26 Chicken Breast Recipes That Aren’t Boring at All

These chicken kebabs are marinated in crowd-pleasing Kung Pao flavors (don’t skip the fermented bean paste doubanjiang for the full effect). A garnish of basil and puffed rice provides a vivid finish and pleasing textural contrast.

You’ll love the classic Italian flavors of this grilled chicken, and the caprese salsa with sweet, tart grape and cherry tomatoes is the perfect accompaniment to the charred flavor from the grill.

“This is my Ojai version of classic Burmese chicken salad, which is typically made with cabbage. There’s so much excellent kale grown around Ojai, so I add that,” says Saw Naing, chef at Ojai’s The Dutchess. “We go through 100 pounds of kale each week!”

Chicken pan juices, shallots, white wine, and tarragon become a velvety sauce when you add butter as a finishing touch.

A classic Italian pairing of orange and fennel livens up basic chicken. The sauce turns into a light glaze when brushed on the chicken at the end, but could also work as a marinade if you have time (chill overnight).

If you’re looking for a guest-worthy main-dish salad, stop right here. This one delivers a blend of firm and tender textures and sweet-spicy flavors, plus make-ahead options and a time-saving method for browning shallots in the microwave. Tip: The leftover shallot oil can be used for a second salad.

Thai Chicken and Noodle Curry is your go-to recipe when you need a chicken and noodle fix–with a kick. The secret ingredient is the curry paste, originally from Malaysia and now popular all over northern Thailand. It keeps in the fridge for months, and once you have it, you can whip up this recipe any time. Use the larger amount if you like heat.

The mix of apricots, spices, and tomatoes is surprising but makes for an interesting and delicious twist to chicken dinner.

While this dish may seem simple, it represents the Chez Panisse style of making something simple as well as possible. “This kind of ‘chicken salad’ of sorts can change with the seasons,” says Lulu chef David Tanis. “The base recipe is a grilled chicken breast, salad greens, and a seasonal vegetable garnish.”

A briny, flavorful marinade tenderizes and moistens the chicken and also serves as a dressing for the olive-tomato topping. Serve with sliced grilled potatoes if you like.

Marinating chicken in yogurt and exotic spices makes these chicken kebabs ultra-tender and unbelievably flavorful.

López-Alt adapted this sandwich from recipes by his colleague Daniel Gritzer. It’s an excellent way to use grilled-chicken leftovers. López-Alt chooses a soft, mild bun that lets the fillings shine and adds crunch with potato straws—an ingredient borrowed from cooks in Colombia, who put them on hot dogs (López-Alt’s wife is Colombian). Seed the chile if you’d like a milder sauce.

This recipe from cookbook author and writer J. Kenji López-Alt is genius: Half of this intense, hearty vinaigrette goes on the chicken right before it’s cooked—less a marinade than a “pre-sauce”—and the other half gets drizzled onto the grilled chicken, creating layers of flavor without a long marinating time. Use any extra chicken (or use it as an excuse to make more chicken) in Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing.

Use any extra chicken from Grilled Chicken Cutlets above to make this Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing to eat as you please throughout the week.

This version of the classic is super-simple (no tandoor oven required) and very tasty. Add a few vegetables to the grill and some naan to round out the dinner.

The paprika delivers the smoky flavor, so you don’t miss the char.

Designed for cilantro fans, this Indian-style chutney gives chicken breasts loads of flavor and keeps them moist in their parchment-paper packets. Don’t let the grill get over 425°, or the paper may catch on fire.

The classic Vietnamese sandwich has lots of variations, but our favorites, like this one inspired by the bánh mì at Lynda Sandwich in Westminster, California, combine a generous pile of fresh herbs and vegetables with a sauce that has plenty of personality.

Pack some flavor into a chicken breast, literally, by stuffing it with mushroom, garlic, spinach, and cheese.

The Japanese dish chicken yakitori is traditionally made on skewers, but grilling thin chicken breasts instead is even more weeknight-friendly. Marinate a day ahead for extra flavor.

Instead of cherry tomatoes, you can use larger tomatoes cut into pieces so they cook quickly and release their juices to form the flavorful sauce. Try the dish over pasta or polenta.

Attention, citrus lovers: This dish includes zest in the lemongrass-chile rub, juice in the refreshing dressing, and peeled segments in the crunchy cucumber and shallot topping.

Combine different colors of greens for an especially pretty salad. Crisp, frilly mizuna tastes like a cross between napa cabbage and mustard greens and comes in a green or red variety. If your grocery store doesn’t carry mizuna, try a farmers’ market. That’s also a good place to check for more unusual flat-leaf varieties of mustard greens, like handsome Red Giant. Small leaves taste the mildest.

The gently seasoned pickling combo brings out berries’ tart side and makes a refreshing dressing for the watercress and chicken.

Like a cross between a noodle bowl and a salad, this dish is low in fat and has a kick.

We’ve layered this dish with tropical flavors. As for a wine pairing, it would be a good match to Viognier’s perfume and bright citrus and stone-fruit flavors.