Quick Meals with Chicken

When the work day is over and dinner time has arrived these time saving recipes can make meal planning fast and easy. Chicken is such a versatile ingredient and these simple recipes will have flavorful meals ready quickly and easily.

Store bought prepared chicken is a great quick meal item to have on hand or, if you prefer, simply cooking your own chicken and making extra for leftovers allows you to use these recipes and make quick dinner meals any day of the week. It’s a real time-saver for the busy lifestyles we live and provides a healthy meal option with the addition of just a few fresh ingredients.

Each recipe makes 2 to 3 servings.

Cold Chicken Salad: You will need, 2 cups cooked chicken (cubed), 1/2 cup red bell pepper (diced), 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper (diced), 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts (roughly chopped – reserve the liquid), 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise or low-fat plain Greek yogurt, and 1 tbsp (or to taste) of the reserved liquid from the artichokes. In a bowl, combine cubed cooked chicken, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and marinated artichoke hearts. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise or yogurt and reserved liquid from the artichokes. Add dressing to salad ingredients and toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serving Idea: Serve this simple salad scooped into Bibb lettuce leaves along with a side dish of warm couscous drizzled with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Chicken with Okra and Tomatoes: You will need, 2 cups cooked chicken (cubed), 1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes (Italian style), 1 cup frozen sliced okra, 1 cup zucchini (half-moon slices), 1/4 cup red onion (medium dice), and lemon juice ( to taste). Cook chicken as desired and cube. Place the stewed tomatoes with the juice in a medium saucepan. Break up the tomato pieces a little so they are more bite-sized. Add the okra, zucchini and onion to the pan and enough water or vegetable broth to bring the liquid level up to the level of all the ingredients. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the okra is warmed through. Stir occasionally. Add the cubed chicken and allow to cook a few more minutes to warm the chicken. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serving Idea: Serve over a bed of warm, cooked rice, pasta, or noodles with a small side salad of mixed salad greens tossed in a red wine vinaigrette.

Chicken Salad with Ranch Dressing: You will need, 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken, 1 cup thinly sliced celery, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 2 tbsp walnut pieces, 1/2 cup bottled low-fat ranch dressing, and 4 cups mixed salad greens. In a bowl, combine the chicken, celery, cranberries and dressing. Serve salad over the greens and top each serving with some of the walnut pieces. Serving Idea: Serve this easy salad with stir-fried broccoli and mushrooms.

Laura Cokherell, a cooking enthusiast, shares a wide variety of low-cost meal ideas from breakfast to dessert, including more dinner recipes, at Quick Salad Recipes.com. You will find a full range of quick recipes for healthy, flavorful, natural meals that require a minimum of ingredients, time, effort and clean-up for the fast-paced world we live in.