Easy Chicken Recipes for Any Family

Chicken is an excellent meat choice for busy families. It is also a meat that can be budget friendly, if you are willing to substitute white meat with thighs in some of the cooking. The following favorites in our house are budget friendly, simple to do, and healthy for dinner. Personally, I find long cooking times difficult to manage with a growing family. I enjoy creating or using simple recipes with less fuss. Everything on this list is easy to do while juggling a 9-year-old's homework, a dog that wants let out and your own career.

Grilling chicken is easy and works great for any meal. I prefer using a George Foreman grill for grilling the breasts but they can also be done atop an outdoor grill, in the oven, or in a skillet on stove top with a bit of butter or oil. Save the leftover chicken to put to use in recipes like chicken Alfredo or to use in a tossed salad. Slices of grilled chicken atop a salad are a meal in itself with no fuss. In the summer time when the greens are fresh from the garden this is especially easy on the budget as well.

Easy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

3 Grilled chicken breasts, box of fettuccine, jar of Alfred sauce

Boil water and add the fettuccine. Drain. Pour in sauce and slice your chicken breasts. Add the meat to the mixture. Serve with a tossed salad or breadsticks.

Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients: 4 Chicken breasts, 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, and 1 bag of vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 400. In a baking dish single file lay out your chicken. Pour the mushroom soup over it. Heat in oven for 50 minutes. Pull out and add cheddar cheese to the top and put back in oven until cheese is melted. Microwave some canned or frozen veggies. Pull out chicken. And dinner is served.

Chicken Spaghetti

This meal works well with leftover Turkey as well.

Ingredients: 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken. Jar of Cheese Whiz or Ragu Cheddar Cheese sauce. 1 can of cream of celery soup. 1 can of cream of mushroom soup. 1 package of spaghetti noodles (1 lb) 1 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Cook and drain your noodles. Mix the cheese and soups with one can of milk in a pot on the stove. Cook and stir to a creamy consistency. Add your noodles to a casserole dish. Add the cooked chicken. Pour the cheese and soup mixture atop. Stir. Bake at 350 for thirty minutes. Add the shredded cheddar and put in the oven for approximately five minutes or until cheese has melted. Substitute your roasted turkey leftovers in place of the chicken.

Chicken Mozzarella

(I always called this Chicken Parmesan then realized I used Mozzarella cheese but it is a tasty dish and your family doesn't have to know how much you cheated!)

Ingredients: 1 lb Spaghetti, 4 Chicken breasts, A can or jar of Spaghetti Sauce, 1 to 2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400. In a baking dish single file lay out your chicken. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken. Heat in the oven for 50 minutes. The last ten minutes get your water ready to boil and cook your noodles. Pull chicken out and add the mozzarella to the top and put back in the oven until cheese is melted. Drain your noodles. Arrange plates with noodles then chicken over them and the excess sauce in pan can be used.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Ingredients: 1 cup of Butter, 4 Potato's, 4 Chicken breasts, 2 tbsps Lemon Pepper (use more or less depending upon taste), 1/2 cup Onion

This is another way to use the chicken in the oven. This leaves a zesty taste that even the pickiest eater can't resist. Preheat your oven to 400. Peel and wash your potatoes. Slice them and layer in bottom of casserole dish. Then lay the chicken over them. Melt approximately 1.5 cups of butter in a microwave. Pour over your chicken and potato's. Add sliced or diced onion to the pan. Sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper. Cover the chicken and even the potatoes. Bake for one hour. Then serve.

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients: 2 Chicken thighs, 3 cups of Rice, Bag of Frozen Vegetables, 2 Tbsps Soy Sauce, 2 eggs

Brown your chicken in a skillet. Go ahead and prepare your rice according to package directions. Add the cooked rice to the skillet. Next crack your eggs and add about two to three eggs to the mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring around. Add your frozen vegetables and soy sauce as you cook. When the vegetables are heated, and the eggs are done, turn off heat and move to a cool surface. Enjoy this quick and easy version of chicken fried rice.

Italian Grilled Chicken

Ingredients: 4 Chicken breasts, Small bottle of Italian dressing,

4 Potato's, 1 cup Butter, 1/2 cup of Onion

Marinate your chicken in Italian dressing for one hour, longer will not hurt the flavor. Prepare your grill. Peel and slice your potatoes. Butter one side of aluminum foil. Put the potatoes in the foil and add diced onions. Wrap the bundle of potato's and onion tightly and secure the package. Put them on the grill for one hour, turning once in middle of cook time. On the last twenty minutes of cook time pull out your chicken. Throw it on the grill and enjoy an easy, simple meal.

Chicken and Noodle Soup

Ingredients: Chicken (whole fryer works best), 1 cup Onion, 1 lb Egg Noodles, 2 Tbsps Sage, 5 Chicken Bouillon Cubes

Boil your chicken until it is done. Feel free to sprinkle some sage and seasonings over the chicken while boiling. Save the broth from the boiling. Set chicken aside to cool. Add your egg noodles and diced onion to the broth. De-skin the cooled chicken and throw the skin away. Pick the meat off the bones and add to the broth. Add more sage and chicken bouillon cubes to taste. Serve an easy, delicious chicken noodle soup.

Home-style Fried Chicken

Flour, Seasonings my preference is to use a dash of lemon pepper, garlic powder, Emeril's Seasoning. Liberally season your flour. I use approximately a cup and a half of flour and pour it in a zip lock bag. Chicken, cut up fryer works well. Oil- pour in skillet aprox ¼ to ½ inches.

Rinse your chicken pieces. One at a time add them to the baggie of flour, seal and shake. Heat the oil. Add the breaded chicken to the skillet and fry at a medium heat for approximately 30 minutes, until chicken is golden brown on the outside and when pierced with fork does not bleed. Drain the finished chicken on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy.