20 Chicken Dinners for Summer You Can Make in 20 Minutes
This summer, make mealtime easy with one of these chicken dinner recipes. These delicious dishes take no more than 20 minutes to prepare, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time in the sunshine. Plus, they highlight seasonal produce like melons, tomatoes and zucchini, so you can savor summer flavors in each bite. Recipes like our Summer Chicken Parmesan and 20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas are healthy, tasty and quick to make.
20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas
Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.
Summer Chicken Parmesan
Skip canned tomatoes and serve these crispy, cheesy chicken cutlets with a fresh tomato-and-zucchini sauté instead, a super-easy side that takes advantage of peak-season summer produce. For a healthy whole-grain swap, use white whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose for breading the chicken and in any sweet or savory recipe. Make sure to position your oven rack in the middle of the oven, about 6 inches from the broiler, so the cutlets don't cook too quickly. Round out the meal with a simple green salad and garlic-rubbed toasted bread slices.
Crunchy Chicken & Mango Salad
This Asian-inspired dinner salad has terrific crunch, thanks to sugar snap peas and napa cabbage. Give the dressing a kick of heat by adding a bit of sambal oelek, an Indonesian hot sauce that you can find in most large supermarkets and Asian grocery stores.
Grilled Chicken with Cucumber-Radish Salsa
Fresh salsa dresses up grilled chicken--or any other meat for that matter--in this healthy chicken dinner recipe. Want an island vibe? Swap mango for the cucumber and lime juice for the rice vinegar.
Quick Chicken Fajitas
Looking to update your classic chicken fajita recipe? These quick and easy chicken fajitas are perfect for a casual, fun get-together. For a casual, fun get-together, set up a make-your-own-fajitas bar with the chicken filling, avocado cream, sour cream, and any other toppings you love, like pico de gallo, sliced fresh jalapeños, or crisp radish slices. The recipe serves 4, but you can easily double it to feed a larger crowd. For a quick, easy side, combine shredded red or green cabbage, toasted hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and crumbled queso fresco. Toss with a simple dressing of lime juice and olive oil.
20-Minute Creamy Chicken Skillet with Italian Seasoning
Chicken cutlets cook quickly and are highlighted with a creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. This recipe is sure to become a new weeknight favorite the whole family will love. Serve it with whole-wheat pasta or rice to make it a meal.
BBQ Chicken Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
This zippy, creamy slaw is so good you might find yourself making it for other sandwiches. Still, it pairs beautifully with the tangy pulled chicken for an incredibly quick dinner you can make even on your busiest nights. To save even more time, use a preshredded coleslaw blend.
Creamy Garlic Skillet Chicken with Spinach
Quick-cooking chicken cutlets are coated in a garlic cream sauce, while spinach adds a boost of color and nutrition in this easy, one-skillet recipe.
Low-Carb Chicken & Cheddar Lettuce Wraps
This fresh, crunchy wrap sandwich is brimming with vegetables, yet still delivers a satisfying amount of protein thanks to the chicken and cheese. Crisp iceberg lettuce is what keeps this wrap sandwich ultra low in carbs (just 4 grams per serving). The hardest part of this 10-minute recipe is rolling the sandwich, but our parchment paper trick makes it infinitely simpler.
Arugula, Chicken & Melon Salad with Sumac Dressing
Sweet and savory find harmony in this salad dotted with ripe melon and tossed in a lemony dressing. Melon balls are so adorable but making them leaves some fruit behind—whir up those leftovers into a smoothie.
Lemon-Garlic Chicken with Green Beans
This easy lemon-garlic chicken recipe calls for cutlets, which cook in less than 10 minutes! Can't find them? Make your own from chicken breasts. Place each breast on a cutting board and, with your knife parallel to the board, slice into the skinny side of the chicken breast in a single smooth motion. The side of green beans is cooked right in the same pan as the chicken, so this 20-minute easy, healthy dinner is not just a snap to prepare—the cleanup is a cinch too.
Spinach & Artichoke Chicken
Inspired by artichoke dip, we made a creamy cheese topping to serve on quick-cooking chicken breast cutlets for an oh-so-satisfying meal.
Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Chicken
In this healthy copycat of a takeout salad favorite we combine precooked (or leftover) chicken and poppy seed dressing with fresh greens, strawberries and goat cheese for an easy throw-together meal that's ready in 10 minutes.
Herb & Garlic Chicken Wraps
Cornichons and their pickling liquid combine with yogurt to make a tangy spread for these wraps. Don't have cornichons? Use olives, pickled onions or dill pickles instead.
Grilled Peach & Brie Smothered Chicken
This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken tastes best on the deck with a chilled glass of gewürztraminer. The fruity white pairs nicely with the peaches here.
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
Rotisserie chicken tacos are the perfect way to get tacos on the table fast. The chicken is gently heated and flavored with chili powder and ground cumin. Toppings can be customized, but sticking with a quick pico de gallo and the classic toppings of shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream keeps things quick and simple.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
The next time you grill or broil chicken breasts, cook some extra pieces to use in this salad. Or if you prefer, pick up some packaged cooked chicken breast strips or cubes at the grocery store.
Chicken Cutlets with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Though a chicken cutlet may be a chicken breast cut in half, this recipe shows how to make chicken cutlets with double the deliciousness. A jar of sun-dried tomatoes does double duty for this healthy dinner idea. The flavorful oil they're packed in is used to sauté the chicken, and the tomatoes go into the cream sauce.
Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard
Tossing chicken tenders with cornmeal gives these chicken nuggets great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and carrots.
Curry Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
These decadent-tasting wraps are lightened up with fat-free Greek yogurt in place of mayo--and lettuce makes a crisp, fresh alternative to a flour wrap.
