Boneless skinless chicken breasts are a staple in our grocery carts, but they can get a little boring week after week. Too dry, too bland—there’s no doubt you’ve heard the complaints from the picky eaters at your dinner table.
To get those discerning palates on board, we love to involve them in the cooking process. Not only are kids more likely to eat a meal they helped prepare, but it’s also a great way to spend quality time together and teach a few kitchen skills.
Of course, this isn’t the time to attempt a difficult dish like paella or coq au vin; you’ll want to stick to easy chicken breast recipes when you’ve got your mini sous-chef at your side. To help you plan your menu, we’ve rounded up seven simple and healthy chicken dinner ideas, along with tips for how little ones can lend a hand safely and (hopefully) with minimal mess.
Image source: theHUB from Walmart.ca
Ready in: 30 minutes
Why we love it: Chicken fingers are hands down one of the easiest ways to serve boneless skinless breasts to picky eaters, and this recipe gets them extra crispy—without deep-frying—with a healthy coconut-flake coating. Meanwhile, the inside stays perfectly juicy thanks to an assist from yogurt.
How kids can help: Set up three stations for coating the chicken (a shallow dish of flour, the yogurt mix and the shredded coconut) and let your kid have fun rolling the strips around in each. Yes, it involves touching raw chicken, so teach them to always wash their hands after.
Missing any ingredients? Order desiccated coconut, yogurt, all-purpose flour and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Image source: Bake Eat Repeat
Ready in: 30 minutes
Why we love it: This healthy recipe is very versatile. No peppers or onions on hand? Sub in zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms—even fruit like pineapple or mango. And if you don’t have access to a BBQ, you can always cook them in your oven on a grill pan.
How kids can help: Little hands can help thread the vegetables onto the skewers (just make sure they spread their fingers to avoid getting poked). Use it as a fun way to practice patterns: Pick a different order for the chicken and veggies on each skewer and challenge your child to follow along.
Missing any ingredients? Order dried herbs, bell peppers, red onion and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Image source: theHUB from Walmart.ca
Ready in: 45 minutes
Why we love it: Creamy risotto feels like such an indulgence, yet it gets most of its richness from the rice’s starch being slowly released into the stock as it’s stirred—no heavy cream like you’d need for a similarly decadent pasta dish. Plus, wheat-free rice can be easier to digest for anyone who struggles with gluten.
How kids can help: Risotto is all about frequent stirring and because it’s always done at a controlled simmer, typically, kids from 7 and up can safely help with this task (of course, every child is different so it’s best for you to be the judge and keep a close eye on them).
Missing any ingredients? Order arborio rice, parmesan cheese, garlic and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
4Chicken Fajitas
From Chatelaine
Image source: Erik Putz (Chatelaine)
Ready in: 30 minutes
Why we love it: With fresh flavours and a free pass to eat with your hands, fajita night is synonymous with family fun. We love cooking up the chicken, peppers and onions on the grill in the summer, but you can also sauté them in a pan if you’re stuck inside.
How kids can help: While an adult handles the BBQ portion, kids can work on their dexterity by mashing up the avocado with a fork. Then, they can use spoons and tongs to assemble the fajitas with the cooked ingredients—a great opportunity to call out colours and textures.
Missing any ingredients? Order whole-wheat tortillas, cilantro, avocados and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Image source: theHUB from Walmart.ca
Ready in: 45 minutes
Why we love it: Sheet-pan dinners are a dream because they require little prep and, even better, hardly any clean-up with just one dish to wash. This hearty meal also makes for great leftovers that can be eaten hot or cold.
How kids can help: Have your mini chef assist you in laying out the potatoes and garlic cloves around the chicken before you pop the pan in the oven. While it bakes, your child can help wash the tomatoes, rinse the chickpeas and toss them both in oil.
Missing any ingredients? Order chickpeas, potatoes, broth and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Image source: Crumb
Ready in: 1 hour
Why we love it: This recipe uses a great hack for getting a nice, crisp crust without any fuss: roughly cut a store-bought puff pastry to match the size of your pan, then bake it separately. You’ll combine the two together for the last 10 minutes of cooking to fuse the flavours without any sogginess. Genius.
How kids can help: If you trace the outline of where the puff pastry needs to be trimmed, your child can then go over it with a butter knife to make the cut. Why not add a design while they’re at it?
Missing any ingredients? Order puff pastry, frozen peas, eggs and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Image source: theHUB from Walmart.ca
Ready in: 40 minutes (plus marinating time)
Why we love it: It can be tough to get kids (and adults, to be honest) to enjoy baked chicken breasts, but this recipe replaces the bland taste with subtle sweetness from fruit and maple syrup. It works just as well as a main for dinner as it does tossed into a salad or layered on a sandwich.
How kids can help: This recipe is an easy one for kids to practice measuring and pouring. The marinade’s kid-friendly ingredients (orange juice, maple syrup and lemon juice) are all fun to taste and describe, too.
Missing any ingredients? Order maple syrup, orange juice, lemon juice and more through Walmart.ca Grocery Pickup & Delivery.
Shop Chicken Breast Recipe Ingredients
Article Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
FoodData Central Search Results.
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