12 Very Easy and Cheap Recipes to Cook Homemade and Traditional Chicken Breast

12 Very Easy and Cheap Recipes to Cook Chicken Breast, Homemade, and Traditional 

The New Year 2023 will come in just a few days and many of you will be tired of dieting. In case you want to continue, I propose these recipes with chicken breasts to keep the purpose of eating light (without getting bored with so much grilled breast).

Not all of them are diet recipes, but chicken and turkey meat are meats with very little fat and if we don't abuse the sauces, they can all come in very handy for the days when protein is on the menu.

Baked, in sauce, in quick and easy recipe formats, whole (or filleted), and even in recipes with chopped breast or with stuffed options, simple breasts can be a cheap, quick and tasty option to fix a menu.

1. Super juicy baked breasts

Ingredients For 2 persons

1. Chicken breast 2
2. Warm water 1 liter
3. Salt 75g
4. Extra virgin olive oil 20g
5. Lemon juice 5ml
6. Dijon mustard 30g
7. Ground black pepper a pinch 
8. sweet paprika 2 teaspoons
9. Half a teaspoon hot paprika
10. half a teaspoon ground cumin
11. Half a teaspoon garlic powder
12. How to make super juicy baked chicken breasts

Clean the breasts well, remove the fat and tendons, and dry with kitchen paper. Dissolve the salt in the water in a large container and submerge the breasts, which are completely covered. Let stand in brine for 30 minutes to an hour. If it's hot, better in the fridge. Once the resting time has elapsed, we remove the breasts from the brine. Place in a baking dish, very dry, and spray with extra virgin olive oil. Add the lemon juice, mustard and a pinch of black pepper. Sprinkle with the rest of the spices (both types of paprika, cumin and garlic powder) and rub the breasts on all sides so that they are well covered. We put the dish with the breasts in the oven, preheated to 200ºC with heat above and below, and cook for 25-30 minutes. We flip halfway through cooking so that they are done evenly. Remove from the oven, cut into slices and serve immediately.

2. Frozen Chicken Breast Cooked in 30 Minutes

Chicken is a great ally when we want to maintain a healthy diet since it is low-fat meat, especially when we choose the breast. So much so that I always have frozen breasts at home and with them I can prepare a delicious recipe in less than 30 minutes, from the freezer to the table.

Ingredients: 

1. Frozen chicken breasts, 
2. breadcrumbs, 
3. Parmesan cheese, 
4. crispy onion and 
5. paprika

Preparation: We take the breasts out of the freezer and put the oven to preheat with heat up and down to 220º. In about five to ten minutes, the oven will be ready to do its job. In that time, we are going to prepare the breasts so that they remain at their point. First, we place them in the dish or griddle where we are going to bake them, like this, frozen, straight from the bag. To make them juicy on the inside and with a nice crunchy spice on the outside, we are going to prepare a mixture of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, crispy onion and paprika, which will protect them from baking and at the same time leave them perfectly seasoned. So that it binds well, add a little olive oil to the mixture and stir well. You can use aromatic herbs or any ingredient of your liking. Lightly brush the breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with our seasoning mix and bread mix. You can also choose to give that "varnish" layer with mustard instead of oil, if you like a more powerful flavor. Then, we cover the breasts with the mixture of bread, cheese and spices and press a little with our hands so that it sticks well. We put the breasts in the oven when they are ready to bake and let them cook until the bread coating is golden. Normally frozen breasts need 50% more time than if they were still fresh. In this case, I had them in the oven for 35 minutes. You already know that each house is a world and each oven has its times, but it serves as an orientation. In any case you have to see it in your oven. To be sure that the interior is fine, we check with a probe that the internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken reaches 72º. After letting the breasts rest for about 5 minutes, so that their juices are distributed well inside, we can proceed to cut them into slices, removing four or five from each breast. You will see how both its juicy texture and its crunchy exterior surprise you. And all in just over half an hour, from the moment we take them out of the freezer until we take them to the table.

3. Juicy chicken breasts with lemon and aromatic herbs

Lemon Breasts

You will be delighted with these juicy chicken breasts with lemon and aromatic herbs because after a marinade they cook in a very short time, leaving them especially tasty.

Ingredients: 

1. 3 chicken breasts, 
2. Provencal herbs to taste, 
3. 2 lemons, 
4. 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 
5. 100 ml of white wine, 
6. salt and 
7. pepper to taste.

Preparation: We clean the whole breasts well from the webs and bone remains that they may have and season them with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in a large resealable freezer bag and add 100 ml of oil and 100 ml of white wine. Chop the herbs of our choice -I used basil, parsley and cilantro, but you can use chives, marjoram, sage or whatever you like best- and we also put them in the freezer bag. Finally we cut two lemons into slices and introduce them too. We close the bag, remove the air and massage so that the lemons and herbs are well distributed among the breasts. Before cooking it, we leave the chicken marinating between two and four hours in the fridge, so that all the flavors permeate the breasts. In a pan that can withstand the heat well, add two tablespoons of olive oil and begin to brown the chicken that we removed from the marinade. When we turn the breasts over after about seven minutes, we also add the marinade to the pan and cover with a saucepan lid, allowing the breasts to finish cooking on the inside for another six or seven minutes. This way they will be well cooked, golden on the outside and very juicy on the inside. We take them to the table in the same pan or skillet where we have cooked them to serve them on each plate.

4. Grilled chicken breasts with whiskey and apple sauce

This preparation does not have much mystery, you just have to mix the sauce, marinate and cook the breasts just right.

Ingredients: 

1. Chicken breast, 4, 
2. Soy sauce, 30 ml, 
3. Apple puree or compote, 100 ml, 
4. Shallot, 1, 
5. Grated fresh ginger (one teaspoon), 1, 
6. Large garlic clove, 1,
7.  Extra virgin olive oil , 5 ml, 
8. Whiskey, 30 ml, Barbecue Sauce, 30 ml, 
9. Apple cider vinegar, 15 ml, 
10. Honey, 15 ml, 
11. Cayenne, 1, 
12. Chicken stock or water, 50 ml

Preparation: Let the breasts lose the cold of the fridge a little, dry with kitchen paper and put in a hermetically sealed bag, type of freezing, better individually. Flatten slightly with a meat hammer or rolling pin to soften them and seek a more uniform thickness, being careful not to break the bags. Chop the garlic clove very finely, grate the shallot and also the peeled ginger, until you have about 5 ml. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and lightly beat until smooth. Distribute the sauce in the bags, reserving about 60 ml in another container. Massage the chicken to smear well and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour, better a few more. Discard the marinade from the bags and allow the chicken to warm up a bit. Heat the grill or a good griddle to a good temperature, lightly grease and cook the chicken over high heat on both sides, until it is done. Withdraw and reserve. Heat the marinade that we have saved with 50 ml of broth or water and an extra dash of whisky. Let it simmer until it thickens a bit. Paint the breasts with this sauce and serve.

5. Crispy Breaded Baked Chicken Fillets Crispy Breaded Steak

Frying is lazy and even more so when there are batters involved. You have to have some experience and skill to achieve a healthy and crispy frying that does not turn the kitchen into chaos and the chicken into a greasy sponge. That is why this recipe for baked breaded chicken breasts is so interesting; it may not turn out exactly the same as fried, but the result is more than satisfying.

Ingredients: 

1. 700 g of chicken breast fillets, 
2. 2 eggs, 
3. 200 ml of milk,
4. 10 ml Dijon mustard, 
5. 1 tsp paprika, 
6. 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 
7. 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 
8. 150 g panko or grungy breadcrumbs, 
9. 2-3 tbsp crushed unsweetened toasted corn flakes, 
10. 2 tbsp mashed potato flakes, 
11. 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 
12. ground black pepper, 
13. salt.

Preparation: To make them much more crispy, if the fillets are thick, we can put them in a freezer bag and hit them lightly on a board with a meat hammer or a pestle, taking care not to break the pieces. Beat the eggs in a large, deep bowl with a fork; add the milk, the mustard, the paprika, the cumin, the garlic, and salt and pepper slightly. Beat until you have a homogeneous mixture and introduce the chicken, stirring so that it is well covered. Cover with film and leave in the fridge for at least one hour, better two. Preheat the oven to 200ºC and prepare a large tray, with parchment paper or aluminum painted with oil. Mix the rest of the ingredients in another plate or dish to form a homogeneous batter. Remove the chicken, letting the liquid drain slightly but without drying it out, and coat each piece pressing hard into the batter. Place each piece on the tray and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn each fillet with tongs, being careful not to burn ourselves, after 15 minutes. We can give a gratin blow by raising the tray in the last minutes, so that it browns more.

6. Chicken breasts with peanut sauce

If you don't abuse the sauce, you can eat this chicken recipe with peanut sauce and enjoy its flavor. Of course, do not include this among the diet recipes, but as a maintenance or reward recipe on a day that you have done or plan to do a lot of exercise.

Ingredients: 

1. 2 raw chicken breasts, 
2. 1/2 zucchini, 
3. a dessert spoon of blend of oriental spices (turmeric, cardamom, curry powder and cumin), 
4. a handful of peanuts, 
5. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 
6. 200 ml of coconut milk or, failing that, of evaporated milk

Preparation: We start the recipe by cleaning the chicken breasts well of fat and webs and when we have them clean we cut them into slices or medium-sized cubes. We put a frying pan on the fire and when it is hot we add two or three tablespoons of olive oil. Cut the zucchini into very thin slices. When the pan is very hot, we sauté the chicken with the spices, the zucchini and the handful of peanuts in it until the chicken slices have changed color and the zucchini are flexible. At that moment, we incorporate the two tablespoons of peanut butter, which you will find without difficulty in the supermarket. With a spoon, we are stirring well until all the slices of chicken breast are well impregnated with the peanut butter and at that moment we add the coconut milk and let it cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thick and tasty . You can also use evaporated milk or liquid cream. We test from time to time to see if a little salt needs to be added. After about ten minutes the sauce will be at its point, and the breasts will be ready to take to the table. You can transfer them to an earthenware dish so that they can withstand the heat well and serve with naan bread and some cooked basmati rice as a garnish.

7. Spicy Lemon Chicken Breasts
lemon chicken

The idea of this recipe for spicy lemon breasts is to save us from the previous marinade that tastes so good to the chicken, to have the dish ready in half an hour. To do this, the meat is first cooked over high heat on the griddle, marking it on both sides, and then water is added, covering it, to finish cooking by creating humidity inside. It is "marinated" later, adding the lemon sauce when removing from the heat.

Ingredients: 

1. 4 small chicken breasts, 
2. 4 slices of bread, 
3. 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 
4. 60 ml of lemon juice, 
5. 1 lemon zest, 
6. 1 very finely grated garlic clove, 
7. 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 
8. 1 teaspoon chili flakes, 
9. romaine lettuce to taste, 
10. ground black pepper and 
11. salt.

Preparation: If possible, take the chicken out of the fridge for a few minutes to warm up and dry with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 190ºC, wash the lemons (we will need 1 or 2, depending on the size), squeeze the juice and reserve one to grate the fine skin. Grate or finely chop the garlic. Wash and dry the lettuce. Place the slices of bread (this recipe is perfect to take advantage of a mediocre loaf and something stale)In a dish, paint with two tablespoons of oil, salt lightly and bake for 10-15 minutes, turning them halfway through. They should be very golden and crisp, without burning. In a bowl, whisk three tablespoons of the remaining oil with the lemon juice, zest, oregano, garlic, chili flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reserve. Heat a good frying pan or skillet type with the remaining oil, season the chicken and brown over medium-high heat until golden on both sides, turning them only once; it will be about 5-7 minutes for each side. Add 60 ml of water, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Check that it is not still raw inside with a small cut or a meat thermometer and remove.

8. Chicken breasts all'Arrabbiata

This recipe asks us to make an effort not to overdo it with the sauce, -which by the way is delicious- or at least not to dip the bread so as not to trigger the caloric intake. With a few slices of chicken and a bit of sauce without bread, it's enough to feel full, thanks to the spicy touch.

Ingredients: 

1. A whole chicken breast, 
2. 1 green pepper, 
3. 1 garlic clove, 
4. 1 chilli pepper, 
5. 150 ml of white wine, 
6. 2 tablespoons of tomato concentrate, 
7. 450 g of peeled and seedless tomatoes, 
8. salt, 
9. pepper and 
10. virgin olive oil extra

Preparation: We start by preparing the chicken, which we cut into thick strips. Fry the chicken slices over high heat until golden brown on the outside and set them aside while you prepare the spicy tomato sauce. In the same frying pan where we have browned the chicken, adding a little more olive oil, fry the garlic and the very chopped peppers. Cut the tomatoes and transfer them to the pan and let everything poach until the tomatoes practically fall apart. Then we add the white wine and the chillies and let it reduce. When it starts to thicken, we add the tomato concentrate and taste to see if it is spicy enough or if we need to add more chili pepper or more garlic. When the sauce is to our liking, we return the chicken pieces to the pan and let the whole cook for about ten minutes so that the chicken pieces take on all the flavor and remain juicy. Decorate with some aromatic herbs and bring to the table in the same pan where we cooked it.

9. Hasselback Caprese Chicken Breasts

The theory is very simple: apply the hasselback potato technique to chicken breasts with the flavors of caprese salad. That is, we introduce the mozzarella, tomato and basil in small parallel cuts along the length of the meat, completely eliminating the idea that chicken breast is bland or boring.

Ingredients: 

1. Chicken breast not very large, 2, 
2. Fresh Mozzarella (buffalo), 1, 
3. Tomato, 2, 
4. Fresh Basil (approximately), 6, 
5. Granulated garlic, 
6. salt and 
7. pepper to taste

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 190ºC and prepare a tray or suitable baking dish. Dry the chicken breasts with kitchen paper and remove any traces of fat or skin. With a very sharp knife, make parallel cuts approximately 3-4 cm apart, without completely going through the meat. Place the breasts on the tray, water with a generous thread of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add granulated garlic to taste. Cut the washed tomatoes into slices that can fit well into the cuts. It is preferable to use hard tomatoes, so that they can better withstand cooking. Also cut the drained mozzarella into slices. The cheese is going to melt in the oven and can be a bit ugly. That's why I cut the bases of each slice, removing strips, to bake the chicken with them first, leaving the largest pieces for last. You can save yourself the step by placing the whole mozzarella directly. Introduce slices of tomato and cheese alternating them in the cuts. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. If we have reserved the mozzarella, fill the melted cheese holes with the slices and return to the oven for a few minutes so that it begins to melt. Add a few washed fresh basil leaves to each slice and serve with an extra hit of black pepper, if desired.

10. Juicy Japanese Spiced Lime Chicken Breasts

The intense flavor of the lime juice and the scratching of its skin will provide an unforgettable citrus touch to this dish of grilled chicken breasts, which after marinating will be surprisingly tasty and juicy.

Ingredients: 

1. Chicken breast, 2, 
2. Lima, 2, 
3. Shichimi togarashi spices to taste, 
4. Extra virgin olive oil for grilling, 
5. Tomatocherry for garnish and 
6. Lettuce for garnish

Preparation: To make them look juicy, I recommend that you cut the chicken breast medallions yourself. Instead of buying breast fillets that are cut lengthwise, buy the whole breast and cut the fillets a bit on the bias and you'll find that they're much juicier, especially if you don't cut them too thin. Grate the zest of the limes and sprinkle it generously over the breasts spread out on a plate. We also add the juice of one of the limes on the breasts. Cover with a kitchen film and let it macerate for about an hour. Ready to cook on the grill or griddle. We heat the grill well before adding any oil. When it is already very hot, we add a few drops of oil and spread them with a silicone brush. We put the well-drained chicken slices on the grill and season them with a pinch of salt and the Japanese spices Sichimi Togarashi, a mixture of seven spices with a very pleasant spicy flavor. Cook the breasts for two minutes on each side and transfer them to a source. We serve with some lettuce leaves and some pieces of the other lime that will serve to dress the lettuce. If you want more color, add some assorted cherry tomatoes.

11. Glazed Chicken Breasts with Teriyaki Sauce and Pineapple

On this occasion we are not going to use the teriyaki sauce commercially prepared or homemade that I had already taught you to make on another occasion, but we simply add its particular flavor thanks to the union of three ingredients with which we form a very easy mix.

Ingredients: 

1. Chicken breast 4,
2. Sunflower oil 30 ml, 
3. Water 30 ml, 
4. Fresh ginger 30 g,
5. Honey 30 g, 
6. Rice vinegar 30 ml, 
7. Sauce soy 30 ml, 
8. Natural pineapple 150 g

Preparation: We will begin by heating the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the chicken breasts and cook them on both sides for four minutes, increase the power of the fire and add the water, let the chicken cook for another six minutes. While the meat is cooking, we chop the fresh ginger into pieces and put it in a blender glass, crush it with the blades, and add on top, the pineapple in pieces, the soy sauce, the rice vinegar and the honey, Blend again until a thick sauce is formed. Reduce the heat and pour the sauce over the meat and bring to a boil. We are turning the meat in the sauce so that it is impregnated on all sides, and we cook until the sauce begins to take on the appearance of glaze. We serve very hot.

12. Spicy grilled chicken breasts

In this recipe for spicy grilled chicken breasts, the chilies are the main protagonists, with which we get a lot of flavors.

Ingredients: 

1. 4-6 chicken breast fillets, 
2. 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 
3. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 
4. 4 chilies, 
5. 2 garlic cloves, 
6. 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 
7. 1 teaspoon paprika, 
8. 2 lemons, 
9. black pepper, 
10. salt, 
11. 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 
12. pepper.

Preparation: Lightly dry the chicken breasts and remove any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper and thyme. In a bowl, whisk together the juice of 1 lemon, the Worcestershire sauce, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour over the meat, cover, and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and brown the chilies with the peeled garlic cloves. Remove when they take on color and let cool. Peel the chilies, discarding the seeds, and chop. Blend them with the garlic cloves, the vinegar, the paprika, the juice of the other lemon and the remaining oil, adding the oil from the frying pan, until a homogeneous sauce is obtained. Heat a griddle or grill and mark the chicken breasts. Add the sauce a little at a time while the meat is cooking at a high temperature until it is well done but without drying out. Serve immediately.