Chicken breasts get a bad rap. We get it. If you don't really know what to do with them they can end up being insanely boring, completely bland and super dry. Here's the thing: if you properly learn how to cook chicken breasts just once, you'll never get enough of them. Instead, you'll be stuffing them with cheese, smothering them in pesto, baking them into casseroles, frying them up into fingers and tossing them with pasta. To get you started, here are 34 truly delicious chicken breast recipes to try.
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Chicken Breast Recipes
Take this dinner staple to the next level with our delicious chicken breast recipes, including kid-friendly, one-pot and healthy ideas.
Hoda Kotb's Mom's 5-Ingredient Pesto Chicken
Hoda Kotb's mother Sami livens up chicken breasts in under 30 minutes with fresh pesto, sliced tomato and gooey melted cheese.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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20-Minute Creamy Chicken Fricassee with Peas and Asparagus
Michael Lomonaco
Elevate ordinary chicken breasts into an elegant and easy one-skillet supper with a few vegetables, a touch of crème fraîche and a handful of fresh herbs.
Grace Parisi / TODAY
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Garlic-and-Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce
Grace Parisi
These juicy chicken breasts will become your new go-to thanks to a simple mixture of herbs, chiles and garlic that does double duty as a marinade and sauce (using half to marinate and the other half to serve on the side). When thinly pounded, boneless and skinless chicken breasts cook so quickly that the flavor and color of the marinade remain vibrant and bright.
Casey Barber
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Healthier Cajun Chicken Pasta
Casey Barber
It's easy to see why Cajun chicken pasta keeps popping up on fast-casual restaurant menus nationwide. Even picky eaters agree that the combination of spicy chicken and creamy sauce (not to mention mountains of irresistible noodles!) is across-the-board appealing. Check out this healthier version of the dish.
Nathan R. Congleton / TODAY
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Almond Crusted Chicken Paillard with Tomato Salad
Donatella Arpaia
Fresh and simple, this 5-ingredient almond-crusted chicken breasts with tomato salad is a fast and easy weeknight meal and is also elegant enough for entertaining.
Little (and big!) kids will love these homemade chicken tenders with sweet and sour sauce.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Flavor-Pounded Chicken Breasts
Marco Canora
Pep up boneless, skinless chicken breasts with sage, rosemary, garlic and lemon zest.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Chicken Schnitzel with Little Gem and Pea Caesar Salad
Donal Skehan
Get a meal on the table quickly with these fast and delicious chicken cutlets paired with a creative take on Caesar salad.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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Crispy Chicken with Honey Sauce
Clodoagh McKenna
For this crowd-pleasing crispy chicken dish, flavor thin breaded chicken breasts with Dijon mustard and tarragon.
Amy Neunsinger
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Chicken Chopped Salad in Butter Lettuce Cups
Giada De Laurentiis
"I love chopped salads — you get so many great tastes in one bite," says star chef Giada De Laurentiis. "This recipe is my twist on a traditional chicken chopped salad. Instead of mixing in the lettuce, I use it as a wrap for the salad, which—like every good chopped salad—is studded with so many yummy flavors: chunks of chicken, creamy avocado, salty feta, crunchy fennel, peppery arugula, and bits of sun-dried tomatoes and briny olives. If packing this up to go, keep the salad and lettuce separate so the lettuce leaves don't wilt."
Casey Barber
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Copycat Crispy Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Casey Barber
This crispy Asian chicken salad, inspired by Applebee's Asian chicken salad, is a great dinner or make-ahead lunch.
Andrea Lynn
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Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
Andrea Lynn
Combine shredded chicken breasts with, Frank's Red Hot sauce, cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheddar and blue cheese for a warm and delicious game day dip.
Debbie Koenig / Debbie Koenig
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Chicken Peperonata
Debbie Koenig
Colorful bell peppers become a hearty sauce in this quick and healthy chicken dinner.
Casey Barber
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Make-Ahead Stuffed Chicken Tortillas
Casey Barber
This easy make-ahead stuffed chicken tortillas recipe is inspired by a popular Cheesecake Factory dish.
Pesto-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Spaghetti
"Pesto has gone from a simple, uncooked pasta sauce in the Italian province of Liguria to a worldwide phenomenon," says star chef Curtis Stone. It is so easy to make — just whiz it in a food processor. Here, it's a topping for chicken breasts. I love the way pesto gets a bit toasty in the oven and how good it tastes mixed with the juices from chicken in spaghetti.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Chick-fil-A-Style Chicken Sandwich
Alejandra Ramos
This popular restaurant-inspired dish is an irresistible homemade version of Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich.
Casey Barber / TODAY
Ever since wings were invented, it seems like we've been trying to find new ways to get our wing fix without actually, you know, FRYING wings in the kitchen. Here's one of the easiest and most portable ways to bring that Buffalo flavor to your party — a throw-together flatbread that guests will go crazy over.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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Grilled Pineapple Chicken Breasts
Brandi Milloy
Grilling soy sauce and ginger marinated chicken breasts on planks of pineapple imparts a sweet flavor you're going to love in this delicious 6-ingredient grilled chicken dish.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Chicken Stew
Giada De Laurentiis
Giada De Laurentiis serves up a one-skillet chicken stew that is a hearty and satisfying weeknight meal.
Casey Barber
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Copycat Bang-Bang Chicken and Shrimp
Casey Barber
The Cheesecake Factory's Bang-Bang Chicken and Shrimp might be a splurge at the restaurant, but it's a steal when you make it at home.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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Chicken Parmesan
Laura Vitale
Fried crispy then layered in tomato sauce and gooey melted mozzarella cheese, this classic chicken parm is irresistible.
Casey Barber
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Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado-Ranch Dip
Casey Barber
These make-ahead Southwestern egg rolls inspired by the longtime favorite served up at Chili's restaurants are easy to assemble — we promise! They replace the usual heavy flour tortillas with light and simple egg roll wrappers, and because they're baked instead of deep-fried, they're healthier and less indulgent than the restaurant splurge.
Grace Parisi / TODAY
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Easy Ginger-Sesame Grilled Chicken Breasts
Grace Parisi
This simple grilled chicken marinade packs a lot of flavor for so few ingredients. It's perfectly suited for boneless, skinless breasts, but can also be used with legs and thighs. Just make a few gashes in the meat and rub with the marinade.
Grace Parisi / TODAY
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5-Ingredient Lemon-Rosemary Grilled Chicken Breasts
Grace Parisi
Because sometimes, we all just need a little crispy chicken skin, switch things up with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.
Casey Barber
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Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Pie
Casey Barber
Who says spaghetti pie can't be elegant? Grab chicken cutlets and a jar of pesto to make this easy toss-together pie. Leftovers never looked so good.
Casey Barber
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Shake Shack-Style Chick'n Shack Sandwich
Casey Barber
Make a mouthwatering version of Shake Shack's crunchy, tangy fried Chick'n Shack sandwich at home. It's just as tender and juicy, but a little healthier than the deep-fried Shack original.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Thai Flavor-Pounded Chicken Breasts
Marco Canora
Make Thai-style chicken breasts with five ingredients: lime zest, ginger, cilantro, cardamom and fish sauce.
Quinoa, Feta and Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Packed with protein, this 4-ingredient main is a fast, easy and healthy weeknight dish.
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Indian Flavor-Pounded Chicken
Marco Canora
Make Indian-style chicken breasts with the easy addition of cumin, turmeric, onion powder and ground coriander.
Chicken Fajitas
Serve up Siri Daly's version of Chili's-style chicken fajitas. "This is a great meal for a taco night when you just want to stay at home!" she says.
Patty Lee / TODAY
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Sriracha Chicken-Stuffed Pita Sandwiches
Ryan Scott
Stuffed with spicy Sriracha chicken, avocado, pepper jack and mango chutney, these colorful, Asian-inspired pita sandwiches will hold up to the heat and travel well.
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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Buffalo Wing Kebabs with Avocado Ranch Dip
Joy Bauer
Spicy chicken and veggie kebabs have all the flavor of classic chicken wings...but only 255 calories.
Matt Armendariz
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Roast Chicken Breasts with Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Sauce (Muhummara)
Aarti Sequeira
Jazz up roast chicken breasts with a delicious and healthy red pepper and walnut sauce.
5-Ingredient Chicken Breast with Basil Butter
Cook crispy skin-on chicken breasts in a cast-iron skillet with a quick and easy butter that's flavored with fresh basil.
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