Healthy Spring Chicken Recipes

Find healthy, delicious spring chicken recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Easy Italian Wedding Soup

Rating: Unrated
4
Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this soup. In this easy recipe, they're full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling.
By Robin Bashinsky

Slow-Cooker Chicken & White Bean Stew

Rating: Unrated
10
This load-and-go slow-cooker chicken recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Serve this Tuscan-inspired dish with crusty bread, a glass of Chianti and a salad.
By Adam Dolge

Chicken, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Casserole

Rating: Unrated
10
This protein-loaded chicken and sweet potato casserole dish is made with multicolored quinoa, a blend of white, red and black varieties, but any color will work.
By Robin Bashinsky

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta

Rating: Unrated
6
This rustic stew cooks all day in the slow cooker so you can come home to a comforting, hot dinner. Not a fan of polenta? Try this healthy chicken dinner over pasta instead.
By Meredith Butcher

Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

Rating: Unrated
9
This rich and creamy chili comes together in a flash thanks to quick-cooking chicken thighs and canned white beans. Mashing some of the beans acts as a fast thickener when your soups don't have a long time to simmer. Cream cheese adds the final bit of richness and a hint of sweet tang.
By Robin Bashinsky

Chicken, Peppers & Pasta Casserole

Rating: Unrated
1
You can assemble this healthy chicken casserole before you leave for a party and pop it in the oven at the host's house. Or bake it at home and bring it along--it's delicious at room temperature too.
By Hilary Meyer

Lemon & Dill Chicken

Rating: Unrated
26
Fresh lemon and dill create a quick Greek-inspired pan sauce for simple sautéed chicken breasts. Make it a meal: Serve with roasted broccoli and whole-wheat orzo.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Adobo Chicken & Kale Enchiladas

Rating: Unrated
8
Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.
By Breana Killeen

Chicken-&-Mushroom Marsala

Rating: Unrated
3
For the best flavor in this classic one-pan chicken dinner recipe use real Marsala wine, not the cooking-wine kind. Serve with mashed potatoes.
By Adam Dolge

Slab Chicken Potpie

Rating: Unrated
1
Slab fruit pies are all the rage for summer parties, so why not give classic chicken potpie the same treatment and create buzz at a cool-weather gathering as well. Premade pie crusts and frozen veggies make this chicken dinner easy to prepare without sacrificing flavor.
By Adam Hickman

Slow-Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Chicken

Rating: Unrated
3
Busy week coming up? Cook up these easy poached chicken breasts infused with the flavors of the ubiquitous Vietnamese sauce nuoc cham in your slow cooker on Sunday. Then enjoy the leftover chicken three different ways over the days to come--ladled with the broth over rice noodles, layered with vegetables on a sandwich and mixed with mayo to make a creamy chicken salad.
By Stacy Fraser

Chicken Tetrazzini

Rating: Unrated
7
This retro dish will please kids and adults alike.
By Ruth Cousineau

Inspiration and Ideas

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

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.
Mustard-Maple Chicken with Wild Rice Pilaf

Mustard-Maple Chicken with Wild Rice Pilaf

This slow-cooker meal is simple to prepare and will elicit rave reviews from everyone at your table. The wild rice pilaf is started early in the slow cooker and followed up by the chicken and sweet and tangy maple-mustard sauce. It's a mouthwatering combination!
Sicilian Olive Chicken

Sicilian Olive Chicken

Rating: Unrated
4
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Roasted Zucchini

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Roasted Zucchini

Rating: Unrated
2
Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

Rating: Unrated
14
Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens

Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens

Rating: Unrated
1

Seared Chicken with Lemon-Herb Cream Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2

In this healthy chicken recipe, chicken breasts are quickly pan-seared and then topped with a lemon-herb cream sauce. The healthy cream sauce recipe uses yogurt and actually contains no cream at all. The cream sauce also pairs well with seasoned pan-seared cod or salmon. Serve the chicken and sauce with steamed broccoli or green beans for a healthy dinner.

All Healthy Spring Chicken Recipes

Kadhai Murghi (Wok-Seared Chicken & Vegetables )

Rating: Unrated
6
This stir-fry is typical of Northern Indian cuisine, with its emphasis on fresh vegetables. Because the cooking happens quickly it's a good idea to measure out and prepare all the ingredients in this recipe before you fire up the wok.
By Raghavan Iyer

Chicken & Gnocchi Dumplings

Rating: Unrated
5
This crowd-pleasing gnocchi recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight comfort meal. Get all the flavors of chicken and dumplings without having to make the dumplings when you use gnocchi in their place.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Slow-Cooker Stout & Chicken Stew

Rating: Unrated
24
Chicken thighs can take plenty of cooking without getting tough or drying out, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker. Here we braise them in Guinness stout along with hearty vegetables, with just the right amount of bacon for added savoriness.
By Jim Romanoff

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

Rating: Unrated
15
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

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.
By Joy Howard

Easy Chicken Fried Rice

Rating: Unrated
2
Frozen mixed vegetables make this healthy chicken fried rice recipe quick, easy and economical. If you don't have leftover cooked rice, be sure to thoroughly cool your rice before adding it to the wok--if it's too warm, it creates too much steam and sticks to the wok. To quickly cool warm rice, spread it out on a large baking sheet and refrigerate while you prep the rest of your ingredients, about 15 minutes.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Butternut Squash Alfredo with Chicken & Spinach

If you're not feeling like regular pasta tonight, turn to butternut squash noodles. These delicate veggie strands are a great base for any number of sauces and toppings, like this creamy and decadent Alfredo sauce with chicken, garlic and silky spinach.
By Carolyn Casner

Old-Fashioned Chicken & Dumplings

Rating: Unrated
6
Our revision of creamy chicken and dumplings uses whole-wheat flour for the dumplings and adds lots of vegetables to the filling. The delicious, satisfying results are packed with beneficial nutrients and dietary fiber, and because we don't use canned soup for the sauce, sodium levels are drastically reduced. To go even lighter, try the recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

Rating: Unrated
17
Spiked with lots of zesty lemon, this delectable chicken stir-fry has a colorful mix of snow peas, carrots and scallions. But feel free to substitute other thinly sliced vegetables, such as bell peppers or zucchini. Serve with: Rice noodles or brown rice.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

We gave classic barbecue chicken pizza a healthy twist with hidden shredded zucchini in the sauce. It's a great way to sneak extra veggies into both you and your children's diet!
By Carolyn Casner

Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli

Rating: Unrated
1
Light mayonnaise makes an easy sauce for the chicken and pasta. It also helps keep the fat and calories down in this recipe.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Casserole

Simplify weeknight dinnertime by transforming leftover slow-cooked chicken (see associated recipe, below) into an easy, cheesy casserole.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chicken, Quinoa & Veggie Bowl

With a whopping 19 grams of protein, this one-dish meal will keeping you feeling full and satisfied for hours.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Chicken & Spring Vegetable Tortellini Salad

Store-bought tortellini and frozen peas keep things quick in this healthy 30-minute meal. Jazzed-up bottled salad dressing helps you go even faster. Look for one with 200 mg or less of sodium and 3 g or less of sugar per serving.
By Breana Killeen

Camping Chicken Quesadillas

These make-ahead quesadillas are a genius campfire dinner solution. Assemble and wrap in foil at home, then once you get to camp, just throw over hot coals for a quick campsite meal.
By Hilary Meyer

Lemon-Sopressata Chicken

Rating: Unrated
4
You'll only need 5 ingredients and 30 minutes for this healthy chicken recipe. Serve with mashed potatoes and a mixed green salad with red-wine vinaigrette to round out dinner.
By Carolyn Casner

Chicken & Sweet Potato Grill Packets with Peppers & Onions

Rating: Unrated
4
Cook your whole meal in a packet on the grill with this easy veggie-loaded recipe. The Mexican-inspired seasoning makes the chicken and veggies taste great served with warm tortillas and your favorite taco toppings for a healthy dinner.
By Joy Howard

Lemon-Herb Pasta with Chicken & Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
3
Yogurt seasoned with garlic and fresh herbs replaces cream to make a healthy pasta sauce in this chicken and vegetable pasta recipe. If you don't have a grill basket, the chicken and vegetables can be grilled on skewers instead.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken & Vegetables

Rating: Unrated
19
If you can't find a bagged vegetable medley for this easy noodle bowl, choose 12 ounces of cut vegetables from your market's salad bar and create your own mix.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Persian Grilled Chicken

Rating: Unrated
2
This easy grilled chicken recipe owes its tenderness to an overnight soak in a yogurt-lemon juice marinade and its soulful flavor to saffron and onion. A healthy drizzle of saffron-infused butter before serving adds an extra layer of richness. Serve with aromatic rice with pistachios and torshi, Central Asian pickles available at Persian and Middle Eastern grocery stores.
By Steven Raichlen

Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Braised Vegetables

The pulp and rind of Moroccan preserved lemons is all you need to lift a pedestrian roast chicken into the realm of the exotic!
By Kitty Morse

Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Rating: Unrated
2
You may disagree on whether the chicken parm sandwich should be known as a “sub,” “hoagie” or “grinder,” but who doesn't love this neighborhood-deli classic? We've added some spinach and done away with all the greasy breading to make it more healthy. Make it a meal: The sandwich is filling and complete on its own, but add some crunch with carrots, celery and cucumbers on the side.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Chicken Sausage Calzone

Rating: Unrated
3
A typical calzone packs almost 800 calories and 25 grams of saturated fat. In this healthier calzone recipe, we use lean chicken sausage to keep fat in check and add nutrient-rich spinach to bulk up the filling without adding calories. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Baked Chicken Taquitos

You only need 5 ingredients to make this quick and easy chicken taquitos dish for two.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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