What to cook with chicken — quick and tasty
Chicken is the kind of ingredient you can turn into almost anything in a hurry. Breasts or thighs are nearly always in the fridge, they cook in minutes, and they behave just as well in a pan, in the oven, in a soup or in a salad. So if you open the fridge with no idea where to start, you will run out of thinking time long before you run out of options.
Below are eight simple homemade chicken dishes for any day of the week. Each comes together from a short list of ingredients, stays within 15 to 60 minutes, and asks for no special skills, so you can cook one now or save the list for an evening when you just want something warm and ready.
1. Pan-fried chicken with vegetables
Slice the breast into strips, sear them on a hot pan for 5 to 6 minutes, then add chopped peppers, onion and carrot or a frozen mix and cook everything for another seven minutes. The chicken stays juicy inside and lightly golden outside, while the vegetables keep their bite and bright colour. Season with salt and a pinch of paprika, and in around 20 minutes you have something that goes well with rice or bread.
2. Oven-baked chicken with spices
Rub the thighs with salt, oil, paprika and garlic, lay them on a tray and slide it into a 200°C oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. The skin turns golden and crisp, while the meat near the bone comes out especially tender and fragrant. Toss a few potato wedges onto the same tray and you have a side ready at once, while the oven quietly handles the rest.
3. One-pot chicken with rice
Brown pieces of breast with onion, stir in rinsed rice, pour over twice as much boiling water, season and cover for 18 to 20 minutes until the rice is done. The grains soak up the flavour of the chicken and broth, so side and meat already belong together; drop in carrot or peas for colour. It is a classic weeknight dish for cooking everything in one pot.
4. Chicken noodle soup
Simmer the thighs for 30 to 35 minutes, lift out the meat, then add potato, carrot and onion to the broth and a handful of noodles near the end. Pull the chicken into pieces, return it to the pot, season and finish with fresh herbs. The broth comes out clear and rich, the noodles soft, and the bowl warms you from the inside better than anything else here. It takes about an hour, mostly hands-off while it simmers.
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Find a dish →5. Chicken patties
Mince the breast yourself or buy it ready, mix in an egg, finely grated onion, a spoon of sour cream and a little breadcrumb, then shape the patties and fry them for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Inside they stay tender and juicy, the outside gets an appetising golden crust, and the sour cream keeps them soft even if you overcook them slightly. A batch is ready in about 25 minutes and tastes just as good the next day.
6. Chicken in creamy sauce
Sear pieces of breast until lightly browned, pour in cream or thinned sour cream, add garlic and let it gently simmer for 7 to 8 minutes on low heat. The sauce thickens and turns silky, the chicken comes out very tender, and you will want bread to dip into it or pasta to spoon it over. The dish takes around 20 minutes, yet looks as if you fussed far longer.
7. Chicken salad
Boil or pan-fry the breast, cut it into cubes and toss it with fresh cucumber, lettuce leaves, croutons and a spoon of yoghurt or mayonnaise. The chicken makes the salad more filling, the cucumber adds freshness and crunch, and the dressing pulls it all into one. Throw in sweetcorn, tomatoes or a boiled egg, since it adapts to whatever is at home, and it comes together in barely 15 minutes.
8. Breaded chicken bites
Cut the breast into small pieces, coat them in flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, then fry in hot oil until golden. They turn crisp outside while staying soft and juicy within, a homemade answer to what people usually order in. Serve them with any sauce you love in about 20 minutes, and they are almost always the favourite at the table.
Why chicken is so handy
Chicken keeps well in the fridge and the freezer, cooks fast and pairs with practically everything: grains, vegetables, noodles, sauces and herbs. From the same breast you can make soup today, patties tomorrow and a salad the day after, and no dish repeats the last. It works both when you have an hour for dinner and when only 15 minutes are left.
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