5 Chicken Recipes When You Have 30 Minutes or Less

Most days, we don’t have hours to whip up home-cooked meals. If you need a quick protein-packed meal in less than 30 minutes, we’ve got you covered with these quick recipes.

Creamy Garlic Chicken with Broccoli

Original Recipe: Creamy Garlic Chicken with Broccoli with Creamy Garlic Sauce. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
• Salt, to taste
• ½ tsp paprika
• 4 tbsp butter
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of creamy chicken soup
• 2 cups of chopped broccoli
• Fresh parsley, to taste
• Lemon wedges, optional

Instructions:

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
2. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Melt half the butter (2 tablespoons). Add the chicken and cover to keep warm.
3. In the same pan, melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the condensed cream of chicken soup and water. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbly, then turn the heat down to low.
4. Add chicken and broccoli back into the pan, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cook through. If you want more firm or al-dente broccoli, add the broccoli after the chicken is almost cooked so that the broccoli is crunchy.
5. Serve with rice or pasta and wedges of lemon. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Two Ingredient Baked BBQ chicken

Original Recipe: Two Ingredient Crispy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken. 

Ingredients:

• 8-10 chicken thighs or drumsticks bone-in, skin on
• 2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
• Lemons

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Coat the chicken skin on all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the chicken skin-side down on a rimmed baking sheet — bake for 25 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from the oven and turn the temperature up to 425 degrees.
5. Coat the top of the chicken with barbecue sauce using a basting brush. Use a spatula to flip the chicken over, being careful not to tear the skin. Baste the other side of the chicken, and place bake in the oven for seven more minutes.
6. Remove from the oven again and baste again, for a total of three times, and place back in the oven for seven more minutes.
7. If the chicken hasn’t crisped and browned to your liking, keep baking for 3-5 more minutes.
8. Add lemon to taste

Chicken Taco Alfredo Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup Mexican cheese blend
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 8 ounces of cooked penne pasta
• Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle the taco seasoning on the chicken and cook in a skillet with olive oil.
   Remove the chicken once it’s cooked then add butter to the pan, slowly add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the cheese and pasta to the heavy cream and stir to combine.
3. On a serving plate, add the creamy pasta and chicken, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Fresh parsley and lemon slices for garnish

Instructions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes until browned.
2. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat and add the butter, shallots, and garlic, then add the flour, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. Stir in the half and half (or whole milk) and the chicken broth and combine until a nice creamy sauce forms.
5. Reduce the heat and add the chicken back in the skillet.
6. Add in the lemon juice and stir well, add the lemon slices and parsley before serving.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 10 flour tortillas
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 small can of green chilies
• 1 cup of Monterey jack cheese

Instructions:

1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add in the flour, and stir.
2. Slowly add the chicken broth, cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in the chilies and sour cream.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cheese, chicken, and onion.
4. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture into each tortilla, and fold it in, place them in a baking dish.
5. Pour the sauce on top of the tortillas and bake for 20-25 minutes on medium heat until brown.