Chicken gets a bad rap for being overexposed. But for easy, healthy dinners, it’s hard to beat. Come summer, though, things get tricky. Roasting a chicken is out of the question because cranking up your oven for two hours when it’s ninety degrees outside is masochism. As for grilling – all the amazing looking chicken recipes on food blogs this time of year are grilled – which is really annoying if you don’t own a grill, btw.
The best option for many people? Stovetop. Cooking chicken on a stovetop is a little intimidating, though, and it shouldn’t be. Follow these recipes and check out a few more tips at the bottom of the post. WE CAN’T LET THE HEAT AND THE PEOPLE WITH GORGEOUS OUTDOOR SPACE AND GRILLS WIN!
Use breasts or thighs.
Breasts (left, center): Should be boneless. And usually without skin. You can also slice them into smaller pieces or buy them pre-sliced.
Thighs (right): Bone-in or boneless, skin on or skinless, whole or cut up. They are magic.
If you use breasts, you have 3 options.
Option 1 (left): Pound out (or butterfly) a full boneless chicken breast to an even thickness. This way, it will cook evenly on the skillet.
Option 2 (center): Cut it into smaller pieces (or, you can buy it pre-cut) and sear in skillet.
Option 3 (right): Poach whole or sliced chicken breasts – meaning, gently simmer them in some delicious liquid with spices and herbs.
If you use thighs, anything goes.
Pan-seared chicken thighs (direction here) with the skin on and the bone in are so delicious any which way. Or, you can buy boneless skinless thighs, which are great cut-up in stir fries (pictured right).
7. Pinot Grigio Chicken with Honey Citrus Glaze
Use a cast iron skillet, or get indoor grill marks with a grill pan. Recipe here.
11. Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
If you think you don’t like marsala, you’ve never tasted it done right. Recipe here.
13. Chicken and Sugar Snap Pea Stir-Fry
This entire dish needs to be on the heat for about eight minutes. Recipe here.
14. Simple Chicken Quesadillas
Marinating the chicken in pineapple juice before cooking makes it super tender. Recipe here.
18. Pot Roasted Chicken
An oven-free hack for when your roast chicken cravings get the better of you. Recipe here.
19. Chicken Pad Thai
Step 1: Buy a bottle of fish sauce. Step 2: Realize how amazing it is and proceed to put it in everything you cook. Recipe here.
21. Chicken Milanese with Corn and Tomato Summer Salad
HOT TIP: Microwave un-husked corn on high for three minutes, and save yourself the hassle of boiling a pot of water. Recipe here.
24. Chicken Paella
Yes, there’s seafood in there. The best part about paella, though, is that you can use whatever kind of meat you want. Recipe here.
25. Coconut Poached Chicken and Mango Salad
PSA: Chicken salad does not have to involve dangerous amounts of mayonnaise. Recipe here.
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