25 Comforting Weeknight Recipes That Call for Chicken Broth

From weeknight chicken ramen to Instant Pot chicken and dumplings, these quick and easy meals make good use of a box of broth.

Sometimes you have a half-empty carton of chicken stock (or is it broth?) in the fridge. But if you look at it as a half-full opportunity, it's a nudge to make a saucy or soupy recipe on the fly. Other times, you just need a dinner you can cobble together with pantry ingredients, and that's when your stash of unopened cartons can save the day.

Either way, what ridiculously easy meals can be made with chicken broth? Let’s answer that question with 25 of our favorite dinner recipes from the site!

Read More: Stock vs. Broth: Two Experts Explain the Difference

Creamy Chicken Florentine

Get Recipe: Creamy Chicken Florentine

Chicken, spinach, and mushrooms smothered in a creamy, tasty sauce are hard to resist. Fortunately, it cooks up in 30 minutes so you don't have to resist making it on a weeknight.

Easy Weeknight Chicken Ramen

Get Recipe: Easy Weeknight Chicken Ramen

This recipe should be next to the word easy in the dictionary! It’s practically fuss-free and you’re able to boost store-bought chicken broth with some flavor enhancers and get your bowls on the table in under 30 minutes.

Chop Suey

Get Recipe: Chop Suey

Make this Chinese American classic dish with chicken, plenty of vegetables, and a sauce of low-sodium chicken broth, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. This dish, served over cooked rice, comes together in just about 35 minutes.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

Get Recipe: Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

Here's a weeknight winner that's a breeze to make in a skillet. Deglaze the pan with a splash of chicken broth to make a lemony sauce. Serve heat-and-eat brown rice on the side and grab a salad kit at the store for a super simple, stress-free meal.

Microwave Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Get Recipe: Microwave Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

If you have eggs, half a cup of chicken stock, and a little leftover cooked chicken, you're not far from making this comforting microwave meal, a super-quick version of a dish that's a fixture in Japanese home cooking. Serve with warm rice.

Chicken Piccata Pasta

Get Recipe: Chicken Piccata Pasta

This dish is super approachable and is a favorite amongst adults and kids. It has the best of chicken piccata but in a slightly easier-to-serve preparation. This recipe makes a ton of food, so you’ll have leftovers to freeze! If you’re looking to add just a little more flavor, I suggest adding in some buttery toasted breadcrumbs.

Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Get Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings

When I think of easy weeknights, I automatically think of my Instant Pot. It basically does all the work, is easy to clean up, and has that fix-it-and-forget-it factor that wins us over every time. Now you can have old-fashioned, comforting chicken and dumplings in no time at all!

Sopa Seca de Fideo (Mexican-style Angel Hair Nests)

Get Recipe: Sopa Seca de Fideo (Mexican-Style Angel Hair Nests)

The noodles in this dish absorb all the rich flavors of the chicken broth, making the noodles taste better than anything you’ve ever imagined.

Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Shallots

Get Recipe: Chicken Thighs With Mushrooms and Shallots

Did you know that tarragon adds the best flavor to chicken and mushrooms and really elevates the whole dish? Well, it does! I'd only use a little bit in this recipe, but a little goes a long way. If you want to cut down on the cooking time even more, you can use skin-on chicken breasts.

Balsamic Risotto with Tomatoes and Basil

Get Recipe: Balsamic Risotto with Tomatoes and Basil

If you’re looking to use up a lot of chicken broth, then this is the recipe for you! It uses up four cups and is perfect if you’re looking for something hearty, rich, and flavorful.

One Pot Chicken and Orzo

Get Recipe: One Pot Chicken and Orzo

This dish cooks up in one skillet in about 35 minutes. While it’s incredibly easy to make and uses common household ingredients, the trick to pulling this dish off is to toast the orzo. It adds a warm, toasty, and nutty flavor that can’t be beat!

Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

Get Recipe: Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup

Using store-bought chicken stock is just one of the many shortcuts taken to make this soup easier than easy. Another shortcut? Use rotisserie chicken! Whatever you do, don’t forget the garnishes because they really elevate the dish.

Rotisserie Chicken Stroganoff

Get Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken Stroganoff

This satisfying recipe is easy, especially when you use both store-bought chicken broth and rotisserie chicken (instead of the beef that's used in the traditional recipe). The finished sauce is almost like chicken pot pie filling, but it's served over egg noodles.

Weeknight Chicken Biryani

Get Recipe: Weeknight Chicken Biryani

This stovetop version of the well-known Indian rice dish is made with chicken and seasoned with turmeric and ginger. It can be ready for the table in under an hour!

Quick Chicken Pho

Get Recipe: Quick Chicken Pho

This is another recipe that improves store-bought chicken broth, making homemade pho nice and easy. Simmer the broth with herbs and spices to boost the flavor. It’s a great recipe for those who have never made pho before!

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Get Recipe: Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Recipe Developer Melissa Gray says, "Olive Garden adds roast chicken to the soup. You can take their lead and pick up a roast chicken from the grocery store—that's what I did to develop the recipe."

Moo Goo Gai Pan (Chinese Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry)

Get Recipe: Moo Goo Gai Pan (Chinese Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry)

Our tip for making this dish easy to throw together is to arrange everything next to your skillet in order of when it gets added to the pan. This way, once you start to stir-fry everything, you won’t have to worry about grabbing ingredients or overcooking your chicken while prepping something else.

Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce

Get Recipe: Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce

So simple and so flavorful. Dredge chicken breasts in a little flour, brown them along with apple slices in a little olive oil and add a simple honey mustard sauce. Make the side simple, too, by making rice or buttered noodles.

Skillet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

Get Recipe: Skillet Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

Seared, slightly peppery baby bok choy creates a bed for soy-sauced flavored chicken breasts sprinkled with sesame seeds. Cook up your favorite rice to serve on the side.

Skillet Chicken with Cheesy Orzo and Zucchini

Get Recipe: Skillet Chicken with Cheesy Orzo and Zucchini

Dinner is made in just one skillet. After you're done enjoying the chicken nestled in cheesy orzo studded with fresh zucchini, clean up is easy. Leftovers reheat easily, so pack up what's left to take for lunch at the office the next day.

Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Get Recipe: Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Dinner is on the table in under an hour when you make it in the Instant Pot. Sour cream and heavy cream create a rich creamy sauce for the classic, comforting chicken, rice, and mushrooms.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Get Recipe: Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Is there anyone who likes chicken and doesn't consider chicken pot pie to be one of its most delicious uses? This recipe makes the comfort-food favorite by using rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, and puff pastry. It's on the table in under an hour.

Stracciatella alla Romana

Get Recipe: Stracciatella alla Romana

Sometimes called Italian egg drop soup, this super quick soup—you're slurping it up in 20 minutes—is so simple to make. Swirl Parmesan cheese, panko, spinach and egg into chicken broth. To make it part of a heartier meal, serve it with Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Get Recipe: Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Tender steak, crisp broccoli, and plenty of garlic are the classic ingredients to this stir-fry that's done in 30 minutes. What's chicken broth doing in a beef dish? It's in the stir-fry sauce.

Chicken Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers and Toasted Almonds

Get Recipe: Chicken Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers and Toasted Almonds

This recipe adds a few twists to the chicken salad by adding roasted red peppers and toasted almonds! It’s fantastic served in lettuce cups, on bread for a sandwich, or if you’re feeling a little wild, just eat it plain.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.