15 Easy Ground Chicken Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight
Ground chicken is the new secret weapon for whipping up a healthy weeknight dinner in a jiff.
GREG DUPREE
Some weeknights, coming up with a home-cooked meal seems as doable as walking on the moon, and ordering takeout becomes exponentially tempting. Enter these ground chicken recipes: They're healthier, more affordable, and tastier than takeout, guaranteed!
Sometimes, all it takes is a new, exciting recipe to boost your motivation to cook. To that end, we rounded up our favorite, easy recipes with ground chicken to stave off the drive-thru and truly nourish your family. Try one tonight!
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
If you’re a fan of chicken Parm (who isn’t?), these fun chicken-y meatballs are a must. Serve them over spaghetti or zoodles for the perfect Italian supper. If you’re feeling ambitious, add some garlic bread for dipping.
Chicken Meatballs With Pickled Cucumbers
Fred Hardy
These chicken meatballs take a walk on the Asian side. They're pan fried in sesame oil, coated in a soy-vinegar glaze, and finished with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Serve with quick-pickled cucumbers on a mound of white rice for a delightful, balanced meal.
Cheesy Chicken Nachos With Avocado and Radish
If you’re looking for an easy recipe with ground chicken for informal entertaining, try these sheet pan nachos. This crowdpleaser is beyond simple to make and easy to customize. First, add ground chicken instead of rotisserie chicken, then switch up the toppings with your favorites (or use whatever's on hand).
Blistered Tomatillo Salsa and Roasted Chicken Thighs Tacos
Take Taco Tuesday up a notch with this spicy flavor combination. While the recipe calls for chicken thighs, you can easily swap in ground chicken instead, which speeds up prep time, too.
Grilled Chicken and Spinach Quesadilla
Quesadillas are a fan favorite—for kids and adults—and a quick and easy dinner option. If grilling is not viable, use ground chicken, and—if cheddar and/or cotija isn't your thing—use whatever type of shredded cheese you prefer.
Turkey and Rice Meatballs
Be prepared to add this meatball recipe to your weekly dinner rotation. It’s the perfect well-rounded meal combo of protein, carbs, and greens. Simply change up the protein by using ground chicken instead of turkey for a seamless swap.
Lasagna Rolls
Once you’ve tried these lasagna rolls, you’ll never go back to traditional lasagna again. These little roll-ups are delicious, present beautifully on a large platter, and can accommodate a range of ingredient swaps, like cooked ground chicken for turkey.
Chicken Taco Salad
Who said salads have to be boring? This one is loaded with traditional tasty taco toppings—beans, avocado, olives, and cheese—and comes together in just minutes. Whether you use ground turkey or chicken, this protein-packed salad is anything but ordinary.
Rotisserie Chicken Chili
Fred Hardy
If rotisserie chicken is a busy cook's best friend, ground chicken comes in a close second. Just brown some ground chicken along with the onions and spices in Step 1, then add the rest of the ingredients (sans the rotisserie chicken) and simmer for 20 minutes. With a little effort, you'll have a hearty, healthy, one pot meal.
Eggplant and Chicken Caponata Pizza
Cooked ground chicken is underrated on a pizza, whether it's a BBQ, alfredo, or buffalo-style one. Use it in this recipe instead of rotisserie for a pizza with a unique Sicilian twist.
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
For this recipe, using 1 pound of ground chicken instead of 2 pounds of bone-in chicken breasts is a shortcut that reduces its total prep time by about half, making it an attractive weeknight option. It's also more economical yet every bit as delicious.
Pasta With Turkey and Broccoli
Swap ground chicken for ground turkey, and you have a pasta dinner that's every bit as easy and delicious as the original recipe. Its titular ingredients meld together via a garlic and fennel olive oil sauce spiked with just enough red pepper flakes to make things interesting.
Smoky Turkey Chili
If you're serving chili to a crowd (up to eight, in this case), this is the recipe to go for. Make a seamless swap of ground chicken for ground turkey, and you have a rich, hearty, one-pot meal guests can customize with their favorite toppings. When does the game start?
Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup
In this ground chicken-for-ground turkey swap, you end up with a one pot, veggie-packed, no-noodle chicken soup with all the medicinal qualities you just don't get from turkey. Don't you feel better already?
Ground Chicken & Green Bean Stir-Fry
Greg Dupree, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall
The combination of flavors in this stir-fry—oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Fresno chiles—is something to write home about. While this ground chicken recipe is simple, it has complex layers that bring it to life. Everyone in your family is sure to be a fan.
Related: 18 Easy Ground Beef Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight
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