30 Chicken Meal Prep Recipes That Never Get Boring
We love the idea of meal prep...but lemon salmon and steamed broccoli are only so exciting after the third night in a row. So, we searched for enticing, delicious meals that are equal parts simple and satisfying to break our dinner rut. Behold: 30 chicken meal prep recipes that are so damn tasty (even on day four), you’ll be counting down the minutes until it’s time to dig in again.
63 Big-Batch Dishes & Recipes to Feed a Crowd
1. Meal Prep Honey Sesame Chicken with Broccolini
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, high protein, dairy free
Four meals in 35 minutes flat—swoon. A sweet-and-savory sauce turns modest chicken thighs into something spectacular. The broccolini and cauliflower rice are just nutritious bonuses.
2. Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, high protein
Thanks to handy store-bought rotisserie chicken, this zesty main is only eight ingredients away (not counting your favorite toppings, like avocado, sour cream and cilantro). It keeps in the fridge and freezer like a charm.
3. Make-Ahead Spicy Chicken and Rice Salad
Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, dairy free
Lettuce-free salads FTW. Instead, we lean on red cabbage for a colorful bowl that will hold its crispness in the fridge for days on end. Even better, this stunner will last you six to eight meals.
4. Sticky Asian Meatballs with Udon Noodles
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
A deliciously far cry from your usual spaghetti and meatballs. These are made with ground pork, but you can easily substitute ground chicken for a leaner meal. The real star is the zippy sauce anyway (oh, and the carrot ribbons).
5. Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, one pot
Soup is a no-brainer when it comes to easy meal prepping, especially in the winter time. Warm up all week long with this kid-friendly mix of veggies, fresh herbs, rotisserie meat and potato gnocchi. Chicken noodle who?
6. Crispy Baked Chicken Burritos
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
There's no limit to what a store-bought bird can do. Pro tip: You can freeze the handhelds for up to a month, so make a double batch to have some on deck for the next time you feel too lazy to cook lunch or dinner.
7. Avocado Chicken Salad
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, beginner-friendly, no cook, make ahead
Filling, meal prep-friendly and not a grape in sight—that's our kind of chicken salad. Fresh lemon juice, rice vinegar and a duo of fresh herbs zhuzh up basic mayo just right for a classic-yet-drool-worthy twist.
8. Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 6 hours and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, high protein
Put your feet up: The Crockpot is handling dinner for the next four nights. Picky kids don't stand a chance against the lip-smackingly sweet sauce, made with honey, soy sauce and fresh ginger. All that's missing is steamed white rice or your choice of noodles.
9. Buffalo Chicken Wraps with Blue Cheese and Celery
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
All the heat and decadence of Buffalo wings with ranch dressing—minus the frying and extra fuss. Our advice? Prepare the saucy rotisserie chicken ahead, store it in the fridge and assemble the wraps right before serving all week long.
10. Chicken Tinga Tacos
The Minimalist Kitchen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein, make ahead
This chipotle-kissed protein makes for a killer taco, but it'll also taste delicious over rice, in quesadillas or even on dressed greens. So serve it however you'd like; just don't skip the crumbled cotija and fresh lime.
11. Baked Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs
Patricia Niven/Keeping It Simple
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Creamy ricotta cheese not only helps bind the meatballs, but it will also keep the leftovers from drying out in the fridge. Feel free to substitute whatever produce you have on hand for broccolini, like broccoli, sweet potatoes, kale or cauliflower.
12. Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad-Stuffed Peppers
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: no cook, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
This lightened-up chicken salad boasts all the creamy, tangy flavor you crave—minus the heaviness of mayo. Instead, it's dressed in Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard and rice vinegar. The recipe makes a whopping eight servings, so you can savor the leftovers all week long.
13. Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 7 hours and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
For your Crockpot's next trick, it'll make dinner for six, practically on its own. Your only real task will be to shred the chicken once it's cooked. Use it in sandwiches, wraps, rice bowls or quesadillas.
14. Grilled Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Matt Armendariz/Eat What You Want
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, high protein, beginner-friendly
These uber-crunchy wraps are lightning-fast, filling and flavorful. Prepare the saucy chicken thighs in advance, wash and thoroughly dry the butter lettuce leaves and store them separately until you're about to eat, so the leftovers taste fresh every time.
15. Low-Carb Zucchini Enchiladas
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, low carb, keto-friendly
Want to cut back on carbs? Use thin strips of zucchini in place of tortillas for these freezer-friendly enchiladas, which are packed to the brim with black beans, corn, rotisserie chicken and poblano peppers. Pass the crema, please.
16. Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Eva Kolenko/Bread Toast Crumbs
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, high protein
This just might be the most exciting chicken salad sammie you'll ever eat. We love that the tarragon mayo, quick-pickled onions and chicken are all make ahead-friendly, so you can store them separately until lunchtime, then assemble and dig in.
17. Meal Prep Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: gluten free, make ahead, high protein
Ground chicken can easily be swapped in for ground turkey to make these shockingly juicy meatballs. The nonnegotiables? Spiralized zucchini noodles and your favorite marinara sauce. (Oh, and alllll the grated Parm.)
18. Greek Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Brown rice and oregano-kissed chicken breasts are paired with vinegary cucumber salad and homemade tzatziki to create a lunch all your coworkers will secretly envy. Pack the leftovers with toasted pita to make them even more satiating.
19. Jerk Chicken Meal Prep Lunch Bowls
Sweet Peas and Saffron
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, high protein
The homemade Jamaican-inspired rub, loaded with thyme, allspice, brown sugar and garlic powder, is the key to the chicken's herbaceous flavor. Bell peppers, zucchini and mango add freshness and color to the quinoa bowl.
20. Chicken and Rice Meal Prep Bowls
The Recipe Critic
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Sometimes, less is more—and this four-serving, 25-minute recipe is proof. It calls for using a homemade seasoning on the chicken, but you can use whatever combination of spices you'd like (or better yet, store-bought seasoning).
21. Meal Prep Chicken, Three Ways
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, high protein, beginner-friendly
Choose your fighter: spicy salsa verde, mouth-puckering lemon pepper or sweet, citrusy orange teriyaki. Don't let the time commitment deter you: Most of it is for hands-off marinating, and you'll only need to cook the chicken for about 15 minutes.
22. Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Meal Prep
Pinch of Yum
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
Three sheet pans + six ingredients + 45 minutes = dinner for a week (and minimal dirty dishes to wash). Take your pick of whatever store-bought spicy seasoning you'd like; it's virtually impossible to mess this recipe up, even if you're a newbie.
23. Chicken Pasta Salad
Well Plated by Erin
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
It'll only take you 40 minutes to prepare this ten-serving gem, and it tastes just as delicious warm as it does straight from the fridge. Briny canned artichoke hearts impart plenty of flavor to every bite, along with Dijon mustard and fresh basil.
24. Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, make ahead, gluten free
Believe it or not, you can make your go-to Indian takeout order from scratch in just half an hour. Package the chicken in meal prep containers for the week ahead with basmati rice and a flourish of cilantro (if you can keep from devouring it on sight, that is).
25. Slow Cooker Chicken Lo Mein
Life Made Sweeter
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, kid-friendly
Six days worth of silky noodles, tender chicken and fresh vegetables—pinch us, we're dreaming. If the sauce doesn't thicken to your liking in the slow cooker, transfer it to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat until it's the ideal consistency.
26. Chicken Burrito Bowl Meal Prep
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: make ahead, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Your heart says "order Chipotle every day," but your wallet? Not so much. Save on time, money and calories by assembling your own bowls, teeming with brown rice, ground chicken, black beans, corn, pico and, most importantly, a citrusy chipotle cream sauce you'll want to drizzle on *everything*.
27. Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
Any big-batch recipe that features fries as a main ingredient is one after our own heart. The rest isn't too shabby either, though. We're talking heavily spiced chicken, tender asparagus, fluffy couscous, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and garlic-tahini yogurt.
28. Chicken Pesto Pasta Meal Prep
Damn Delicious
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Only eight ingredients stand between you and tonight's kid-proof dinner. Make your own basil pesto if you're feeling ambitious, but we won't tell if you opt for store-bought. (You can even substitute red or Alfredo sauce if you're trying to make space in your pantry.)
29. Healthy Greek Meal Prep
40 Aprons
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: gluten free, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
This low-carb bowl uses cauliflower rice in the tabbouleh instead of traditional bulgur. Other highlights include hummus, herbed chicken breast, homemade tzatziki and all the olives your heart desires. We'll take extra feta on ours, please.
30. Meal Prep Tropical Jerk Chicken and Gingered Broccoli
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, dairy free
Store-bought jerk seasoning is brought to life with pineapple juice, freshly grated ginger and honey, resulting in impeccably balanced make-ahead chicken. Broccoli and edamame cover your veggie count for the evening, while pineapple salsa and coconut rice give the meal a decidedly tropical feel.
50 Sheet Pan Chicken Recipes, Because You Love Eating but Not Cleaning
