7 Fall Chicken Recipes – A Healthy Slice of Life

As the weather (finally) starts to cool off and the trees begin to show their fall colors I begin to crave warm, comforting, nourishing dishes. You, too? Chicken is a classic comfort food that fills us up in fall dishes like soups, stews and pies. Its mild flavor allows it to adapt to a variety of dishes using your favorite spices and herbs. I’ve gathered some of my favorite fall chicken recipes in one spot to help you create healthy, comforting meals for your family this season.

7 Fall Chicken Recipes

As autumn sets in, here are some chicken recipes to warm up your dinner table, from sheet pan meals to hearty roasts.

Mediterranean-Inspired Sheet Pan Chicken

I love sheet pan dinners! There’s something about having only one dish to wash at the end of a delicious dinner that puts a smile on my face. This Mediterranean-inspired sheet pan chicken dinner from Defined Dish is one of my go-to chicken recipes for cool fall nights. The sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh dressing bring to mind sunny Mediterranean days — perfect for warming you up when nights get cool in the fall. Juicy chicken, tasty artichokes and hearty potatoes round out the meal. This simple recipe is easy to put together, and most of the time spent on this recipe is cooking time where the oven does all the work.

• Cook Time: Roughly an hour.
• Ingredients: Chicken thighs, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, olives, oregano, Dijon, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper.

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are such a versatile ingredient to cook with. They tend to be a less expensive cut of meat, and the bone inside of them helps bring more moisture to the meat, making for some of the juiciest chicken you can eat. My baked chicken thighs recipe has a crispy skin, flavorful meat, and the best part is you only have to spend 10 minutes of hands-on time preparing it, making it perfect for busy nights! I like to keep the spices in this recipe simple to allow the chicken flavor to shine through, but feel free to customize it with whatever spices you like best. And remember, bone-in chicken thighs are great because it’s almost impossible to overcook them.

• Cook Time: 55 minutes total
• Ingredients: Chicken thighs, paprika, salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins

If you’re craving comfort food, you’ve got to try these chipotle chicken sweet potato skins from Half Baked Harvest! The concept is similar to nachos, but instead of using chips, you use the vitamin A-rich skin of sweet potatoes. The warm spices in this recipe are perfect for cool fall nights and it feels like you’re eating something cozy and comforting, but these sweet potato skins are healthy and simple to make! Her recipes are known for being a little ingredient-heavy, but the recipe is not complicated. There’s only 15 minutes of prep time — although sweet potatoes do take a little while to cook.

• Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Ingredients: Chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chickpeas, olive oil, lime, cilantro, spinach, and shredded cheese.

Chicken Vegetable Meal Prep

This one is for my hot lunch lovers! But it also works well for busy fall nights. Fall is the time when kids go back to school and between the schoolwork, sports, and extra-curricular activities recipes that save you time, money, and stress are going to be your go-tos. This chicken vegetable meal prep from Budget Bytes is super simple to make, and it saves you some money by using simple cost-wise ingredients like Brussels sprouts, chicken, and sweet potatoes. Add this fall chicken recipe to your weekly meal prep and know that you’ll have a delicious meal ready to serve sitting in your fridge for those super hectic nights.

• Cook Time: 50 minutes total
• Ingredients: Chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper, steak seasoning, butter, and smoked paprika.

Chicken Meatballs

This recipe must go viral for Lindsey every fall because I see it everywhere, and with good reason. These are SO good and simple. Chicken meals don’t have to involve the breast, thighs, or wings — ground chicken can make a comforting fall chicken recipe too, as is the case with Pinch of Yum’s baked chicken meatballs. These meatballs are simple, perfect for meal prep, versatile, and healthy. You can serve them all by themselves or include them in a larger meal. Prepare a large batch of these on the weekend and you’ll have an easy and hearty protein to add to weeknight meals with just some overnight thawing. Also, you can’t beat the flavor in these meatballs!

• Cook Time: 30 minutes               
• Ingredients: Ground chicken, an egg, panko breadcrumbs, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is a classic fall recipe that I love to pair with a glass of apple cider. Damn Delicious has come up with an amazing lemon herb roasted chicken recipe that uses 6 simple ingredients to make a super flavorful and juicy chicken dinner. The key here is to use the zest of a whole lemon to bring out the fresh lemon flavor that pairs perfectly with rosemary,  thyme, garlic, and parsley. One of the things I love most about roast chicken recipes is their versatility. You can accompany them with a variety of side dishes to match the tastes of your family.

• Cook Time: An hour and 20 minutes total
• Ingredients: Whole chicken; fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary; salt and pepper, minced garlic, the zest of a lemon, and unsalted butter.

Chicken Thighs with Fresh Oregano and Lemon

This healthy and delicious meal is comforting on a cold day, and because it’s all made in one skillet, it’s a beautiful but stress-free dish to serve the whole family! I love chicken thighs because they are a more affordable and flavorful cut of meat, and these simple seasonings make for a surprisingly robust flavor combination. So delicious served over rice!

• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Ingredients: bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, lemon, red onion, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper

How To Make Healthy Chicken Meals

Chicken is a lean and healthy protein to cook with. All of the recipes above are healthy options, but here are some additional tips to make your chicken meals even healthier this fall. First, opt for cooking methods like roasting, slow cooking, and baking over heavier methods like deep frying or pan frying. Also, consider the ingredients you use. Chicken is such a light meat that you can lean on spices for flavor if you’re looking to keep things lean instead of using creams, rich sauces, or tons of oil. Finally, think about the side dishes you’re serving it with. For a healthier chicken meal, add lots of veggies and limit the number of starches you use, or focus on complex carbohydrates, whole food options like potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, or lentils.

Which of these fall chicken recipes will you try first? Share your thoughts and any of your own tips for making healthy chicken meals in the comments below!