What Can I Cook With Chicken? 9 Dinners From Real Home Recipes

The pack in the fridge

You bought chicken on the weekend, and it is now Wednesday. It is in the fridge, you do not feel like repeating last night's curry, and nobody has strong opinions. Chicken is forgiving, so the answer is usually something you already have the other ingredients for.

Below are nine dishes from our recipe library, sorted by effort. Amounts are in metric and US units, as on every recipe page.

Fast and forgiving (about 30 to 45 minutes)

Chicken karahi. The Pakistani restaurant classic, and the one that needs the fewest things. You need 800 g (1.75 lb) of bone-in chicken, 4 tomatoes, ginger, garlic, 5 green chillies, 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander and 5 tablespoons of oil. No onion, no added water: the chicken sears 6 to 7 minutes on high heat, then the tomatoes cook down covered until oil floats on top. 45 minutes, Medium. Use small pieces and ripe, red tomatoes. Pale, watery ones are slow to thicken.

Murgir jhol. The everyday Bengali chicken curry: thin, brothy, with potato, meant to be spooned over plain rice. 800 g (1.75 lb) chicken, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 1 tomato, turmeric, chilli and cumin. It is marked Easy and takes 45 minutes. Keep it thin.

Chicken macaroni. A Pakistani-Chinese home favourite. 300 g (10.5 oz) macaroni, 400 g (0.9 lb) boneless chicken strips, a tomato, an onion, 4 tablespoons of ketchup and 2 of soy sauce. It takes 35 minutes in total and is the answer when the children are hungry and the rice is not started.

A proper curry (about 55 to 65 minutes)

Creamy chicken curry (chicken handi). 750 g (1.65 lb) chicken, 250 g (1.6 cups) of tomato, 150 g (0.6 cup) yogurt and 60 ml (a quarter cup) of cream. The yogurt goes in on low heat, a spoon at a time, so it does not split. Our tip: boneless thighs stay juicier than breast. About 55 minutes.

Chicken qorma. The festive one. 800 g (1.75 lb) chicken, 3 onions fried slowly to deep gold, 250 g (1 cup) yogurt, cardamom, cinnamon and a little ghee. It takes 65 minutes, mostly unattended, and the sign it is ready is oil floating on top. Lift the pot off the heat for a minute before the yogurt goes in. It helps prevent curdling.

Butter chicken. 600 g (1.3 lb) boneless chicken, marinated at least an hour, charred, then simmered in a tomato and cashew gravy finished with butter and cream. It needs more (cashews, cream, butter), so it suits a fuller pantry. About 65 minutes. The gravy keeps for three days in the fridge.

One pot for a crowd (about 70 minutes)

Chicken pulao. 700 g (1.5 lb) chicken, 400 g (2 cups) basmati rice, yogurt and whole spices. The one rule that matters: once the chicken is cooked, top the liquid in the pot up to about 1.5 times the rice by volume, cover tightly, steam 20 minutes, then rest 10 off the heat. Serves 4, about 70 minutes.

Chicken Chettinad. For when you want heat. 700 g (1.5 lb) chicken, 6 dried red chillies, black pepper, fennel, cumin, a little coconut and curry leaves. It takes 60 minutes. Grinding the whole spices yourself gives it its punch; curry powder will not match.

When you can plan ahead

Chicken tikka. 1 kg (2.2 lb) of bone-in chicken, slit and marinated in 200 g (0.75 cup) of thick yogurt with ginger, garlic, lemon and spices for at least 3 hours in the fridge, overnight if you can. Roast at 240 C (465 F) or grill for 18 to 20 minutes, turning halfway, until a thermometer reads 74 C (165 F). 45 minutes of work, plus marinating.

Using the whole pack safely

These follow standard food-safety guidance (USDA, UK Food Standards Agency) and matter more with chicken than most foods.

• Do not wash raw chicken. Splashing water spreads bacteria around the sink. Pat it dry with paper towels instead.
• Cook to 74 C (165 F) in the thickest piece. Our chicken tikka recipe uses that number too. A thermometer is the reliable check, because colour and clear juices can mislead. Without one, cut into the thickest piece and make sure it is steaming hot and white all through.
• Fridge life. Raw chicken keeps one to two days in the fridge, on the lowest shelf, in a covered container so it cannot drip. If you will not cook it by then, freeze it.
• Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. A whole pack of pieces usually needs a night.
• Leftovers. Refrigerate cooked chicken within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour if the kitchen is hot). It keeps three to four days. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
• Marinades. Marinate chicken in the fridge, never on the counter. Do not serve leftover marinade as a sauce unless you boil it first. Throwing it away is easier.

Swaps when you are missing something

• No yogurt for qorma or handi? We have not tested a replacement. Thick, full-fat plain yogurt added slowly is the safest guess.
• Bone-in or boneless? Bone-in pieces give a richer gravy. Boneless cooks faster. If you swap, watch the time: boneless can be done well before the time on the card.
• Breast instead of thighs. Breast dries out sooner. Take it off the heat as soon as it is cooked through.

Cook it with Degchi

In Degchi, you mark what you have in the pantry and the app shows which dishes you can cook now. Each recipe page marks every ingredient Have or Out, so you see what is missing before you start. The app is free and in closed beta; join the beta to try it.

Questions

Can I cook chicken straight from frozen? USDA says it is safe if it reaches 74 C (165 F) throughout, though it takes about 50 percent longer and does not brown well. The UK FSA is more cautious about coated frozen products and says to follow the pack. Thawing in the fridge overnight gives better curry and more even cooking.

Is it safe to reheat chicken curry? Yes. Cool it quickly, refrigerate it within 2 hours, and eat it within three or four days. Reheat only what you will eat, to 74 C (165 F) or a rolling simmer, so it is hot throughout and not just at the edges.

How much chicken do I need per person? Our recipes use between 100 g and 200 g (3.5 to 7 oz) of chicken per serving, counted as raw weight with the bone. A pulao needs less.

What can I do with a few pieces left over? Shred cooked chicken into egg fried rice, or fill a paratha with it. Cooked chicken should be used within three to four days, so freeze it if you will not get to it.