11 Chicken Dinners Everyone Ate In The '70s

If there's one meat-based protein source that seemingly everyone can agree on, it's chicken, which is why so many recipes call for the ingredient. But in the food world, times can change. Once upon a time, the chicken dishes that home cooks were whipping up were way different from the chicken dishes Gen Z now makes on repeat. That's why we're taking a walk down culinary memory lane and bringing it back to some of the most popular chicken dishes of the 1970s. Some of these dishes remain relatively popular, while others have faded into obscurity, but in their heyday, they were all pretty common on dinner tables.

If you were alive in the 1970s, maybe you'll recognize some of the dishes listed here. And if you weren't around for those chicken glory days, this list will give you a closer look at what your older family members, coworkers, or friends might have eaten back in the day. Either way, you might just find yourself inspired to seek out recipes for these vintage dishes and try whipping them up yourself while tapping into a sense of chicken-focused nostalgia.

These days, there are a ton of basic chicken and veggie recipes out there, but chicken à la king doesn't seem as prominent as it once was. That's a shame, because it seems like such an easy dish to throw together when you're short on time but you want to make sure you're meeting your protein and veggie goals. Essentially, it's just chicken and vegetables cooked in a creamy sauce, but the exact ingredients required vary depending on which recipe you're referencing. We found one that calls for bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and another that requires peas, carrots, and celery. This makes it easy to just work with whatever's in your pantry when you want to give the dish a try for yourself. What seems to stay constant, though, is the chicken breast and the signature creamy sauce.

There are several different ways to serve this dish. It can be spooned over pasta or rice or even cooked in the same pan with biscuits for a super easy meal. However you decide to serve the dish, it seems like plenty of home cooks remember chicken à la king from the '70s. Some have made Facebook posts about it, recalling the now-retro dish as a tasty comfort food that still sparks warming memories.

For everyone who loves sweet flavors with their meat, chicken with pineapple is an absolutely ideal dish. However, there seem to have been many different names for the dish. One source dubs it "tropical chicken," while others describe it as "Hawaiian chicken." Whatever you want to call it, though, you have to admit that the acidity and sweetness from pineapple mingling and joining forces with otherwise neutral-tasting chicken sounds pretty delicious, even if these vintage recipes tend to call for canned pineapple instead of fresh. (That's just one of many ways to use canned pineapple, by the way.) Admittedly, though, if you were interested in trying this dish today, you could probably use fresh pineapple instead of the canned stuff. Modern recipes for the dish include soy sauce, although that ingredient isn't included in an older recipe we found.

According to one food blogger who specifically covers dishes that were iconic in the 1970s, this dish just feels like it belongs to that decade, thanks to the explosion in popularity of Hawaiian culture during that time. If you were there during the glory days of pineapple chicken, maybe you picked up on that cultural quirk as well. Even though those times have passed, we can still always get down with a sweet and tart chicken dish.

Now, compared to some of the other chicken dishes on this list, it seems like chicken cacciatore has had a relatively longer run than most. Although it may not be as popular as it once was in the 1970s, it's not like you never see this dish anymore. That makes sense, since it's a dish that seems like it still roughly aligns with current tastes (no weird Jell-O molds or unusual canned ingredients here). It all starts with chicken, of course, followed by a smattering of veggies, like onions, mushrooms, green bell peppers, and even black olives.

All of those ingredients are cooked with fire-roasted tomatoes to marry the flavors together and create a brothy base. Although this is a classic Italian dish, it seems like the most common version of this dish in the '70s in the U.S. was released in 1971 by Betty Crocker. However, there seem to be multiple ways in which to make chicken cacciatore.

Some say this dish tastes particularly good on polenta. But if you're looking for a different texture, pasta can also function as an excellent base for this chicken. When you're looking for a chicken dish that taps into those cozy, Italian flavors without using beef, chicken cacciatore remains a tasty option.

Chances are, you've heard of or even tried beef stroganoff before. But its arguably less famous cousin, chicken stroganoff, also deserves its flowers. Food journalist and chef Mary Berry cooked chicken stroganoff on a TV program in 1973, signaling its popularity throughout the decade. A recipe from that time calls for ingredients like sliced mushrooms, marsala, and sour cream, which results in a chicken dish that's packed with a surprising amount of complexity for something so creamy. The velvety texture of the mushrooms is part of what makes this dish feel so luxurious while utilizing a relatively cheap cut of meat.

As rich and creamy as this dish is, it doesn't always taste its best all on its own, since it is so decadent. Rather, you need something to sop up all that extra cream and moisture. Like with beef stroganoff, you'll often see this dish prepared with egg noodles, but rice is also a solid option. If you've never given the chicken version of this dish a try, it might be time to try this vintage recipe out at home.

When you're looking at retro recipes, it's oftentimes not totally clear where they originated. They've changed and morphed over time, perhaps becoming something totally different from what they started as. But sometimes, you'll find a recipe with a clearer origin story. That's the case when it comes to Flying Jacob Swedish casserole. It's a dish that was developed by Ove Jacobsson, an air freight worker, in the 1970s. Isn't it nice to see someone get credit for their culinary work?

At first glance, this recipe might look a bit unusual. After all, in addition to chicken breast, it also contains bananas, salted peanuts, sweet chili sauce, and bacon bites. Sure, the idea of eating bananas in a chicken dish might be off-putting for some, but there were plenty of adventurous eaters in the 1970s who embraced the lack of convention (at least according to an American palate). Served alongside rice, it's a spoonable chicken dish that's in a similar format to many of the others that appear on this list.

One modern-day home cook who tried making this dish for themselves said it satisfied their curiosity, but they didn't find it to be particularly delicious. At the same time, they said they didn't hate it either. It might not be a dish for everyone, but for the most adventurous retro cooks out there, it's a fun recipe to try.

It seems like people in the 1970s had a penchant for chicken and fruit. Yes, the tropical chicken we've already covered is an example, but so is the once-popular apricot chicken. This dish seems to have been especially popular in Australia and New Zealand, and it honestly doesn't sound that bad. So, what would cooks need to make this dish back in the day? Actually, not that many ingredients at all. Chicken, of course, was the star of the show, but recipes also call for Continental French Onion Soup, which is a dried soup packet, and apricot nectar. Sometimes, they also require canned apricots for an even fruitier touch. It also sounds like it comes together easily, with the chicken being seasoned with the dry soup mix and the apricot nectar there to provide a nice, moist glaze for the chicken.

This is a dish that seems to inspire a lot of nostalgia, with one Facebook user taking to the app to show off their recreations of the old-school dish. Another user on the platform even found their mom's old handwritten recipe card from back in the '70s. Lovers of sweet meat, this is another vintage recipe that might be worth a taste.

It would be a mistake to assume that coq au vin is actually from the 1970s. Rather, it's a French recipe that seems to have been around for quite some time now. However, Julia Child is largely credited with bringing the dish to the United States. Her recipe for coq au vin came out in the 1960s, and in the following decade, it reached a beloved status on American tables that otherwise may not have been influenced by French cuisine at all.

If you've ever had beef bourguignon before, then this dish will probably seem pretty familiar to you. It's made in a very similar way but switches out the beef for chicken. The meat and veg braise together in red wine for a long time, making the chicken deliciously soft and juicy. It's rich and hearty and perfect for chilly fall and winter nights.

Some view it as a dish closely associated with the decade. One Instagram user posted about coq au vin, saying it took them back to the '70s, while commenters agreed that it was, in fact, nostalgic.

Many of the dishes that appear on this list are relatively simple and seem to come together without much fuss. Chicken cordon bleu, however, is not one of those dishes because of how it's constructed. It's basically a chicken breast that's laid out and rolled with ham and cheese to create a deeply decadent bite. Although this dish has its roots in Europe in centuries past, it didn't really reach its peak popularity in the United States until the 1960s and '70s. And we totally understand why it had its moment in the spotlight: It's a dish that feels elevated and complex, even if its flavor is arguably sort of one-note because of all of those rich, fatty ingredients.

One YouTube user remembers it as an iconic meal from this era, and the comment section is littered with similarly nostalgic responses. But it's not like people today are totally unfamiliar with the dish. Wendy's tried rolling out a chicken cordon bleu sandwich back in the '90s, and well-known food publications are publishing modern versions of the recipe, so it seems to still be very much in the public consciousness.

If you're looking for a chicken dish from the '70s that's basically bound to impress, then chicken Kiev may be right up your alley. Chicken Kiev is a chicken breast that's been filled with herby butter and then dusted with breadcrumbs and Parmesan before being baked, rendering a nice, crispy crust that feels decadent but not too heavy. Rosemary, garlic, and parsley also join forces to add more flavor to the dish. It sort of sounds similar to chicken cordon bleu, since you're working with that rolled and stuffed chicken breast.

Chicken Kiev was popular in the 1970s, and its heyday stretched into the 1980s, at one point appearing in frozen meals at the grocery store. It's been a while since it was a common dinner party dish, but one publication says that it's making a comeback. One Redditor wrote that they still prefer to use a recipe from the '70s, and another one posted a handwritten recipe that appears to have been from several decades ago. Whether chicken Kiev can truly make a real comeback, though, still remains to be seen.

Although coronation chicken might have been especially popular in the 1970s, that's not the decade in which it was created. Rather, the recipe is from all the way back in 1953, when it was served at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Two decades after the fact, it had become an absolute hit. The Times even referred to it as "the salad of the 70s," an indication of just how popular the chicken dish was at the time. After its heyday, though, coronation chicken was often derided and looked down upon by some.

The dish contains an unusual combination of ingredients. It starts with diced chicken breast, and curry powder, white or red wine, and tomato paste are largely responsible for its overall flavor. Apricot jam makes another appearance here, along with mayonnaise and Greek yogurt for creaminess. Coronation chicken can be served on a sandwich, with a pita, or even with a salad. Its signature bright yellow hue, though, is what really makes it stand out.

Chicken tetrazzini is a popular comfort kitchen dish from the '60s and '70s that we can't help but look back on fondly. It's also regularly made with turkey, but we think that chicken produces a better flavor and juicier meat. The meat is mixed with a cream sauce and some spaghetti, then topped with bread crumbs for a crunchy crust. That combo of ingredients is then baked, which creates nice little pockets of crunchiness that make the dish more texturally interesting than most of the other ones that appear on this list. Let's be honest: Creamy pasta is almost always going to taste good, and adding chicken to the mix only makes things better. Although chicken tetrazzini might not be anything groundbreaking, it definitely ticks all of our comfort food boxes.

Even all these decades later, plenty of people still look back upon chicken tetrazzini fondly. A writer published a recipe for the dish, claiming that her aunt made chicken tetrazzini for church potlucks in the 1970s. It was also posted on a Facebook group dedicated to vintage recipes, where the author suggested pairing it with a salad and buttered broccoli. Sounds like we may have to put this retro recipe back into our dinner rotation.