Yummly’s 25 Most Popular Chicken Breast Recipes
Our home cooks have spoken. These are the recipes you’ve searched for, saved, and served the most. Which of your favorites made the list?
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Baked Chicken Breasts; photo by Olga Ivanova
My family eats a lot of chicken breasts. With a super-picky kid at home, good ol’ white meat is one of a handful of foods I know will get eaten. Apparently, we’re not alone: Breasts account for a whopping 58% of all chicken sold in the U.S.
So, yeah. We Americans love our chicken breasts. But they’re not exactly the most exciting meat, are they? Seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper, the mildness that makes them versatile can be downright boring. On the other hand, if you think of them as a blank slate, you can have an awful lot of fun in the kitchen.
Here on Yummly, you’ll find thousands and thousands of dinner ideas for the humble chicken breast. That’s a lot to sort through, especially when you need to get dinner on the table, stat. So we asked Yummly Analytics Manager Cansu Kaya to dig into the world of data to figure out Yummly home cooks’ top 25 favorite chicken breast recipes. These are the most reliably delicious, weeknight-friendly dinner recipes around, as selected by you.
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Top 25 chicken breast recipes on Yummly >>
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Chicken breast FAQs
You’d think cooking chicken breasts would be a slam-dunk, given how often the’re cooked. But too often they come out bland, overcooked, or rubbery. These tips can help.
How do you keep chicken breasts from drying out?
Unlike chicken thighs, white meat chicken has very little fat. That makes it a healthy option, but it also means it dries out when it’s even slightly overcooked. You do have options:
Use bone-in, skin-on breasts. I know, cutlets are more convenient and they cook faster. But the skin adds a little fat and keeps the meat covered, which gives you some wiggle room.
Take it off the heat when it reaches 160°F. The USDA recommends all poultry be cooked to 165°F to kill bacteria, but the temperature will continue to rise once you take it off the heat. Use a meat thermometer like the Yummly Smart Thermometer and call it quits at 160°F — but be sure to let the chicken breasts rest for five minutes, to let them finish cooking.
Even things out. One challenge with chicken breasts is their wedge shape. The thinner part dries out before the thicker end is cooked. To solve that, you can either put the breast between sheets of plastic wrap and pound it even, or slice it in half horizontally to make two cutlets of equal size.
What’s the best seasoning for chicken breasts?
That’s a bit of a trick question, since there is no single “best” option. Chicken breasts work well with almost any seasoning blend you can think of, from Tuscan to Thai. Check your spice rack and experiment — or use a spice blend from the 25 recipes that follow.
How long should you marinate chicken breasts?
Pro tip: Don’t expect the marinade to reach the center of the meat. Plus, a long soak can give the cooked meat a mushy texture. But this is good news for weeknight cooking: In just 15 to 30 minutes, you can transform plain chicken cutlets into something much, much tastier.
Top 25 chicken breast recipes on Yummly
Grab your cutlets and let’s get cooking.
1. Melt-In-Your-Mouth Baked Chicken Breasts
Coming in at the very top of the popular chicken breast recipes — by a wide margin — is this easy weeknight option. You only need a handful of basic ingredients like mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and Parmesan to make this cheesy, creamy chicken dish. The best part? Prep time takes less than 10 minutes.
2. Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Sometimes the best chicken recipes are the simplest. Our #2 spot is claimed by a recipe that calls for tossing boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a blend of spices that I guarantee you already own, then baking until golden and juicy. As long as you’ve got the oven going, slide in a baking sheet of veggies to roast at the same time.
3. Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
Almost a quarter-million Yummly home cooks have saved this recipe (and it has over 500 comments), and for good reason: The sweet-and-smoky spice rub packs a ton of flavor but takes very little effort. This one’s sure to become a family favorite.
4. 5-Ingredient Honey-Mustard Chicken Breasts
Honey mustard is a crowd-pleaser, and it couldn’t be easier to make from scratch. When you dunk boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the mixture before baking, they come out of the oven juicy, sweet, and zingy.
5. Juicy Oven-Baked Cajun Chicken Breasts
Rounding out the top five is a spicy treat. Cajun cuisine means thoughtful seasoning, and plenty of it. Here, you’re mixing together onion and garlic powders, dried oregano and thyme, plus plenty of pepper — black pepper, hot cayenne, and paprika. You get maximum flavor in every bite.
6. Balsamic Chicken Breast
Balsamic vinegar meets up with honey, chicken stock, garlic, mustard, and dried Italian herbs, to coat tender chicken breasts in a sticky, sweet, and tangy glaze. This popular recipe is as sophisticated as it is easy.
7. 30-Minute One Pan Lemon Chicken Breast
Surprisingly, the top 25 didn’t include many complete meals. I can see why this one made the cut: You’ve got tender chicken breasts, green beans, and mushrooms, all cooked in a garlicky lemon sauce. It’s skillet chicken with a hint of the Mediterranean. Serve it with orzo or rice to soak up that luscious sauce.
8. Air Fryer Chicken Breast
If you own an air fryer, you already know how versatile it is. Add quick roasted chicken to the list of things the machine can do. To make this, you only need to rub some olive oil onto boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then add Italian seasoning and a few other spices. Pop them into the fryer, flip them once, and serve. If you like, add veggies like brussels sprouts or broccoli when you flip the chicken.
9. Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
My fellow parents of picky eaters will appreciate the review one Yummly user left for this popular chicken dinner: “This was FABULOUS. My entire family enjoyed it. Heck, my son even ate the spinach with no issue!” Gotta love an easy dinner that delights the whole family.
10. Crispy Panko-Parmesan Chicken Breasts
I’m surprised only one breaded chicken breast made the top 10, but I’m not surprised it’s this one, which comes together in a flash. It doesn’t fuss with the traditional flour-egg-breadcrumb coating. Instead, you slather your chicken breasts with a mayo-mustard combo, then dredge in a panko-Parm-parsley mix.
11. Perfect Oven Baked Chicken Breast
If you’ve ever been disappointed by baked chicken breasts, this recipe is for you. In addition to an easy, delicious spice rub, it offers up an ingenious baking technique that takes no more effort, but produces perfectly cooked results.
12. Cajun Stuffed Chicken Breast
Bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and pepper jack cheese make a fabulous stuffing for chicken breasts. Sprinkling the outside with Cajun seasoning — either a store-bought blend or your homemade mix — keeps things interesting.
13. Tropical Grilled Chicken Breast
Our first grilled chicken breast comes in at #13, and it’s a good one. Before you fire things up, the breasts lounge in a marinade of orange and lime juices, honey, and red pepper flakes. Just 30 minutes lends tropical flavor that plays beautifully off the grill’s char.
14. Easy Shredded Chicken Breast Hack
When I want to make a chicken-centric meal of comfort food like chicken pot pie, chicken enchiladas, or chicken salad, I don’t need a rotisserie chicken. I already have cooked chicken on hand. This clever hack yields enough shredded chicken for several meals. Portion it out into freezer bags, and it’ll stay good for up to three months.
15. Juicy Baked Chicken Breasts
Smoked paprika, cayenne, and black pepper give this easy recipe for baked breasts a nice twist. I like to chop up the chopped chicken and wrap it in soft corn tortillas with avocado, cilantro, and chipotle salsa — instant chicken tacos. This recipe doubles well for food prep, too.
16. 10-Minute Pan-Fried Chicken Breast
It can be tricky to cook chicken breast on the stovetop. This recipe makes it foolproof, so you wind up with garlicky, browned, and juicy skillet chicken, simply seasoned with dried herbs. With mashed potatoes and steamed veggies, it’s an easy weeknight dinner.
17. Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Breast
Some folks (me among them) say that garlic chicken is the best chicken. Garlic butter chicken makes it even better. Sear chicken breasts in olive oil, then top with a mix of melted butter, Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, and lots of garlic. Into the oven it goes, and it comes out tasting like heaven.
18. Chicken Breast Lombardy~Robynne
Think of this cheesy dish as an indulgent chicken marsala. Just like in that classic chicken recipe, you brown thin-sliced cutlets and mushrooms and finish cooking in a sauce made with marsala wine. (Don’t have any? Swap in white wine.) But here you’ll up the ante by topping everything with fontina and Parm, then baking until the cheese gets bubbly and golden.
19. Baked Sour Cream Chicken Breast
If it’s not already clear, #19 confirms it: Yummly cooks love creamy, cheesy chicken recipes. This one’s delightfully easy. Just mix up some sour cream, Italian cheese blend, and seasoning from the spice rack; spread it on top of plain chicken breasts; and bake.
20. Air Fryer Chicken Breast
I don’t think of breaded chicken cutlets as gluten-free, grain-free, and low carb, but this clever keto recipe pulls off all three. It swaps almond flour and grated Parmesan for the more traditional coating, and cooks the chicken in the air fryer for a crackling crust. And check out the optional dill pickle juice brine.
21. Easy Italian Baked Chicken Breast
Sometimes I want a cheesy chicken Parmesan, but without the fuss of breading and frying chicken cutlets. This recipe delivers with a cooking time of less than half an hour. I get the Italian seasoning and gooey mozzarella cheese my heart desires, and dinner doesn’t need a ton of kitchen cleanup afterwards.
22. Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Yummly’s bacon-loving contingent brought this recipe in at #22. And what’s not to love? We’re talking chicken breasts stuffed with a mix of cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, and green onions, which is tempting enough on its own. Wrap two slices of bacon around each breast before baking and, well, don’t expect leftovers.
23. Melt In Your Mouth (MIYM) Chicken Breasts
To get the most tender chicken breast possible, it helps to use an acidic ingredient. This recipe puts sour cream in the mix, which helps to tenderize the meat as it bakes. A whopping 325K Yummly home cooks have saved this recipe. As one of them said in her review, “This chicken is amazing! I have made this so many times now I can’t even count! The whole family loves it!”
24. Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts tend to dry out in the slow cooker, which is why this recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on breasts — the only one in the top 25 that does so. The spice-rubbed skin adds fat and flavor, and the bone slows down the cooking. Together, they keep the meat juicy and tender.
25. Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken Kiev isn’t an everyday recipe. It calls for wrapping pounded-thin chicken breast around a chunk of frozen herb butter, then breading and frying each little package. Chicken breast recipe #25, on the other hand, delivers the same golden-brown outside with a garlic buttery inside, in just 45 minutes. Yes, really.
Never enough chicken dinners
Did we miss your favorite chicken recipes? We have so many more to explore on Yummly, including chicken stir-fry, chicken Alfredo, Buffalo chicken, bbq chicken, chicken chili, chicken fajitas, chicken noodle soup, chicken piccata with capers, creamy chicken with sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken quesadillas. The adventure continues in these next articles.