FridgeToTable

What to Make With Chicken and Zucchini: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Chicken and zucchini cook fast, and the zucchini gives off a puddle of water if you crowd it. Salt it, give it room, and let that water cook off so the pan tastes roasted instead of steamed. A skillet, a sheet pan, and a soft soup. All three stay inside 30 minutes if the chicken is cut small. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

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Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and zucchini in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner

20 min

Chicken zucchini soup

Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Zucchini and onion simmer, then cooked chicken warms in the pot.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt

Steps

  1. Soften the onion. Add diced zucchini, water, and salt.
  2. Simmer 8 minutes, until the zucchini is soft but not mush.
  3. Stir in the chicken just to heat it.
  4. Taste. Zucchini soup is delicate and needs the salt to taste like dinner.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days.

One-pan or sheet-pan option

25 min

Sheet-pan chicken and zucchini

Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Chicken and thick zucchini planks roast with oil and salt in one layer.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the zucchini into thick planks so they don't vanish.
  2. Toss the chicken and zucchini with oil and salt. Leave space on the pan.
  3. Roast until the chicken is cooked and the zucchini has brown edges, about 15 minutes.
  4. Add lemon. If the pan is full of liquid, it was crowded. Tip the liquid off or roast a few more minutes.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days.

The other dinner

22 min

Skillet chicken and zucchini

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Chicken sears, zucchini coins brown in the space left behind, garlic at the end.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 2 zucchini
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon

Steps

  1. Cut the chicken small and the zucchini into thick coins. Salt both.
  2. Sear the chicken in one layer until just cooked. Scoop it out.
  3. Fry the zucchini in the same skillet until the cut sides brown and the water cooks off.
  4. Add the garlic and the chicken, then lemon. The pan should look dry and brown, not soupy.

Keeps: Fridge for 2 days. The zucchini weeps a little.

Make it with leftovers

Cooked chicken warms at the end of the skillet and the soup. Leftover sautéed zucchini is already wet. Add it at the end and don't expect browning. Raw zucchini needs space in the pan.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Garlic
  • Lemon
  • Onion

No zucchini: yellow squash is the same method. No chicken: the zucchini can host an egg. See eggs and potatoes for a different skillet if you are out of both.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

Zucchini cut into coins and cooked until sweet, chicken plain and salted. Some kids eat the chicken and leave the green. That is information, not a failed dinner. Cheese on the side helps.

This is a light plate on purpose. Don't cover it in a cream sauce to make it feel heavier. Lemon and garlic finish it. Serve rice or bread if you need it to last until bedtime.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

Have something else in the fridge?

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Related dinners

More dinners with chicken

Questions

What can I make with chicken and zucchini in 20 minutes?

Chicken zucchini soup takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Zucchini and onion simmer, then cooked chicken warms in the pot.

What's the easiest dinner with chicken and zucchini?

Skillet chicken and zucchini is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 22 minutes. Chicken sears, zucchini coins brown in the space left behind, garlic at the end.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?

Cooked chicken warms at the end of the skillet and the soup. Leftover sautéed zucchini is already wet. Add it at the end and don't expect browning. Raw zucchini needs space in the pan.

What else can I add to chicken and zucchini for a full meal?

The cards already use chicken, zucchini, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is chicken and zucchini a healthy dinner?

This is a light plate on purpose. Don't cover it in a cream sauce to make it feel heavier. Lemon and garlic finish it. Serve rice or bread if you need it to last until bedtime.

How do I make chicken and zucchini kid-friendly?

Zucchini cut into coins and cooked until sweet, chicken plain and salted. Some kids eat the chicken and leave the green. That is information, not a failed dinner. Cheese on the side helps.

Can I make chicken and zucchini in one pan or a sheet pan?

Sheet-pan chicken and zucchini uses one sheet pan and takes 25 minutes. Chicken and thick zucchini planks roast with oil and salt in one layer.

What if I don't have zucchini?

No zucchini: yellow squash is the same method. No chicken: the zucchini can host an egg. See eggs and potatoes for a different skillet if you are out of both.