17 chicken festive recipes

Chili-dusted chicken pieces browned and simmered in a saucy mix of diced tomatoes, green chilies, black olives, and fresh cilantro. Serve over rice for a Southwestern one-skillet meal.

Festive holiday chicken coated in matzo meal and braised in a honey, pineapple-orange marinade with apples, onion, and celery. Finished with a bright honey-lemon-Dijon glaze and fresh pineapple. A natural for Passover.

Bacon-wrapped chicken breasts marinated in soy, garlic, ginger, and hot sauce, then baked low and slow until the bacon crisps and the chicken stays juicy. A holiday-easy main dish.

Sweet and sour chicken stir-fry with pineapple chunks, red bell pepper, water chestnuts, and a tangy ketchup-brown sugar glaze served over crispy chow mein noodles.

Fantastic and can leave ingredients out or subsitute and still fabulous. Excellent for lunches on toasted bagels or crackers for a party. I have made this several times and it is always a hit!!!

Layered chicken nest platter with breaded chicken cutlets, sun-dried tomato rice, beans, and steamed asparagus, peppers, and snow peas over lettuce. A colorful all-in-one dinner.

Homemade white stock made the classical French way: blanched beef, veal, and chicken-feet bones simmered with mirepoix and a sachet of herbs for up to 18 hours. Crystal-clear, gelatin-rich, and the foundation of every great sauce.

Old-fashioned chicken soup simmers a whole chicken with chicken feet, garlic, carrots, celery, and herbs for three hours to extract maximum flavor and collagen. Grandma-style cure-all served over pastina or rice.

Old-school chicken foot soup with sauteed breast meat, carrots, onions, garlic, and herbs simmered in a roux-thickened broth with white wine. Rich, collagen-loaded comfort food served over rice.

Chicken cranberry bake with a sweet-tart sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, orange zest, and fresh cranberries spooned over partially baked chicken breasts. A festive one-dish dinner for fall and winter.

Chinese red-cooked chicken drumsticks with chestnuts braise crispy fried chicken in dark soy sauce, sherry, five-spice, and rock sugar until glossy mahogany. A classic hong shao technique for festive Chinese dining.

Christmas vegetable salad mold: a savory gelatin holiday side built with chicken broth, yogurt, green peppers, radishes, dill, and scallions. Retro festive table presentation, diabetic-friendly.

Enchiladas banderas are chicken enchiladas striped with green salsa verde, white sour cream and red salsa colorado to mirror the Mexican flag. A festive, party-ready presentation built on a from-scratch dried chile sauce.

Chopped chicken liver pate finished with olive oil and traditionally shaped into a fish form for festive holiday tables. Three ingredients, pure smooth liver spread, ready in 30 minutes.

Cranberry-barbecued chicken wings glaze grilled wings in a sweet-tangy sauce of cranberry, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire. Sticky, glossy and festive, a holiday-leaning twist on classic BBQ wings.

This traditional Cajun gumbo, inspired by Queen Ida’s Louisiana roots, combines tender chicken, smoky sausage, and a dark, flavorful roux for a soul-warming dish. The holy trinity of onion, celery, and parsley, along with bold seasonings, creates a complex, spicy broth that’s perfect served over rice. Ideal for family dinners or festive gatherings, this gumbo is a labor of love that rewards with deep, authentic flavors.