40 Chicken Meal Prep Recipes That Never Get Boring

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, high protein
• Serves: 3 to 4

Thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken, this zesty main is only eight ingredients away (not counting your favorite toppings, like avocado, sour cream and cilantro). "Rally a few pals to help roll up the tortillas, then smother the enchiladas in green sauce, which is lighter and brighter than the usual red variety," former PureWow senior food editor Katherine Gillen explains. P.S.: It keeps in the fridge and freezer like a charm.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, dairy free
• Serves: 6 to 8

Lettuce-free salads FTW. Instead, Gillen leans 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. "Use a rotisserie chicken for ultimate convenience, or cook your own chicken breasts if you have the time," Gillen advises.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

"It’s as comforting as a classic egg noodle soup, but gets two major boosts of flavor from miso paste and cheese tortellini," Gillen notes. "If you want to make this soup ahead or anticipate having leftovers, I recommend chilling the broth separately from the vegetables, chicken and noodles, so when you reheat it, nothing gets mushy."

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, high protein
• Serves: 4

"The recipe is easy to double for a crowd, you could make them with ground turkey or pork instead of chicken, they can be pan-fried instead of baked (although baking yields more tender results) and they make an excellent accompaniment for everything from rice bowls to macaroni and cheese," Gillen says. Need I say more?

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

"I don't care if it's 'basic,' I love Caesar salad with my whole heart," Gillen asserts. "It's crisp, creamy, garlicky and packed with all the right toppings." Here, it's the crowning glory atop a cheesy flatbread made with store-bought pizza dough for ease.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 6

I'm betting these handhelds taste just as good cold as they do warm, making them a great chicken meal prep recipe. "You could bake these strips in a 400°F oven until golden…but I'm partial to frying them," Gillen admits. "It's not as much effort as you think, plus it ensures the coconut coating gets crunchy and brown all over (no soggy spots here, thank you very much)."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6

"The beans are canned, the greens are swappable and the entire thing is easier (and tastier) than grabbing a can opener," Gillen claims. If you're worried about the homemade broth, don't be: It's pared down for simplicity, as the white miso does a ton of heavy lifting.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, high protein, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

"This recipe has all the cheese, tomato sauce and stick-to-your-ribs appeal, but in a format that’s surprisingly lower effort than it sounds," Gillen writes. "In fact, the whole thing can be ready in about 30 minutes and with just one skillet." Serve it with plenty of Italian bread for dipping.

• Time Commitment: 6 hours and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 6 to 8

As far as chicken meal prep recipes go, this one is a keeper. "It requires just 15 minutes of active prep (thank you, canned green chiles) and can be frozen for up to three months," Gillen asserts. I'll take mine with extra sour cream on top, please.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, high protein
• Serves: 4 to 6

These chicken wings are so incredibly crunchy that they can be made ahead without losing any of their magic. "The trick is to dredge the wings in baking powder before popping them in the oven, which reacts with the skin and jumpstarts the browning process," Gillen explains. "You can make them even crispier by baking them on top of a wire cooling rack, but a sheet pan works fine too."

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: Instant Pot recipe, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

The pressure cooker makes this classic comfort food a breeze to pull off (and in a fraction of the usual time). Use canned biscuit dough if you must, but the chive-dappled homemade dumplings will not disappoint.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy, high protein, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 4 to 6

"Chicken thighs are my favorite part of the chicken, and here, they're well-seasoned and fried until the skin renders and is juicy and crisp," recipe developer Christine Flynn writes. Trust me: This chicken meal prep recipe can withstand a night or two in the fridge.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, high protein, dairy free
• Serves: 4

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. Most importantly, it'll all keep in the fridge for up to four days.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

A deliciously far cry from your usual spaghetti and meatballs, if you ask me. 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).

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, one pot
• Serves: 6

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?

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8 to 10

There's no limit to what a store-bought bird can do, and this chicken meal prep recipe proves it. 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.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, high protein, beginner-friendly, no cook, make ahead
• Serves: 4 to 6

Filling, meal prep-friendly and not a grape in sight—that's my 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.

• Time Commitment: 6 hours and 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, high protein
• Serves: 4

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.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

All the heat and decadence of Buffalo wings with ranch dressing—minus the frying and extra fuss. My advice? Prepare the saucy rotisserie chicken ahead, store it in the fridge and assemble the wraps right before serving all week long.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, high protein, make ahead
• Serves: 3

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 cheese and fresh lime.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

Creamy ricotta cheese not only helps bind the meatballs, but it also keeps 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.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: no cook, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

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. Plus, the recipe calls for rotisserie chicken, so it requires no cooking at all.

• Time Commitment: 7 hours and 10 minutes
• Why I Love It: slow cooker recipe, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

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.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, high protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

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.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, low carb, keto-friendly
• Serves: 8

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, por favor.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, high protein
• Serves: 4

This just might be the most exciting chicken salad sammie you'll ever eat. I 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.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, make ahead, high protein
• Serves: 4

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 on top.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 5

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.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, high protein
• Serves: 4

The homemade Jamaican-inspired rub, loaded with thyme, allspice, brown sugar and garlic powder, is the key to the chicken's herbaceous, complex flavor. Bell peppers, zucchini and mango add freshness and color to the quinoa bowl.

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 4

Sometimes, less is more—and this four-serving, 25-minute recipe is proof. It calls for using a homemade chicken seasoning on the poultry, but you can use whatever combination of spices you'd like (or more conveniently, store-bought seasoning).

• Time Commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, high protein, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4 to 6

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.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, sheet pan recipe, <10 ingredients
• Serves: 8

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 chicken meal prep recipe up, even if you're a newbie.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 8 to 10

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.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, make ahead, gluten free
• Serves: 4

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 all on sight, that is).

• Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, slow cooker recipe, kid-friendly
• Serves: 6

Six days worth of silky noodles, tender chicken and fresh vegetables—pinch us, I'm 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.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: make ahead, gluten free, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

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.*

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
• Serves: 6

Any big-batch recipe that features fries as a main component is one after my own heart. The rest isn't too shabby either, though. I'm talking heavily spiced chicken, tender asparagus, fluffy couscous, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and garlic-tahini yogurt.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
• Serves: 4

Only eight ingredients stand between you and tonight's picky eater-proof dinner. Make your own basil pesto if you're feeling ambitious, but I won't tell if you opt for store-bought. (You can even substitute red or Alfredo sauce to make space in your pantry.)

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: gluten free, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
• Serves: 5

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. I'll take extra feta on mine, please.

• Time Commitment: 40 minutes
• Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, dairy free
• Serves: 6

Store-bought jerk seasoning is brought to life with pineapple juice, freshly grated ginger and honey, resulting in an impeccably balanced make-ahead chicken recipe. Broccoli and edamame cover your veggie count for the evening, while pineapple salsa and coconut rice give the meal a decidedly tropical feel.