Salicyloylbenzene/heterocycles are privileged scaffolds found in many natural products and bioactive molecules. Numerous useful approaches for the preparation of these privileged scaffolds have been developed in recent years. Among these approaches, chromone-based reactants have demonstrated their importance in the synthesis of these salicyloylbenzene/heterocycle scaffolds with structural complexity and potential biological appeal. In this review, the recent advances in the synthesis of salicyloylbenzene/heterocycles are summarized and discussed according to the chromone-based reactants which could be achieved in one step via ring-opening and skeletal reconstruction reactions. Both the mechanisms and the applications of the corresponding products in organic and medicinal chemistry are also described.