Just one can of tomatoes can transform a basic chicken noodle soup into something so much more.

Stuff red bell peppers with a creamy orzo and rotisserie chicken for an easy, hearty dinner.

Creamy, sun-dried tomato chicken meets four cheeses in this decadent stuffed shell casserole.

For restaurant-quality pasta at home, learning to use pasta cooking liquid to finish the sauce is essential—the dissolved starch in the water thickens the sauce while suspending the fat in a cream emulsion that clings to the noodles. For the best result, we love artisanal pastas like Pastaio Via Corta, Rustichella d’Abruzzo, Martelli, and Seggiano Organic. Each of these companies extrudes their pastas through bronze dies and makes their doughs from 100 percent durum semolina wheat, creating a rougher texture that helps the sauce cling to the noodle. Using store-bought chicken liver mousse makes this recipe quick without sacrificing flavor.

Blecs are handrolled pasta made from a mixture of wheat and buckwheat flours, that have a dumpling-like texture when cooked. Buckwheat flour is naturally gluten-free, resulting in a delicate pasta dough that stretches a little more than standard egg pasta when rolling. For a less intense buckwheat flavor, choose light buckwheat flour.

This simple lemon orzo chicken dinner is one of Nigella Lawson's favorite meals to cook at home.

This pasta dish from Utica, New York, is made with chicken, rigatoni, and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy tomato cream sauce. We used some of the brine from the jarred pickled peppers to marinate the chicken, and more to lend its punchy heat to the tomato sauce; the cream in the sauce tempers the heat of the peppers. If you have the time and patience, cover the pot of pasta with a lid and let the flavor meld for three minutes before eating.

Lan Samantha Chang's family adds even more savory flavor to their favorite lo mein recipe with dried shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Baking the noodles with the mushroom soaking liquid and soy sauce infuses them with rich flavor, complemented by the stir-fried chicken, eggs, and celery that complete the dish.

Toss store-bought cheese tortellini with rich, creamy Alfredo sauce and chicken for this easy yet special dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.

For her lovely riff on classic chicken cordon bleu, Marcia Kiesel replaces the heavy ham-and-Swiss-cheese filling with creamy havarti and thyme. Instead of weighing down the cutlets with thick breading, she sautés them in a light flour-and-egg coating.

Chef Way At Emeril's in New Orleans, chef David Slater glazes chicken breasts with maple syrup, sherry vinegar and orange juice infused with anise and other spices. Then he serves them with a confited chicken leg, caramelized root vegetables, braised kale and crisp Benton's bacon.Easy Way Glaze the chicken breasts with a sweet-tangy blend of syrup and vinegar and skip the confited leg and root vegetables.

Shredded chicken breasts and chewy hominy mingle in a boldly flavored blend of pureed tomatillos, cilantro, and chiles for this cozy pozole.

Top Chef winner Buddha Lo shares this family recipe for Chicken and Shrimp Laksa, a refreshing and brothy noodle dish popular throughout Southeast Asia. Lo's homemade laksa paste — made with fresh lemongrass, pungent shrimp paste, and nutty peanuts — forms the base of this fragrant noodle dish, while coconut cream adds a velvety mouthfeel to the aromatic broth. Top it with poached shrimp and chicken, fresh herbs, and fried shallots, and slurp with joy.

Chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry uses panko breadcrumbs to give chicken a crunchy crust.

This fast, easy method of cooking chicken is the fastest, easiest dinner you’ll cook all week.

Homemade chicken cutlets and tomato sauce makes this hero a cut above the rest.

For this version of the Roman classic, pounded chicken cutlets topped with prosciutto and sage leaves are pan-seared, then served in a simple white wine-butter sauce.

This quick version of the Italian-American classic gets an extra touch from the sautéed radishes on top.

In these decadent fried chicken sandwiches from Hakim Sulaimani, proprietor of Yafa Cafe in Brooklyn, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are infused with golden color and warming flavors from a buttermilk brine seasoned with hawaij, a Yemeni spice mixture usually consisting of cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, and coriander. Nutmeg in the crunchy panko coating for the fried chicken further spices up the sandwich, as does the slightly smoky adobo chile and plum sauce. Fresh coleslaw and pickles add a crisp bite and a subtle vinegary punch.

This simple white wine pan sauce enriched with créme fraîche and a generous handful of tender fresh herbs turns pan-roasted chicken breasts into a special meal.

Cookbook author Molly Stevens fillets chicken breast for crispy grown-up chicken nuggets dredged in panko and fried in olive oil and butter.

A quick poach in spice-infused, smoked black tea gives chicken breasts a stunning golden color and juicy, bold flavor.

A French classic that never seems to go out of style, this dish combines mushrooms and chicken in a tomato and white wine sauce.

For a weeknight chicken dinner that’s perfect for fall, try these tender chicken breasts with a sweet-savory pan sauce and tart, crunchy slaw.

Breaded with sesame seeds and flakey panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch, these crispy chicken cutlets will become a weeknight or weekend favorite.

Lemon pepper seasoning, garlic, and butter coat chunks of chicken in this fast and easy recipe

For the best chicken breast, buy bone-in and then debone the chicken breast at home, says food stylist and cookbook author Susan Spungen. To debone a chicken breast, use a small knife to separate the meat from the bone at the narrow part where the ribs are, scraping the knife against the bone to waste as little meat as possible. While bones keep chicken moist, two other factors are more important for juicy chicken: keeping the skin on and not overcooking. Skin also provides a handy vehicle for stuffing, which adds fat and flavor—in this case, from salty olives, serrano ham, garlic, and herbs. To ensure that the stuffed breasts stay juicy, pull them out of the oven when an instant-read thermometer reaches 155°F; it will carry over to 160°F as the chicken rests. Serve the chicken breasts when they're fresh from the oven with golden, crispy skin, with a generous spoonful of the garlicky pan juices.

This decadent riff on the classic Italian-American dish is served with a luscious sun-dried tomato cream sauce.

A combo of grilled and quick-pickled tomatoes adds double tomato flavor to this iconic summer salad.

This weeknight-friendly chicken dish boasts a sauce of butter, wine and garlic and is topped with capers fried with parsley, crushed red pepper, and lemon zest.

Juicy grilled chicken breasts, crunchy spring veggies, and a tangy tahini dressing combine for this satisfying salad.

Bake chicken breasts, burst cherry tomatoes, and salty feta on a single sheet tray for a hassle-free, flavorful meal.

Tuck a creamy spinach and artichoke filling into chicken breasts for an easy elegant dinner.

For this easy version of chicken Kiev, we skip the pounding and rolling in favor a tucking a quick compound butter into chicken breast halves.

For this Hainanese chicken recipe, a whole chicken is poached with scallions and ginger, then sliced and served with garlicky rice and two bold dipping sauces.

The rice in this casserole filling is cooked until it starts to fall apart, thickening the liquid.

This comforting one-pot meal features tender chicken cooked with fragrant jasmine rice, fresh ginger, garlic, and scallions—all in a rice cooker. Simple, flavorful, and perfect for a quick and nourishing weeknight dinner.

Prepared and served in a casserole or Dutch oven, this one-pot chicken dinner comes together quickly on the stovetop.

Chef way For this spicy, soothing and restorative chicken-and-rice soup, Ratha Chau prepares his own delectable chicken stock and roasts a chicken, which is then cut into large pieces and added to it. Easy way Using prepared stock and pre-roasted chicken significantly cuts back on prep time.

Chef Asha Gomez calls her chicken pilaf a "one-dish wonder." You can swap out the spices, adding a little cinnamon or ginger in place of the star anise.

Medium-grain Spanish rice, such as Valencia, is naturally creamy, so it nicely absorbs the flavors of this classic Spanish dish.

Using a family recipe, chef Jose Enrique makes this chicken-and-rice recipe with what seems like too much stock, wine and pilsner, but the result is especially moist. Use short-grain rice like Bomba, which absorbs liquid well.

Valerie Luu’s cousin swears by the ginger chicken sold by his favorite xoi ga street hawker in the Vietnamese city of Can Tho. After tasting it themselves on a scouting trip, Luu and Katie Kwan created their own version.

This easy version of gumbo is made with store-bought rotisserie chicken, andouille sausage links, canned chicken broth, and jerk seasoning.

Luscious is the word for this Indonesian version of chicken and rice. Coconut milk spiced with cumin and coriander cooks into the rice and sauces the whole dish

Erick Harcey, one of Minneapolis’ most celebrated chefs, serves this braised chicken with his supreme riff on Rice-A-Roni. Tart Granny Smith apples and cider vinegar not only tenderize the chicken thighs but also act as the base for the incredible sauce.

For her sublime version of everyday chicken and rice, Marcia Kiesel coats chicken legs in chili powder and cooks rice with sofrito—a Spanish mixture of chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper. She bakes everything together in a skillet so that the delectable chicken juices flavor the rice, then broils the dish at the last minute to turn the chicken skin enticingly brown.

Charles Phan stir-fries chicken until it's deeply golden, then cooks the aromatics and sauces separately before combining everything in the wok to meld the flavors.

Rich, warm, and well-balanced, this chicken mole recipe employs five types of chiles to add deep layers of heat, fruitiness, sweetness, and smokiness.

This South Asian dish is perfect for a dinner party or celebration meal.

This velvety lemony soup with rice and hearty chunks of shredded chicken is a satisfying dish for any time of year.

This Thai street food features rice cooked with flavorful chicken fat, ginger, and garlic, then served with chicken, cucumber, and a refreshing broth.