January dinners need to do two things at once: hit a protein goal and not feel like a chore after a month of holiday cooking. These are the high protein dinners I actually rotate through, sorted by how much hands on time they need.
Most land between 25 and 40 grams of protein per serving. Start with the slow cooker and meal prep group if you want to cook once and eat off it for a few days, or jump to the skillet section for something in 20 to 30 minutes.
Slow Cooker and Meal Prep Dinners
Load it up once and get two or three meals out of the effort.
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Hasselback Chicken
Chicken breasts sliced hasselback style and stuffed with spinach, feta and sun dried tomato, all roasted on one sheet pan.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder cooked low and slow until it shreds easily, tossed in a smoky homemade barbecue sauce.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
Plain shredded chicken made hands off in the slow cooker, a protein base to build a week of lunches and dinners around.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Air Fryer Ground Beef Meatloaf
A classic meatloaf made in the air fryer for a shorter cook time and a caramelized glaze on top.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
A creamy white chicken chili with beans and green chiles, made completely hands off.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Honey Soy Chicken Bowl (Easy and Quick Meal Prep!)
Chicken thighs in a honey soy glaze over rice, an easy meal prep bowl that reheats well all week.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Sheet Pan, Oven and Air Fryer Dinners
One pan in, one pan out, minimal standing over the stove.
Roasted Chicken Thighs and Vegetables (with BBQ Sauce!)
Chicken thighs and vegetables roasted together on one pan with a tangy barbecue glaze.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Baked Chicken With Cherry Tomatoes
Chicken baked until juicy with burst cherry tomatoes and garlic for a simple pan sauce.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Juicy Air Fryer Beef Meatballs
Beef meatballs cooked in the air fryer until browned outside and juicy in the middle, no frying required.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Juicy Bang Bang Chicken Skewers (Air Fryer, Grill or Oven)
Grilled or air fried chicken skewers tossed in a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Quick Skillet and Stovetop Dinners
On the table in 30 minutes or less on a weeknight.
Creamy Ground Turkey Soup
A creamy, vegetable packed soup built on lean ground turkey, filling enough to be the whole meal.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Swedish Meatballs Recipe
Tender beef meatballs in a rich, creamy gravy, the kind of comfort food that still leans protein heavy.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Chicken Fajitas
Sliced chicken breast seared with peppers and onion for a quick, protein packed dinner.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Easy Ground Beef Street Tacos
Seasoned ground beef piled onto small tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime, ready in under thirty minutes.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Easy Steak Tacos (Steak Fajita Tacos)
Seared steak sliced thin and piled into tortillas with all the usual toppings.
MAKE THE RECIPE
THE BEST QUICK Steak Fajitas
Steak strips and peppers cooked hot and fast for a smoky, restaurant style fajita dinner at home.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet (30 Minute Meal)
Ground beef and shredded cabbage cooked together in one skillet with Tex-Mex spices, a low carb dinner that still fills you up.
MAKE THE RECIPE
EASY Salmon Burger With Sauce
A salmon patty pan seared until crisp and topped with a creamy homemade sauce.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Lemon Butter Chicken
Thin cut chicken breast cooked in a bright lemon butter sauce, ready in about fifteen minutes.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Mediterranean Bowl With Turkey Meatballs
Ground turkey meatballs served over rice or greens with Mediterranean toppings for an easy build your own bowl.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Pan Fried Chicken Thighs Recipe
Bone in chicken thighs seared until the skin is crisp, a simple protein to build any dinner around.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Garlic Butter Shrimp Recipe
Shrimp cooked fast in a garlic butter sauce, on the table in about ten minutes.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
Seasoned ground beef spooned into crisp lettuce cups for a low carb, high protein dinner.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Easy Chicken And Broccoli Recipe
A simple stir fry of chicken and broccoli in a savory sauce, the kind of dinner that comes together from what is already in the fridge.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Tips for Hitting Your Protein Goal at Dinner
- Cook your protein in bulk on Sunday – shred a batch of chicken or brown extra ground beef so two or three dinners this week start half done.
- Weigh or measure protein for the first few nights – after that you can eyeball a portion, but a kitchen scale takes the guesswork out at the start.
- Keep a starch and a vegetable on hand that reheat well – rice, roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli hold up in the fridge better than delicate greens.
- Season the protein before it cooks, not after – salt and spices penetrate better in the pan than sprinkled on a finished plate.
- Build extra servings into whatever you are already making – cooking four chicken breasts instead of two costs almost no extra time and gives you a head start on lunch.
High Protein Dinner Questions
How much protein should a high protein dinner have?
Most of the dinners here land between 25 and 40 grams of protein per serving, a reasonable target for a main meal if you are trying to hit a daily protein goal.
Can I meal prep these for the week?
Yes. The slow cooker and sheet pan options hold up especially well in the fridge for three to four days, and most reheat fine in the microwave.
What if I do not eat pork or beef?
Swap in a chicken or turkey option from this list, or use ground turkey in place of ground beef in any of the skillet or taco recipes.
Pick two or three of these to put into rotation this month. If you want even more options, my 21 High Protein Dinner Recipes roundup has a different set worth a look too.
More High Protein Dinners
A few more from my own kitchen and from theyummybowl.com to round out the list.
Swicy Honey Garlic Wings
Swicy honey garlic wings made in the air fryer, sweet, spicy and sticky with real protein per wing.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Honey Hot Chicken Tenders (Air Fryer)
Honey hot chicken tenders finished in the air fryer, crispy outside with a sweet heat glaze.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Cornflake Crispy Chicken Nuggets (Air Fryer)
Cornflake crusted chicken nuggets made in the air fryer, a protein heavy dinner the whole table eats without complaint.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Homemade Kebab With Ground Meat
Homemade ground meat kebabs seasoned and grilled or pan seared, high in protein and ready in well under an hour.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta
A blended cottage cheese alfredo sauce that packs far more protein than a cream based version, tossed with pasta for a filling dinner.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Photo credit: theyummybowl.com
Hasselback Chicken Primavera
Sliced hasselback chicken breast stuffed with vegetables and cheese, an easy way to fit extra vegetables into a protein dinner.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Photo credit: theyummybowl.com
Sweet Potato Lentil Fritters
A vegetarian, plant based protein dinner option built on lentils and sweet potato, pan fried until crisp at the edges.
MAKE THE RECIPE
Photo credit: theyummybowl.com
More Recipe Collections
- 21 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes by Day
- 19 Make-Ahead Christmas Dinner Recipes
- 13 Thanksgiving Recipes for a Small Gathering
- 21 Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers to Buy Time
See more Recipe Collections →
Comments
No Comments