Looking for something easy, hearty and delicious to feed your people? Look no further than our list of 27 Friday Night Dinner Ideas for fun food inspiration!
After making it through another long week, the last thing you want to do is come up with Friday Night Dinner Ideas.
You deserve to reward yourself for the work or school week you’ve endured and get the weekend started on a good (and delicious) note!
If you’re having a date night in, try out the Chicken Fajitas or the Bulgogi Korean BBQ.
If you just want to relax while you sit down and start on your weekly TV binging, check out the One-Pot Chicken Goulash or even Ta-Cones.
Whatever you are looking for in your Friday night dinner recipes, there’s sure to be something to satisfy your belly on this extensive list of 27 recipes!
Preparing a tasty and nutritious dinner in under 30 minutes is not an unreasonable goal.
Especially after a long work week, you don’t want to spend yet another night in the kitchen to put a hot meal on your table.
This maple glazed salmon will be your new favorite solution for a quick Friday night dinner recipe.
The maple glaze is such an easy way to take your salmon to the next level.
And when you combine stove-top cooking with oven baking, you get such a crisp-tender salmon filet.
Check out this epic list of sides to go with.
Nachos are such great, easy Friday night dinners.
This recipe uses just one pan so after the family gathers around to enjoy their dinner, you can get your relaxing started early rather than scrub the dishes in the sink all night.
You can even get the kids involved with preparing this since it’s literally just throwing together your favorite nacho ingredients and tossing it in the oven!
And not too hard to reheat the next day either!
On a Friday night, the last thing on your mind may be putting a hot meal on the table.
This Italian skillet chicken recipe will come to your rescue!
You can even make your own tomato sauce to elevate the flavors of the chicken to the next level.
You can serve this chicken on top of pasta or alongside a salad but no matter how you serve it, this will be one of your new favorite Friday night dinner recipes for treating yourself after a long week.
There is a lot of debate on whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza.
Our response: If it tastes as good as this recipe, it definitely belongs on a pizza!
Skip the pizza shop and try out this pizza as a new addition to your Friday night dinner recipes.
It’s not traditional, but add some arugula to this pizza and you’ll be all for pineapple on pizzas!
Nothing is worse than planning out delicious dinners but then your Friday dinner ideas get ruined by a recipe that is too complicated to follow.
That is not going to be the case with this easy to follow chicken cordon bleu recipe.
You’re guaranteed to have a delicious dinner on your table with such a pleasing mixture of textures and flavors.
If you have an instant pot, your Friday night dinners become easy Friday night dinners.
Cooking short ribs may sound like a lot of work, but the instant pot takes a lot of the effort out of cooking.
You can even use a slow cooker and set it for 8 hours so that once you come home from work, you have a delicious dinner ready for you!
Polenta makes a great unique side for short ribs.
Simple Friday night dinner ideas do not have to mean basic or bland.
These BBQ chicken tostadas are so simple yet so tasty.
With four ingredients and 20 minutes, your family will love starting their weekend off with these tostadas.
Tuesdays are NOT the only days you can enjoy tacos or burritos.
This burrito bowl is perfect for easy Friday night dinners when you’re craving something that tastes a little South of the border.
This combines hot and fresh ingredients and so much flavor that all mix together so well.
All of your favorite taco and burrito toppings can be tossed together in one pan for a delicious meal.
And add a side or two to make it hearty!
Pizza is never a bad idea when it comes to Friday dinner ideas.
But we can make it more fun by turning it into a little pizza pocket, especially if the crust is your favorite part of pizza!
This tried-and-true recipe makes a marinara that will blow your mind—in unexpected ways!
Even if you don’t want to go through the work of preparing this every week, you can make a bunch, freeze it, and warm it up when you want an easy but comforting meal for your Friday night.
Chicken fingers are always a favorite dish, no matter your age.
If you turn your traditional chicken fingers into pretzel crusted chicken fingers, you’ll never turn back to classic tenders.
These tenders are perfect to explore for the next time you’re looking for easy Friday night dinners where you want to just sit in front of the TV and wind down.
If you want, you can dip these in cheese sauce, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, or whatever sauces you like!
If you’re telling me that you can make a less guilty version of a deep fried burrito, I’m sold!
It’s so hard to decide between enjoying delicious comfort food and eating what we know is good for us, but luckily this baked chimichanga recipe helps find a nice balance between the two.
Even though this recipe doesn’t call for frying, baking it in the oven still gives you a nice crispy tortilla.
You can definitely skip the oil when preparing chimichangas without missing the crunch or the taste with your Friday night dinner recipes.
Add a pico de gallo for a fuller flavor on the side!
Before trying bulgogi, you may think that trying beef that’s tossed in a sweet and sour marinade is not appealing.
But give this recipe a try and your mind will be blown!
There’s a reason that this is one of the most popular Korean dishes!
No more venturing out to a Korean BBQ restaurant on a busy Friday night once you have tried one of the most delicious Friday night dinner recipes!
Having quick Friday night dinner recipes that can be ready in 30 minutes is how you start your relaxing weekend.
And if you can make your dinner out of common pantry ingredients, that makes it even better!
If you’re preparing dinner for a group that doesn’t like spice but wants some barbecue for dinner, this recipe is perfect for you!
There is a touch of sweetness from the brown sugar used in the sauce but oh boy, it works so well!
And here is our list of wonderful sides that go great with Sloppy Joes!
Comfort food isn’t always fried and unhealthy; sometimes it’s a fresh salad that is balanced and colorful and makes you feel good!
One of the great things about this recipe is how little cooking is involved!
Besides grilling the chicken, you can just toss your favorite vegetables together and pour your dressing and you have a light yet flavorful quick Friday night dinner recipe that you will love!
If grilled chicken doesn’t sound appetizing, switch it out for grilled steak or shrimp.
Make it however sounds most delicious to you!
Bonus: This recipe is for a mayo-plus fruit-and-nut rotisserie chicken salad!
Did you know that Italian strombolis are not as hard as they may seem?
These are very similar to calzones but with some important differences!
Strombolis are like Italian burritos that have been sealed and cut.
Plus, these Italian appetizers will round out a stromboli meal. Mangia!
16. Chicken Teriyaki
When it’s Friday night and you don’t know what to have for dinner, what do you do?
If you say you look for a takeout menu and order in, you’re going to reevaluate once you try this chicken teriyaki recipe.
It will save you money and is just as easy as ordering in.
It’s such a stress free way to prepare a hot and quick Friday night dinner recipe so you can get back to spending time with family or winding down from the week.
17. Butter Burger
Friday night dinner recipes are a great chance to indulge in yourself.
This recipe for butter burgers is cooked on the stove so you don’t have to bother with setting up your outdoor grill.
Not to mention it is incredibly tasty with the butter used to cook the onions and the buns.
With a side of fries, nothing beats a delicious burger for your Friday night meal!
Whether there’s a big game on TV, you want to wind down and watch a movie, or you’re just craving wings, these oven baked BBQ wings need to be added to your lineup for Friday night dinner recipes.
With the right mixture of spices and your own version of honey BBQ sauce, you will have a tasty dinner that you can enjoy without putting too much work in the kitchen.
Don’t forget to include the blue cheese dip or ranch to dip the wings in.
A side of fries, a side salad, or cut veggies also go great with these wings!
By the time it’s Friday, we are all ready to celebrate the weekend’s arrival.
Start the celebration with a delicious and quick Friday night dinner recipe, like this chicken parmesan!
It’s really so low-effort and tastes so great with the crispy breading and the melty cheese on top.
Serve it on top of your favorite pasta (or any of these other sides) and you’ll be ready to start celebrating the weekend!
Make leftovers sing with these tips for reheating.
20. Chicken Fajitas
At Mexican restaurants, ordering fajitas is always a good call, especially when they come out of the kitchen sizzling and fresh.
Making it yourself is way better, especially if you’re looking to enjoy easy Friday night dinners in the comfort of your own home.
The chicken and fajita veggies are definitely an important part of the meal, but you can’t forget about all of the toppings like guacamole, salsa, cheese, or whatever else you like with your fajitas!
Or make it a complete meal with these sides for fajitas.
With how quick and easy this recipe is, you can spend more time enjoying dinner with your family and less time cooking.
21. Ta-Cones
Friday nights are a great opportunity to go out with family and friends and enjoy relaxing time with your loved ones.
But if you’re in a rush to eat dinner before your plans, you may run into spills and messes.
Fortunately, ta-cones are a portable way to eat delicious tacos with much less of the mess!
Using cheese as an edible “glue” for your tortilla cone, you can now take your tacos with you on the road so you don’t have to miss out on your favorite Friday night dinner ideas when you have to meet with friends or family.
One problem with ordering food delivery is how long it can take to get to your house.
If you can make one of your favorite Chinese dinners at home, in less time than it takes to have it delivered, why wouldn’t you?
Not to mention, it’s much more affordable than ordering in too.
Although this recipe uses chicken, you can switch it out for beef or tofu to satisfy your cravings.
This will become a new favorite of your Friday night dinner recipes for when you want Chinese but don’t want to deal with the wait of delivery!
Be sure to add a sweet finish with these Chinese desserts!
I don’t think there is ever a time that pasta does not sound amazing.
If you can get a creamy sauce and Cajun flavors with a little bit of a kick, that makes it that much better!
You can make this one pot recipe with chicken sausage or pork sausage, but either option goes great with the bite sized chicken breast tossed in.
There is so much flavor from the various spices used and you can adjust the spiciness to your desired level to make one of your new favorite Friday night dinner ideas!
Meat and potatoes tend to be thought of as an American-style dish but this is one great example of an Asian-inspired twist on Friday dinner ideas.
It can be helpful to have everything ready before you start cooking since it all cooks so quickly.
And make sure you cook the beef and potatoes separately so they can be cooked to whatever level you like.
This is a delicious way to enjoy a classic dish that is so quick and simple!
Goulash is such a tasty comfort dish that takes a lot of common kitchen ingredients to make an even better quick Friday night dinner recipe.
This recipe combines chicken and vegetables with flavorful spices to make a hearty stew!
This dish is low in carbs and high in protein, but you can always serve it with a side of your favorite carbs, like rice!
Even the kids will love this for their Friday night dinner!
Even as an adult, you can enjoy finger food for your Friday night dinner recipes!
This parmesan crusted chicken is a great alternative to getting your restaurant tenders.
Baking this in the oven with the parmesan crust adds a nice crunch with so much flavor!
This is a great way to enjoy a chicken dinner with flavor that is far from basic.
Pan searing cod gives the fish such a nice crispy crust.
Adding the olives, garlic, capers, and all the other deliciousness adds a lot of flavor to the fish as well.
Use your cod to top rice or couscous and add a side of vegetables and you get a nice balanced meal.
This is great for when you want guilt-free Friday dinner ideas!
The bottom line
No one wants to stress over Friday night dinner recipes.
This is when you need to start your weekend off right and begin relaxing.
But you don’t want to miss out on a hot homemade meal either.
These recipes are perfect for preparing your delicious dinner at home so you don’t have to venture out to a restaurant.
You get to enjoy a fresh dinner in the comfort of your home, without working too hard for it!
When you just gotta have breakfast for dinner, here are some unique ideas!
What To Have For Friday Night Dinner (Epic)
Pull up this epic list of Friday Night Dinner Ideas the next time you could really use a new, hearty meal for a Friday night in!
Ingredients
- One-Pot Maple Glazed Salmon
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Italian Skillet Chicken
- Hawaiian Pizza
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Short Rib Ragu
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas
- One-Pot Burrito Bowls
- Calzone With Ground Beef & Chunky Marinara
- Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Fingers
- Baked Chicken Chimichangas
- Whole30 Bulgogi Korean Beef BBQ
- Sloppy Joe Recipe
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Italian Stromboli
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Butter Burger
- Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
- Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Fajitas
- Ta-Cones
- Chinese Chicken Chow Mein Fakeaway
- One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Asian Steak Bites & Potatoes
- One-Pot Chicken Goulash
- Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Pan Seared Cod With Tomatoes & Olives
Instructions
- Find your favorite recipe from our list of Friday Night Dinner Ideas!
- Gather all the ingredients you need for a scrumptious meal.
- Start cooking and make yourself proud!
- Share on our Facebook page!
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