Microwave Oven Recipes: What You Can Cook in a Microwave
What can we cook in a microwave oven? Much more than leftovers. Below are simple, tested ways to cook chicken, fish, noodles, potatoes, popcorn, eggs, rice and even tea in a normal solo microwave, plus extra dishes for a grill microwave. Times are for a 700 to 900 W oven, so check food a little early the first time.
Updated 11 November 2026
Before you start: power levels and cooking times
Most microwave oven cooking times in recipes are written for 800 W. If your oven is 700 W, like the Dawlance DW-MD15 20 Litre Solo Microwave Oven or Haier HMW-20DSS 20 Litre Solo Microwave Oven, add about 15 percent. If it is 900 W or more, like the Dawlance DW-330 DS 30 Litre Solo Microwave Oven, take off a little.
- High (100 percent): water, noodles, vegetables, popcorn
- Medium-high (70 percent): chicken, fish, rice
- Medium (50 percent): eggs, softening butter, slow reheating of curry
- Low or Defrost (30 percent): thawing meat
Always use a microwave-safe glass or ceramic dish and stir or turn food halfway. Food keeps cooking for a minute or two after the beep, so let it stand before you taste it. Our microwave safe utensils guide lists which dishes are safe.
How to cook chicken in a microwave oven
Boneless chicken cooks well in any microwave if you keep it covered so it steams in its own juice.
- Cut chicken breast into even pieces and rub with salt, pepper, ginger-garlic paste and a little oil or yoghurt.
- Place in a glass dish in one layer, thick parts towards the edge.
- Cover with a microwave-safe lid, leaving a small gap.
- Cook on medium-high for 4 minutes, turn the pieces, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more for about 500 g.
- Cut the thickest piece. There should be no pink, and the juice should run clear.
A solo microwave gives soft, steamed chicken that is good for sandwiches, salads and chicken karahi that you finish on the stove. For a browned, tikka-style finish you need a grill microwave oven.
Grilled chicken, seekh kabab and roast chicken in a grill microwave
A grill microwave has a heating rod at the top, so it can brown and crisp. Use the metal rack that came with the oven, and keep a glass plate below to catch drips.
- Grilled chicken pieces: marinate for 2 hours, grill for 12 minutes, turn, then 10 minutes more. Combi mode (microwave plus grill) cuts this to about 15 minutes in total.
- Seekh kabab: brush with oil, grill 6 minutes a side.
- Whole chicken (under 1 kg): cook on combi for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning breast-side up halfway. A larger oven such as the Haier HMW-32300 (B/S) 32 Litre Grill Microwave Oven or Homage HDG-451S 45 Litre Grill Microwave Oven gives more room.
- Chicken tikka: see the tikka steps in our microwave baking guide.
If you only want to grill once in a while, a 23 litre grill model like the Dawlance DW-393 G 23 Litre Grill Microwave Oven is enough for a family of four.
How to cook fish in a microwave oven
Fish is one of the best foods for a microwave because it cooks fast and stays moist.
- Use fillets about 2 cm thick. Rub with lemon, salt, red chilli and a little oil.
- Lay them in a glass dish and cover.
- Cook on medium-high for about 3 to 4 minutes for 250 g, until the flesh flakes easily.
To bake fish with a crisp top, use grill mode for the last 4 to 5 minutes. For a Lahori-style fish fry with a crunchy coating, an air fryer or a microwave with air fry, such as the Dawlance DW-525 AF 25 Litre Air Fryer Microwave Oven, gives a better crust than plain microwave heat.
Noodles, pasta and rice in the microwave
Instant noodles: break the noodles into a deep glass bowl, add the water on the pack (usually about 1.5 cups) and cook on High for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the masala, then cook 30 seconds more. Use a big bowl, because noodle water foams and boils over.
Pasta: cover with plenty of water and a pinch of salt and cook on High for the pack time plus 3 minutes, stirring twice.
Rice: wash 1 cup of rice, add 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt in a large covered bowl. Cook on High for 5 minutes, then medium for 12 to 14 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before you fluff it. Leftover biryani and pulao reheat best with a spoon of water sprinkled on top and a cover.
Potatoes, vegetables and corn
- Baked potato: wash, prick all over with a fork, wrap in a paper towel and cook on High for 5 to 6 minutes for one medium potato, turning once. Two potatoes take about 8 to 9 minutes.
- Boiled potato for aloo tikki or chaat: cut in cubes, add 3 tablespoons water, cover and cook on High for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Vegetables: put chopped carrots, peas, beans or gobi in a covered bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and cook on High for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Corn on the cob: cook in its husk for 3 to 4 minutes per cob.
- Baingan bharta: prick a whole brinjal, cook on High for 6 to 8 minutes until soft, then mash and fry the masala on the stove.
Homemade potato chips are possible, but they need thin slices, a plate brushed with oil and careful watching. For real chips and French fries, an air fryer is easier.
Popcorn, nuts and snacks
Popcorn: put 1/4 cup of corn kernels in a large glass bowl with a plate on top as a loose lid. Cook on High for 2.5 to 3.5 minutes and stop when the popping slows to about 2 seconds between pops. Ready-made microwave popcorn bags are fine too, but follow the pack.
Roasting peanuts, cashews or almonds: spread them on a plate and cook on High for 1 minute, stir, then in 30-second steps until golden. Nuts burn fast once they turn, so do not walk away.
You can also dry fresh herbs between paper towels in 30-second bursts, or warm a samosa for 30 to 40 seconds. Fried snacks go soft in a microwave, so a grill or air fry mode keeps them crisp.
Eggs, milk and tea in the microwave
Never put a whole egg in its shell in the microwave, because it can burst. Instead:
- Scrambled egg: whisk 2 eggs with a spoon of milk in a bowl, cook on medium for 1 minute, stir, then 30 to 45 seconds more.
- Egg pudding or caramel custard: cook in a covered glass bowl on medium in short steps.
To boil milk or make tea, use a tall mug filled only two-thirds and put a microwave-safe spoon in it. Heat for 1.5 to 2 minutes on High and stir before drinking. Water and milk can boil over suddenly if they are overheated, so short steps are safer. Doodh patti tastes better when you brew the tea leaves for 2 minutes after heating.
Which microwave oven is best for cooking?
- Reheating, noodles, rice, vegetables and popcorn: any solo microwave oven works well.
- Grilled chicken, kababs, toast and fish: a grill microwave oven.
- Cake, pizza, bread and roast chicken: a convection microwave oven such as the Kenwood MWP29.000BK 30 Litre Convection Microwave Oven.
- Crispy fries, wings and nuggets: an air fryer microwave oven like the Haier HMW-30AF (AFR/AFS) 30 Litre Air Fryer Microwave Oven.
For help with power, size and brands, read the Best Microwave Oven in Pakistan: Buying Guide.
Breakfast and desi quick fixes: oats, paratha and khoya
- Oats: 1/2 cup oats with 1 cup milk or water in a large bowl, 2 minutes on high, stir, then 1 more minute.
- Frozen paratha: wrap in a damp paper towel and heat 40 to 60 seconds. For a crisp paratha, use the grill rack or a tawa after.
- Khoya: full cream milk powder, a little milk and ghee, cooked in 1 minute bursts with stirring, until it thickens.
- Reheating fried chicken: 1 to 2 minutes at medium power, then 3 minutes on grill to bring back the crisp skin.
Use a big bowl for milk dishes, because milk rises and spills.
