Healthy Chicken Dinner Recipes

Find 46 new ways to revamp your chicken dinners with Cooking Channel's healthy, tasty recipes.

Photo By: Marshall Troy ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Marshall Troy ©2012, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Marshall Troy ©2012, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne

©2012, Food Network

Photo By: Tara Donne ©Tara Donne

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2012, Television Food Network, GP. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Alice Gao ©2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Photo By: Tara Donne ©Food Network

Photo By: Evan Sung for The New York Times

Photo By: Alice Gao ©2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Slow-Roasted Garlic Chicken

Four heads of garlic and a handful of seasonings are all that's needed to turn out this super-juicy bird. Roast the chicken on a bed of garlic, lemon and onions, and stuff more garlic in the cavity for deep flavor inside and out.

Get the Recipe: Slow-Roasted Garlic Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

No need to call for takeout; Ellie's homemade teriyaki boasts the same big flavor as the restaurant version, with chicken thighs swathed in a low-sodium soy-ginger sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Get the Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

This recipe takes less than half an hour to prepare, but its elegant flavor and texture make it a great recipe for easy entertaining.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

Oven Fried Chicken

Dipping chicken in a yogurt mixture helps to tenderize the meat, while corn cereal crumbs and crushed crackers create a delicious coating. One final spray of olive oil before baking guarantees lightly crisped results.

Get the Recipe: Oven Fried Chicken

Bal's No-Butter Chicken

This five-star-rated recipe tastes so rich and creamy it's hard to believe Bal doesn't use any butter. Instead, she incorporates low-fat yogurt and a mixture of fragrant aromatics.

Get the Recipe: Bal's No-Butter Chicken

Apricot Glazed Chicken with Dried Plums and Sage

This recipe is an elegant way to make a large amount of chicken with ease. A jar of apricot preserves creates a sweet glaze over roasted chicken, and a scattering of sage leaves provides earthy contrast to the fruity sauce.

Get the Recipe: Apricot Glazed Chicken with Dried Plums and Sage

Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs

5 simple ingredients transform Ellie's chicken thighs into a spicy-sweet, super-low-calorie dinner dish. The dark meat thighs are juicy and packed with nutrients, and with the skin removed, still a healthy option.

Get the Recipe: Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs

Chicken Parmesan

We can't stop drooling over Ellie's healthier Chicken Parmesan — baked, not fried, and breaded with fiber-rich whole-wheat crumbs. Mix part-skim mozzarella with regular Parmesan for full flavor and fewer calories.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Parmesan

Chipotle Chicken Fajitas

By finishing the cooked chipotle-marinated chicken in a broth along with the onions, peppers and garlic, you'll ensure that your fajita chicken is super moist and infused with the flavors of the other ingredients.

Get the Recipe: Chipotle Chicken Fajitas

Spanish Chicken and Rice

The best part of this comforting baked chicken on a bed of seasoned rice and vegetables is that you can freeze it to enjoy later, to ease your busy schedule.

Get the Recipe: Spanish Chicken and Rice

40 Cloves and a Chicken

Even the garlic-averse can't deny that baking a whole chicken with 40 cloves infuses the bird with deep, savory flavor, accented by sprigs of fresh thyme.

Get the Recipe: 40 Cloves and a Chicken

Chicken Stir-Fry Soup

Half chicken stir-fry, half chicken soup, this bowl gains flavor from a hot and spicy preparation of the chicken and low-sodium additions to the stock.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Stir-Fry Soup

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Shiitake Mushroom Vinaigrette

Bobby Flay's shiitake mushroom vinaigrette is a simple and incredible tasty way to spruce up plain grilled chicken breasts, or even a lean pork chop or steak.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Breasts with Shiitake Mushroom Vinaigrette

Mediterranean Chicken Stew

Reduced-sodium chicken broth forms the base of this stew, which gains flavor from aromatic veggies, herbs and some white wine. The lean proteins — cannellini beans and chicken thighs trimmed of fat — bulk up the dish and make it a meal.

Chicken Chasseur (Hunter-Style Chicken)

The secret to this restaurant-worthy dish is getting the sauce's texture just right. When the mushroom-and-shallot-filled sauce becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, Bobby swirls in a couple of tablespoons of cold butter for an indulgent, but low-calorie, finish.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Chasseur (Hunter-style Chicken)

Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto

Add a small amount of flavorful pesto to grilled chicken breasts to keep this meal's fat content in check.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you love Buffalo wings (and who doesn't, really?), then this is one recipe that's worth a test drive. Ellie's blue cheese dressing delivers salty, creamy flavor with a fraction of the fat thanks to fat-free yogurt in place of mayo.

Get the Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Salad

Chicken in White Wine

Dry white wine adds acidity to this good-for-you chicken dish. Turkey bacon adds flavor, while the variety of vegetables — onion, celery, mushrooms, potatoes and carrots — adds bulk and rounds out the flavor profile of this one-pot meal.

Get the Recipe: Chicken in White Wine

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Think you've had your fill of boring chicken salads? Think again. This recipe uses cups of fresh mint, basil and shredded cabbage for a refreshing and flavorful base that's anything but ordinary, topped off with a spicy and tangy Vietnamese dressing.

Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken with Arugula

Coating chicken in breadcrumbs before baking is a great, healthy way to fake fried chicken. Bobby Deen takes his one step further by adding lemon zest and parsley to the crumb mixture, which gives the chicken zesty flavor.

Chicken Breasts with Apple-Curry Sauce

Sauces can be silent diet-killers, packing sugar and calories, but not this apple-curry chutney. Pour it over chicken, steamed broccoli and wild rice for a hearty, balanced meal.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Apple-Curry Sauce

Roman-Style Chicken

Braise chicken in a colorful red- and yellow-pepper sauce for a fragrant, naturally low-calorie Italian chicken classic.

Get the Recipe: Roman-Style Chicken

Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

Mushrooms add a vitamin B6 boost to this better-for-you chicken quesadilla packed with lean protein.

Get the Recipe: Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

Spiced Chicken and Grape Skewers

A quick marinade of lemon juice, cumin and coriander lends moisture and bright flavor to Ellie's chicken skewers. Use a grill pan with a quick spritz of cooking spray to get smoky, char-grilled flavor and beautiful grill marks.

Get the Recipe: Spiced Chicken and Grape Skewers

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Ellie lightens up — and simplifies — this traditional Southern staple by using lean, prepared rotisserie chicken meat, low-sodium tomato sauce and whole-wheat hamburger rolls.

Get the Recipe: Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken and White Bean Chili

Feel free to top this chili — loaded with hearty veggies, beans and lean ground chicken — with low-fat cheddar, reduced-fat sour cream and a few tortilla chips.

Get the Recipe: Chicken and White Bean Chili

Chicken Amore!

In this recipe, chicken cutlets are rolled and stuffed with flavorful portobello mushrooms, light cheese, roasted red peppers and basil, then served in a rich tomato bisque sauce. What's not to love?

Get the Recipe: Chicken Amore!

Caribbean Wrap Recipe

Spicy and sweet, this tropical wrap is packed with lean, tasty and nutritious fillings like black beans, chicken breast, mango and macadamia nuts.

Get the Recipe: Caribbean Wrap

Chicken Saltimbocca

Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish made with veal wrapped around prosciutto and sage, but Giada gives it a healthier spin by swapping out the veal for chicken and adding fresh spinach in the center.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Saltimbocca

Chicken Madeira

Kelsey's healthy take on this popular restaurant dish incorporates low-sodium broth and minimal oil, relying on the flavor of the wine, not added fats, for flavor.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Madeira

Exploding Chicken Taquitos

Great as an appetizer or a light dinner recipe, these baked taquitos possess all the flavor of the favorite fried dish thanks to taco seasoning and fragrant salsa, but they are only 100 calories per wrap.

Get the Recipe: Exploding Chicken Taquitos

Posh Chopped Suey (Fragrant Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry)

This healthy chicken stir-fry is fresher and more flavorful than many takeout dishes thanks to a number of sauces, fiery spices and vibrant, crispy vegetables.

Get the Recipe: Posh Chopped Suey (Fragrant Chicken and Mushroom Stir-Fry)

Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

A sweet and spicy barbecue sauce turns pan-grilled chicken into an addictive and flavorful main.

Get the Recipe: Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Scoopable Chinese Chicken Salad

You won't find fried noodles in this Chinese chicken salad; instead, it gains crunch from broccoli slaw and water chestnuts, and it is ready in a flash thanks to low-cal bottled dressing.

Get the Recipe: Scoopable Chicken Salad

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is a healthy Italian classic that features a sauce made of stewed tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms and red bell peppers. For her version, Ellie Krieger adds just a pinch of red pepper flakes to add a bit of heat.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore

Garlicky Grilled Chicken, Portobello, and Radicchio Salad

As its name implies, this grilled chicken dish possesses tremendous flavor thanks to a smashed garlic, parsley and thyme marinade.

Get the Recipe: Garlicky Grilled Chicken, Portobello, and Radicchio Salad

Sassy Wonton Tacos

Baking (not frying) the wonton wrappers in these tacos cuts calories and gives them a nice, crisp texture. Pack ‘em to the brim with a veggie coleslaw mix, shredded chicken, cilantro and low-cal sesame-ginger dressing.

Get the Recipe: Sassy Wonton Tacos

Chicken Kabobs

Inspired by the fragrant chicken kabobs prepared in the market in her Indian village, Bal Arneson marinates chicken in a sweet, tangy and spicy sauce containing mint leaves, layers it on skewers, then grills them until they are nicely browned.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Kabobs

Chicken Pot Pie

Nothing is quite as comforting as Chicken Pot Pie. This version — loaded with chicken and tender vegetables baked under a flaky phyllo dough topping — has only 330 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie

Grilled Fuji-n-Chick 'Wich

In this griddled sandwich, Hungry Girl pairs a classic combo — apples and cheese — and adds lean chicken for additional protein.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Fuji-n-Chick 'Wich

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

Braising is a method of cooking that combines both dry and moist heat. Here, Rachael Ray browns chicken legs before adding them to a Dutch oven with vegetables and a mixture of flavorful Marsala wine and porcini mushroom broth.

Get the Recipe: Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

Crispity Crunchity Drumsticks

Make a lighter version of KFC's Original Recipe Drumsticks by baking chicken with a seasoned crumb coating — not frying.

Get the Recipe: Crispity Crunchity Drumsticks

Papaya Chicken

Bal uses popular Indian spices and herbs, like cumin, coriander, fenugreek and paprika, to flavor this sweet, creamy chicken recipe.

Get the Recipe: Papaya Chicken

Grilled Chicken Wings with Provencal Flavors

Chicken wings become fragrant fare when grilled with an herb paste and bay leaves. Cook slowly over indirect heat to avoid burning the wings, then finish on direct heat for that crispy golden skin.

Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Wings with Provencal Flavors

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Dijon Herb Sauce

This chicken dish, dressed in a creamy, indulgent Greek yogurt-based sauce, gains flavor from shallots, garlic, white wine and seasonings.

Get the Recipe: Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Dijon Herb Sauce

Chicken Masala

Bal's chicken masala is low in fat and calories, high in both protein and fiber, and cooked with minimal oil and a complex mixture of spices, herbs and aromatics.

Get the Recipe: Chicken Masala