Born to a Jewish family, Chaiken studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with an undergraduate degree in graphic design in 1979.
She began her career as an agent trainee for Creative Artists Agency, and as an executive for Aaron Spelling and Quincy Jones Entertainment. In 1988, she was the coordinating Producer for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the associate Producer for Satisfaction. She then wrote the screenplay Barb Wire (1996), and the television films Dirty Pictures (2000), and Damaged Care (2002) before the success of The L Word raised her profile. Since the L Word, she has been involved with Empire, a hit television series. She is also credited for her work in the new Hulu original, The Handmaids Tale.
Chaiken has been married to Louanne Brickhouse, a former executive at Disney, since 2013. They live in the Hollywood Hills area of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles and have nurtured more than 100 species of birds and other fauna, which they document regularly on an Instagram account. Chaiken is co-parent to twin daughters Tallulah and Augusta with her former partner, English Architect Miggi Hood.
