Healthy Recipes Mealtimes Dinner 15 Easy, Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Dinners in 30 Minutes By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on March 8, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Chicken is a complete protein source, meaning it offers you all 9 essential amino acids to support muscle recovery and healthy digestion. This collection of flavorful dinners features poultry alongside anti-inflammatory ingredients like leafy greens, dark green and deep orange veggies and berries—foods that can help you combat symptoms of inflammation like mental fog, muscle aches and joint stiffness. Recipes like our Chicken Piccata Casserole Recipe and Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini are nutritious and ready to eat in just 30 minutes or less. 01 of 15 Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp. View Recipe 02 of 15 Chicken Piccata Casserole Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf This protein-packed chicken piccata casserole brings all the flavors of classic chicken piccata together in one dish. It’s the easiest piccata you’ll ever make—no dredging or sauce required! Cooking the lemon slices in butter mellows their bite and helps jump-start the lemony flavor of the dish while helping the butter get a little brown, bringing some nuttiness to the dish. View Recipe 03 of 15 Chopped Power Salad with Chicken Jason Donnelly Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor. View Recipe 04 of 15 Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta," and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way, it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love. View Recipe 05 of 15 Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Chicken thighs and sweet potato get crispy in the oven while broccolini roasts alongside in a foil packet for even cooking and easy cleanup. Pro tip: Place the chicken thighs in the corners of the baking sheet, where there is more air circulation, for crispy skin. View Recipe 06 of 15 Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Best known as a Vietnamese dipping sauce, nước chấm typically combines sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, striking the perfect balance between sweet, sour and salty. Here it ties together crunchy vegetables, tons of fresh herbs and cooked chicken breast for a refreshing chicken salad. Serve combined with glass noodles or inside a lettuce leaf. For a slightly different take, swap out the cooked chicken for thin slices of grilled steak. View Recipe 07 of 15 Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This juicy chicken and broccoli stir-fry features tender-crisp broccoli coated in a velvety sauce flavored with hoisin—a flavorful sauce made from fermented soybean paste that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tangy. Try this easy stir-fry with chicken tenders, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or even pork tenderloin for a different twist. View Recipe 08 of 15 Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley The creamy feta dressing steals the show in this protein-rich salad that makes a perfect lunch or quick and easy dinner. While you can buy feta cheese already crumbled, we like crumbling our own fresh from the block for this salad. While we prefer the slightly sharper flavor of sheep’s-milk feta, cow’s-milk feta works just as well. View Recipe 09 of 15 3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprouts Hash with Chicken Sausage Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D. Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time. View Recipe 10 of 15 Anti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet Salad Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Tart cherry juice concentrate adds flavor and helps fight inflammation when teamed up with other anti-inflammatory foods like beets and walnuts in this quick salad. Buying packaged cooked beets cuts down on time (and mess!). Look for them in the produce section where other prepared vegetables are sold. View Recipe 11 of 15 Creamy Chicken Pasta with Brussels Sprouts & Artichokes Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley The creamy white wine-garlic sauce helps blend artichokes and shaved Brussels sprouts together with nutty whole-wheat pasta in this quick dinner. Use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to shave the Brussels sprouts. If you opt for pre-packaged shaved sprouts, note that they might be on the thicker side, requiring a few extra minutes of cooking time. You can swap in canned artichokes, but they tend to have more sodium than frozen, so give them a good rinse before adding. View Recipe 12 of 15 Teriyaki Chicken Skillet Casserole with Broccoli Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Whip up this quick and easy teriyaki chicken casserole in just one skillet—it’s the perfect go-to recipe for hectic weeknights that’s sure to satisfy a crowd. It’s ideal for making use of any leftover chicken and rice you have on hand. If you’re short on leftovers, a rotisserie chicken paired with a package of microwaveable brown rice is a good substitute. View Recipe 13 of 15 High-Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Make this grab-and-go Tex-Mex–inspired soup when you have leftover chicken, or use rotisserie chicken for this easy meal-prep soup. The frozen pepper-onion mix adds flavor and saves time in the kitchen, while the black beans add fiber and protein. Combine everything but the broth ahead of time, then add it and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with liquid broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water. View Recipe 14 of 15 Chicken Noodle Soup with Spinach & Parmesan Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster Wine and garlic add depth to this quick and simple chicken noodle soup. The pasta will absorb broth as the soup sits, so if you want to make a double batch or are planning on eating this over multiple days, cook the pasta separately and add it when you’re ready to serve. View Recipe 15 of 15 Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries If you're packing this grain bowl for work, combine the dressing ingredients in a small container. When you're ready to eat, shake the dressing well, add it to the salad and toss. If you don't have time to make a homemade dressing, use 3 tablespoons of store-bought olive oil vinaigrette. Keep prep time short by using rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) and a pouch of microwavable quinoa. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit