8 easy, economical and mouth-watering chicken dinner recipes

Every cook in charge of producing dinner has heard the refrain. Not chicken again? When you plan your menus, chicken is sure to be a menu staple. Yet, you wonder, how many ways can I prepare chicken without causing a household riot?

Chicken is a healthy, inexpensive, low-fat meat, providing a wealth of protein and flavor, the perfect basis for a comfort meal in winter, or a refreshing summer treat. Chicken can be dressed up or down, prepared in a hurry, slow cooked or made as a do-ahead, all with magnificent results. The trick in serving chicken as often as your budget enjoys, while getting no complaints, lies in diversifying your chicken dinner recipes such that each entree is a new culinary adventure. Seasonings and sides can change that chicken dinner recipe from boring to fabulous. Let's take a look at the many faces of chicken.

One of the most economical of chicken dinner recipes is also one of the easiest: a whole roasted chicken, stuffed with either a crouton or rice based dressing that makes your family feel like it must be close to Thanksgiving. You can make a stuffing of croutons, seasoned with poultry seasoning, laced with celery, onions and mushrooms, and moistened with some chicken broth. Substitute rice for the croutons if you wish. Stuff the mix into the bird, baste with a bit of butter and roast it. Simple, budget friendly and most importantly, delicious. This chicken dinner recipe makes your family feel as though they've gone out for dinner!

An even simpler version of this chicken dinner recipe is the roasted chicken with potato wedges. Put the bird on the roasting pan, surround it with the potato wedges and garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary. A simple dinner salad completes this easy meal.

Southern fried chicken may not qualify as a dieter's dish, but the taste is fabulous. Soak the chicken pieces in milk or half-and-half, then dredge the chicken in flour, or a mix of half flour and half corn meal until it's well coated. You can add a pinch of cayenne and about a teaspoon of sage to your flour mix for extra flavor. Fry in butter, over low-medium heat, turning every 10 minutes or so to monitor browning. Cook until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

A much leaner chicken dinner recipe is the elegant chicken breast. Make it special with any of the bottled or package-mix marinades. Broil and serve. You can also vary this recipe by simply broiling the chicken breast plain, then topping with a salsa, or a white sauce and a sprinkling of capers.

Try basting chicken legs with a fiery Tabasco sauce and then grilling. This is a winner with family members who like it hot!

On the other end of the spectrum, chicken curry, made with fragrant Indian spices, cooked in coconut milk, provides a quite unusual taste. Chicken curry has a thousand variations. Every family in India has their own 'secret' recipe, handed down over generations. Look online for one with spices you enjoy. These recipes are usually accompanied by a short description of the particular dish which gives you a sense of the flavor, whether mild, hot or sweetly fragrant.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention chicken fried rice. Boil up a batch of rice and allow it to steam, following cooking, for at least a half hour. Use just a few teaspoons of oil to thoroughly coat a wok or frying pan. Fry the rice over high heat, turning constantly. Reduce the heat and add diced or julienned cooked chicken, water chestnuts, baby corn, diced fresh sweet red pepper and chopped green and yellow onions. Thoroughly beat a few eggs, drizzle evenly over the pan and quickly turn the rice, one section at a time. This is a very easy and economical chicken dinner recipe. By varying the vegetables you use, you can serve this one at least once a week without complaints. Sprinkle each serving with Chinese Five Spice available at your spice counter at the supermarket for a superior, fragrant dish.

Our last easy chicken dinner recipe is indeed, a dieter's delight. Make a chef's chicken salad. As your base, use a spring mix of leafy greens and mesclun. Toss in some fresh tomato wedges, diced red Spanish onions, a sliced hard boiled egg, the cheese of your choice (Farmer's cheese or shaved Parmesan are yummy), sliced black olives and julienned slices of cooked chicken breast. Dress with an olive oil vinaigrette and serve. This dish will fill you up and account for a goodly percentage of those fruits and veggies you're supposed to be eating!

Chicken is one of the most versatile and economical sources of protein. We hope these varied suggestions will help you make your chicken dinner recipes family favorites!