60 Fall Chicken Recipes That Are Easy and Delicious (original) (raw)
No matter what inventive, out-of-the-box recipe we try making for dinner, we always end up coming back to chicken—and why not? The trustworthy bird is versatile, easy to prepare, protein-packed and crowd-pleasing. But now that summer is over, we need some inspiration. With that in mind, we rounded up 60 fall chicken recipes that you’ve never tried before—they’re easy and tasty, so plan on making one every night from now until December.
1. Skillet Roast Chicken With Shmaltzy Potatoes
This one-pan chicken dinner looks super impressive but is foolproof for all skill levels. The secret? A buttermilk brine that yields crispy skin and juicy insides.
2. Baked Ginger And Lemon Chicken
This is definitive proof that you should always keep ginger, lemons, chiles and honey in the kitchen, even if only to turn out a simple dinner on those lazy, cozy fall evenings.
3. Sheet-pan Cashew Chicken
The sheet-pan meal is often billed as the be-all, end-all convenient dinner, but the reality is a little trickier. This version has you add the vegetables after the chicken has started to cook, so everything is actually done at the same time.
4. Oven-baked Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
You had us at first mention of hot honey (and again at baked, not fried).
5. Everything Chicken Wings
Saturday game watches have never tasted better.
6. Chimichurri Chicken Meatballs With Herbed Greek Yogurt, Red Quinoa & Green Beans
The bright, herby, garlicky sauce is good enough to eat by the spoonful. Save some for the tender, savory meatballs, OK?
7. Crispy Za’atar Chicken And Cauliflower
Served with basmati rice, warm naan bread or some roasted sweet potatoes, it’s a weeknight dinner dream.
8. Chicken Parmesan
If you want to up the ante, make a batch of homemade pretzel buns for chicken parm sammies.
9. Buffalo Chicken Dip
With this dip on the menu, we’ll watch practically any sporting event.
10. Creamy Parmesan Chicken And Spinach Tortellini
It doesn’t get cozier than a skillet full of cream sauce.
11. Ina Garten’s Updated Chicken Marbella
No one knows chicken quite like Ina Garten. (Chicken is practically her middle name.) This updated throwback is garlicky, olive-y and easy to throw together.
12. Sticky Orange Chicken With Caramelized Onions And Fennel
Stress-free and sheet-pan are a match made in heaven, so this sweet-and-savory number is a no-brainer. The marinade does double-duty as a sauce, adding an extra boost of flavor.
13. Whole Roasted Chipotle Chicken
Thanks to flavorful chilis en adobo, this impressive-looking dish requires a mere four ingredients. If you end up with leftovers, they’re great for supplementing salads, soups and pastas.
14. Sheet-pan Persian Lemon Chicken
This savory stunner has two, count ’em, two types of potatoes. Do we see meal-prep in your future?
15. Honey-mustard Chicken Bake
This one’s ready in an hour—but if that sounds like a long time, it’s mostly hands-off. You’ll just whip up a sauce and let the oven finish the job.
16. Pan-roasted Chicken With Shallots And Dates
Here’s proof that sometimes simple dishes are the best dishes. Dates, green olives and caramelized shallots combine for a sauce that’s easy and irresistible.
17. Slow-cooker Whole Chicken With Potatoes
Cooking a whole bird doesn’t have to be time-consuming or intimidating. Thanks to your trusty slow-cooker, this one’s almost entirely hands-off.
18. Dijon-maple Chicken With Brussels Sprouts And Butternut Squash
Mmm, we wait all year for squash season. It’s a natural pairing for these glazed chicken thighs, which are just the right amounts of salty and sweet.
19. Pomegranate-sumac Chicken With Roasted Carrots
Our chef in residence Jake Cohen found a way to make Middle Eastern cooking totally approachable. This recipe is full of warm, cozy spices and is so easy to pull off.
20. Dorie Greenspan’s Sheet-pan Balsamic Chicken With Baby Potatoes And Mushrooms
You’ll want to eat this straight out of the oven, but we suggest saving some for later—it’ll make delicious leftovers.
21. One-pan Creamy Chicken Fricassee With Sage
Craving the equivalent of a warm, cozy blanket in a skillet? Look no further than this surprisingly dairy-free Tuscan dish.
22. Balsamic Cranberry Roast Chicken
A single skillet that also happens to be oh-so-seasonal? Count us in. Can’t find fresh cranberries? Frozen ones will do the trick.
23. Thyme Roasted Chicken With Grapes And Burrata
Chicken thighs are always a good choice, because they’re nearly impossible to mess up. These start with a balsamic-cider sauce, and end with—wait for it—burrata.
24. Cheater’s White Wine Coq Au Vin
This chicken dinner comes together in under an hour while remaining très elegant. Julia Child would be so impressed.
25. Slow-cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Nothing says sweater weather quite like chicken noodle soup. This version is impossibly easy, but the flavor still rivals anything your mom used to whip up.
26. Smothered Skillet Chicken With Thyme Butter Mushrooms
You might say you’re not a mushroom person, but you’ve never tried this skillet, have you? It’s so buttery and herby, you’ll be instantly converted.
27. Roasted Butternut Squash Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Couscous
This is like a healthy version of macaroni and cheese with an autumnal twist—thanks, Coterie member Monique Volz.
28. Za’atar Roast Chicken
Za’atar is a citrus-y, zesty Middle Eastern spice, and it’s our favorite for adding a hint of brightness to rich, hearty roast chicken thighs.
29. Cider-braised Chicken With Spiced Butternut Squash
Who could say no to all these fall flavors in one easy to clean pan? OK, if we’re being honest, you had us at “cider.”
30. Skillet Chicken With Bacon And White Wine Sauce
When the temperatures start to dip, there’s nothing we want more than to dive into a skillet full of white wine sauce.
31. One-pan Moroccan Chicken Stew With Sweet Potatoes And Couscous
Monique Volz does it again with another healthy-yet-satisfying meal. This one has tons of cozy spices and dried fruit for a unique (and delicious) twist.
32. Instant Pot Chicken And Rice Soup
We never would have thought that we could cook an entire chicken in, like, ten minutes, but here we are. And since it’s essentially bathing in broth, the meat comes out juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. (We like the sound of that.)
33. One-pot Chicken Stuffing Casserole
Get ready—it’s officially stuffing season, and this one’s special. The chicken is actually crisped before you sauté the aromatics, which means everything get infused with meaty flavor.
34. Crock-pot Honey Harissa Chicken With Chickpeas, Feta And Jeweled Pomegranate Rice
Admit it: You feel cozier just looking at this gorgeous plate. Make it for your next impromptu dinner gathering and tell everyone you worked on it for hours.
35. One-pan Roasted Chicken With Carrots
One baking sheet, minimal cleanup and oodles of roasted chicken and veggies? This is what fall dinner dreams are made of, friends.
36. Greek Chicken With Feta And Kalamata Olives
This dish is practically shouting “easy fall dinner” from the rooftops. Everything gets cooked in a parchment packet, so there’s almost no cleanup to deal with later.
37. Baked Chicken And Ricotta Meatballs
If you end up with leftover meatballs, warm them in broth and toss in some greens at the end for a quick soup the next day.
38. Potato-chip Crusted Chicken With Arugula Pesto
This is like chicken parm but even better, thanks to the crispy potato-chip coating. Might we suggest sandwiching this one in a pretzel bun as well?
39. One-pan Lemon Sage Chicken And Cauliflower
A one-pan dinner that’s made with chicken and cauliflower and it’s low-carb? Be still our hearts.
40. Instant Pot Keto Indian Butter Chicken
Full disclosure: We’d gobble this up and we’re not even on the keto diet. It’s cozy, creamy and just as tasty as takeout.
41. Chicken Thighs With Pancetta And Green Olives
The key to the crispiest chicken skin possible is to cook the thighs low and slow. The Castelvetrano olives and pancetta are the cherry on top.
42. Chicken With Feta Cheese, Dill, Lemon And Harissa Yogurt
We should mention that this dish happens to be a one-skillet deal. And you know how they say, “feta is betta”? It’s true.
43. Grilled Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
You could swap the chicken thighs for chicken breasts or ground chicken instead, just adjust the cooking time to suit.
44. Spicy Lemon-ginger Chicken Soup
Number one on our list of comfort foods? Chicken soup. This version wins bonus points for both flavor and ease—mix it up with different greens or pasta if you like.
45. Black Pepper Chicken
A lightened-up version of a takeout favorite that’s ready in 30 minutes? Look no further.
46. Honey Mustard Sheet-pan Chicken With Brussels Sprouts
On our ideal fall dinner checklist? Fast, easy and minimal cleanup. This one checks all the right boxes.
47. Antoni Porowski’s Chile-maple Roast Chicken
Aside from being deceptively easy (and delicious), whole roast chicken has the benefit of making enough leftovers to last the whole week.
48. Braised Lemon Chicken
Braising is a method well suited for fall, since it results in luxurious, fall-off-the-bone meat. A little lemon juice keeps things from getting too rich.
49. Greek Chicken And Rice Skillet
Save this beauty for a night when need to casually dish up something sensational. It’s ready in 40 minutes.
50. Instant Pot Balsamic Chicken
You’re telling us this entire feast requires just 30 minutes and an Instant Pot? Pinch us, we’re dreaming.
51. Creamy Chicken And Potato Chowder
This chowder is so creamy and hearty, we had a hard time believing it’s gluten-, dairy- and grain-free.
52. Slow-cooker Herbed Chicken And Rice Pilaf
Autumnal herbs? Check. Rice pilaf to soak up all those yummy chicken juices? Double check. Yep, we’re making this tonight.
53. Chicken And Dumplings With Leeks
Time to grab a tall glass of cider and get cozy. This easy dinner has fall written all over it.
54. Rosemary Chicken With Roasted Grapes And Shallots
This simple dish can be made in 30 minutes flat. Serve it with mashed sweet potatoes or roasted fall veggies for a well-rounded meal.
55. Parmesan-roasted Cauliflower Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
This is what happens when our favorite protein meets our favorite vegetable. You could pair this with pasta or eat it just by itself.
56. Crock-pot Chicken Wings With Maple Ginger Glaze
No frying and no mess involved. They’re just what you need on game night (or really any night, for that matter).
57. Apple Cider Glazed Chicken
Guess what? The entire dish calls for just six ingredients and takes 30 minutes to make. You’ll want to add it to your weeknight rotation, stat.
58. Oven-roasted Whole Chicken With Root Vegetables
We promise this roast chicken is easier to pull off than it seems. It’s crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside and amazing as leftovers. (Thanks, Coterie member Carlene Thomas.)
59. Red Curry Sheet Pan Chicken With Sweet Potatoes And Crispy Kale
Coterie member Phoebe Lapine knows that nothing gets us more excited than a sheet pan full of roasted sweet potatoes (except, you know, a sheet pan full of kale).
Former Senior Food Editor
- Headed PureWow’s food vertical
- Contributed original reporting, recipes and food styling
- Studied English Literature at the University of Notre Dame and Culinary Arts at the Institute of Culinary Education