Dinner can get pretty monotonous, especially when your fridge is serving up nothing but the same old suspects. When everything in your fridge feels as exciting as a Monday morning, it’s time to get creative. These dinner recipes are for those nights when inspiration is running low, and the thought of cooking feels more like a chore than a joy.
Chicken Lime Soup
This chicken lime soup is where chicken noodle meets chicken tortilla, minus the noodles and with a kick. Perfect for those days when your fridge looks like a sad wasteland.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Lime Soup
Gochujang Chicken
A 30-minute miracle. Sticky, spicy, and just sweet enough to make you forget about the takeout menu. Serve it over white rice, and dinner’s done.
Get the Recipe: Gochujang Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Ditch the delivery. This slow cooker honey garlic chicken, with its sticky, sweet sauce and pineapple bits, will make you wonder why you ever bothered with takeout.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
Chicken Apple Cheddar Chili
Who said chili had to be boring? This creamy chicken, apple, and cheddar combo is non-traditional, but when you’re sick of the usual, it’s the perfect fall fix.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Apple Cheddar Chili
Buffalo Chicken Orzo Soup
Love buffalo wings? This cheesy, spicy buffalo chicken soup with orzo is your new obsession. Plus, it’s ready in 30 minutes, so you can get back to pretending to care about what’s on TV.
Get the Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Orzo Soup
Instant Pot Coconut Pork
This Instant Pot coconut pork is what happens when you throw a bunch of spices in a pot and magic happens. Serve it over turmeric ginger rice for a meal that’s as easy as it is flavorful.
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Coconut Pork
Marinated Chicken Wings
Sweet, salty, sticky – these wings have it all. Forget buffalo sauce; these are the wings you’ll crave when you’re done with everything else in the fridge.
Get the Recipe: Marinated Chicken Wings
Thai Red Curry Soup
Quick, simple, and way better than the soggy noodles from your local takeout place. This Thai red curry soup is ready in 25 minutes, customizable, and hits the spot.
Get the Recipe: Thai Red Curry Soup
Brown Butter Shrimp and Orzo
Brown butter shrimp meets creamy orzo, corn, and tomatoes in this dish that screams summer date night. Too fancy? Nah, just delicious and easy.
Get the Recipe: Brown Butter Shrimp and Orzo
Coconut Lime Baked Chicken
This coconut lime baked chicken, paired with mango sticky rice, brings the tropics to your table. Because you need something that actually tastes fresh.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Lime Baked Chicken
Easy Creamy Stroganoff
A classic stroganoff, minus the dairy guilt. This version swaps sour cream for coconut yogurt, giving you a rich, comforting meal without the usual suspects.
Get the Recipe: Easy Creamy Stroganoff
Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
Hawaiian chicken stuffed with ham, pineapple, and melty cheese. Add a sticky teriyaki glaze, and you’ve got a dinner that might just make you forget you’re stuck at home.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Hawaiian Chicken
Indian Chicken Burgers
Move over beef – these Indian chicken burgers with cucumber slaw bring a refreshing kick to your grill game. You won’t even miss the cow.
Get the Recipe: Indian Chicken Burgers
Reuben Strip Steak
Take a reuben sandwich, swap in a steak, and you’ve got this dish. Swiss, Russian dressing, sauerkraut – it’s all here, just piled on something better.
Get the Recipe: Reuben Strip Steak
Spicy Bacon Chickpea Burgers
Tired of the same old burgers? These spicy bacon chickpea patties mix things up in the best way possible.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Bacon Chickpea Burgers
Sweet & Spicy Indian Chicken
This Indian chicken, marinated in yogurt and spices, finished with a sticky maple glaze, will have you ditching boring dinners for good.
Get the Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Indian Chicken
Bison and Cheddar Cauliflower Steaks
Cauliflower steaks topped with bison, cheddar, and a mushroom-leek sauté. Hearty enough to make you forget it’s just veggies underneath.
Get the Recipe: Bison and Cheddar Cauliflower Steaks
Maple Miso Chicken
Simple, sweet, and savory. This miso chicken, with its buttery glaze, bakes to a sticky perfection that’s better than any takeout order.
Get the Recipe: Maple Miso Chicken
Stuffed Chicken Marsala
A twist on the classic marsala, stuffed with mozzarella, tomato butter, and basil. The kind of dish that makes you forget about the rest of the fridge.
Get the Recipe: Stuffed Chicken Marsala
Sweet & Sour Tofu
A crispy tofu dish in under 30 minutes, with a sticky sweet and sour sauce that’s as good as your favorite Chinese takeout, minus the delivery fee.
Get the Recipe: Sweet & Sour Tofu
Pesto Pasta alla Trapanese
Fresh tomatoes, nuts, and basil whipped into a quick pesto and tossed with pasta. A summer meal that’s as simple as it is refreshing.
Get the Recipe: Pesto Pasta alla Trapanese
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
