend. These chicken breasts from Kia Damon are a great upgrade to any meal: Add them to a big, leafy salad; toss them in a creamy pasta; or tuck them into a burrito.
Recipe: Blackened Chicken Breasts
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Ready in: 1 hour 15 minutes
Lidey Heuck wants you to brine your boneless, skinless chicken breasts before baking them. A quick 30-minute brine in saltwater ensures the meat comes out tender, moist and well-seasoned. Afterward, place them on a sheet pan; pat them dry; drizzle generously with olive oil; sprinkle with dried oregano, garlic powder and paprika (or whatever spices and dried herbs you like); and bake. Easy and foolproof.
Recipe: Baked Chicken Breasts
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