15 Easy, Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Dinners in 30 Minutes

a recipe photo of the Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini
Photo:

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Chicken is a complete protein source, meaning it offers you all 9 essential amino acids to support muscle recovery and healthy digestion. This collection of flavorful dinners features poultry alongside anti-inflammatory ingredients like leafy greens, dark green and deep orange veggies and berries—foods that can help you combat symptoms of inflammation like mental fog, muscle aches and joint stiffness. Recipes like our Chicken Piccata Casserole Recipe and Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini are nutritious and ready to eat in just 30 minutes or less.

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Green Veggie Bowl with Chicken & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

a blue bowl full of chicken and vegetables and a smaller bowl with dressing

For this healthy 30-minute dinner, treat your veggies like pasta and cook until al dente, or just done. If you have a little extra time, double or triple the lemon-tahini dressing and use it to quickly dress a salad or as a sauce for steak or shrimp.

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Chicken Piccata Casserole

a recipe photo of the Chicken Piccata Casserole

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist Jennifer Wendorf

This protein-packed chicken piccata casserole brings all the flavors of classic chicken piccata together in one dish. It’s the easiest piccata you’ll ever make—no dredging or sauce required! Cooking the lemon slices in butter mellows their bite and helps jump-start the lemony flavor of the dish while helping the butter get a little brown, bringing some nuttiness to the dish.

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Chopped Power Salad with Chicken

Chopped Power Salad with Chicken
Jason Donnelly

Enjoy this filling and colorful salad for lunch or dinner. The dressing gets made in the same bowl that the salad is tossed in, so the greens absorb every bit of flavor.

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Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

Chicken & Spinach Skillet Pasta with Lemon & Parmesan

This one-pan chicken pasta combines lean chicken breast and sautéed spinach for a one-bowl meal that's garlicky, lemony and best served with a little Parm on top. I call it "Mom's Skillet Pasta," and she called it "Devon's Favorite Pasta." Either way, it's a quick and easy weeknight dinner we created together and scribbled on a little recipe card more than a decade ago, and it remains in my weekly dinner rotation to this day. It's a simple dinner the whole family will love.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini

a recipe photo of the Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes & Broccolini

Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Chicken thighs and sweet potato get crispy in the oven while broccolini roasts alongside in a foil packet for even cooking and easy cleanup. Pro tip: Place the chicken thighs in the corners of the baking sheet, where there is more air circulation, for crispy skin.

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Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

Chicken & Cabbage Salad with Nuoc Cham Dressing

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Best known as a Vietnamese dipping sauce, nước chấm typically combines sugar, lime juice and fish sauce, striking the perfect balance between sweet, sour and salty. Here it ties together crunchy vegetables, tons of fresh herbs and cooked chicken breast for a refreshing chicken salad. Serve combined with glass noodles or inside a lettuce leaf. For a slightly different take, swap out the cooked chicken for thin slices of grilled steak.

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Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry

a recipe photo of the Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

This juicy chicken and broccoli stir-fry features tender-crisp broccoli coated in a velvety sauce flavored with hoisin—a flavorful sauce made from fermented soybean paste that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tangy. Try this easy stir-fry with chicken tenders, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or even pork tenderloin for a different twist.

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Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

a recipe photo of the Chicken & Spinach Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

The creamy feta dressing steals the show in this protein-rich salad that makes a perfect lunch or quick and easy dinner. While you can buy feta cheese already crumbled, we like crumbling our own fresh from the block for this salad. While we prefer the slightly sharper flavor of sheep’s-milk feta, cow’s-milk feta works just as well.

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3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprouts Hash with Chicken Sausage

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Hash with Apple Chicken Sausage
Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Apple-flavored chicken sausage adds flavor and protein in this quick dinner hash that uses a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts as its hearty, high-fiber base. Steaming the cubed sweet potatoes in the microwave cuts way down on total cook time.

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Anti-Inflammatory Chicken & Beet Salad

a recipe photo of the Chicken & Beet Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Melissa Gray, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Tart cherry juice concentrate adds flavor and helps fight inflammation when teamed up with other anti-inflammatory foods like beets and walnuts in this quick salad. Buying packaged cooked beets cuts down on time (and mess!). Look for them in the produce section where other prepared vegetables are sold.

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Creamy Chicken Pasta with Brussels Sprouts & Artichokes

a recipe photo of the Creamy Chicken Pasta with Brussels Sprouts & Artichokes

Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

The creamy white wine-garlic sauce helps blend artichokes and shaved Brussels sprouts together with nutty whole-wheat pasta in this quick dinner. Use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to shave the Brussels sprouts. If you opt for pre-packaged shaved sprouts, note that they might be on the thicker side, requiring a few extra minutes of cooking time. You can swap in canned artichokes, but they tend to have more sodium than frozen, so give them a good rinse before adding.

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Teriyaki Chicken Skillet Casserole with Broccoli

a recipe photo of the Teriyaki Chicken Casserole with Broccoli

Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco

Whip up this quick and easy teriyaki chicken casserole in just one skillet—it’s the perfect go-to recipe for hectic weeknights that’s sure to satisfy a crowd. It’s ideal for making use of any leftover chicken and rice you have on hand. If you’re short on leftovers, a rotisserie chicken paired with a package of microwaveable brown rice is a good substitute.

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High-Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

a recipe photo of the High-Protein Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Make this grab-and-go Tex-Mex–inspired soup when you have leftover chicken, or use rotisserie chicken for this easy meal-prep soup. The frozen pepper-onion mix adds flavor and saves time in the kitchen, while the black beans add fiber and protein. Combine everything but the broth ahead of time, then add it and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. If you don’t wish to travel with liquid broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water.

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Chicken Noodle Soup with Spinach & Parmesan

a recipe photo of the Spinach & Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon & Parmesan

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Wine and garlic add depth to this quick and simple chicken noodle soup. The pasta will absorb broth as the soup sits, so if you want to make a double batch or are planning on eating this over multiple days, cook the pasta separately and add it when you’re ready to serve.

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Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chicken & Fresh Berries

https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/8061003/spinach-salad-with-quinoa-chicken-fresh-berries/

If you're packing this grain bowl for work, combine the dressing ingredients in a small container. When you're ready to eat, shake the dressing well, add it to the salad and toss. If you don't have time to make a homemade dressing, use 3 tablespoons of store-bought olive oil vinaigrette. Keep prep time short by using rotisserie chicken (or leftover chicken) and a pouch of microwavable quinoa.

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