Chicken breast recipes for one: three dinners, one pack
Chicken breast is sold for families. One pack is several portions, and most recipes for it serve four.
Here are three dinners for one from the 3Onions app, each sized for one person, so the pack goes into three different dinners instead of one dish four nights running. Buying a bigger pack? Portion and freeze it the day you bring it home.
Three dinners that use it up
Chicken breast is in all three. Shop once, cook it three ways. Anything left goes into next week’s plan first.
30 min · uses ½ lb chicken breast
Chicken noodle soup
Ingredients and steps
Ingredients for one
½ lb chicken breast
2 oz noodles
1 carrot
2 cups chicken broth
From your pantry: salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning
Steps
Prep chicken and carrot. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and slice the carrot into thin coins.
Simmer the soup. Bring the broth to a simmer in a pot with a pinch of Italian seasoning. Add the chicken and carrot and simmer gently 10–12 minutes, until the chicken is firm and 165°F and the carrot is tender.
Add the noodles. Stir them in and simmer 6–8 minutes, until tender.
Season to taste. Add salt and black pepper until the broth tastes right, then ladle it into a bowl.
30 min · uses ½ lb chicken breast
Chicken parmesan
Ingredients and steps
Ingredients for one
½ lb chicken breast
½ cup marinara
¼ cup mozzarella
3 oz pasta
From your pantry: salt, black pepper, oil, Italian seasoning
Steps
Put the pasta on. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until tender with a little bite, then drain.
Sear the chicken. Meanwhile, slice the chicken in half horizontally into two cutlets. Season with salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning, then sear in a little oil over medium-high, 3–4 minutes a side, until golden.
Sauce and melt. Turn the heat to low. Spoon the marinara over and around the chicken and top with the mozzarella. Cover and cook 3–4 minutes, until the cheese melts and the chicken reaches 165°F.
Serve over pasta. Lay the chicken on the pasta and spoon the extra sauce over the top.
20 min · uses ½ lb chicken breast
Chicken salad sandwich
Ingredients and steps
Ingredients for one
½ lb chicken breast
2 slices bread
1 stalk celery
2 tbsp mayonnaise
From your pantry: salt, black pepper, oil
Steps
Dice the celery. Chop it fine before the raw chicken touches the board, then set it aside.
Cook the chicken. Slice the chicken in half horizontally so it cooks fast. Season with salt and black pepper and cook in a little oil over medium-high, 4–5 minutes a side, until golden and 165°F inside.
Cool and chop. Let it rest and cool on a plate for 5 minutes, then chop it small on a clean board.
Mix and build. Mix the chicken with the celery, mayonnaise and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Pile it onto one slice of bread and top with the other. Toast the bread first if you like crunch.
How to store chicken breast
Raw chicken breast keeps one to two days in the fridge. Anything you won't cook by then belongs in the freezer, portioned and laid flat, ideally the day you buy it.
FAQ
How much chicken breast is one serving?
Most dinners for one use about a quarter to half a pound of raw chicken breast. Each dinner on this page lists its own amount.
Can you freeze cooked chicken breast?
Yes. Cool it, slice or shred it, and freeze it in single portions. It's ready for wraps, soups and salads straight from a quick thaw.
What's the best way to thaw frozen chicken breast?
Overnight in the fridge, on a plate. It cooks more evenly than chicken thawed on the counter, and it's safer.
