Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Skillet
This Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Skillet is healthy, so flavorful and satisfying. Made with juicy chicken tenders, fresh crisp broccoli, and a creamy rich sauce. A one-pot meal that comes together in just 30 minutes. Perfect weeknight dinner everyone will love!
Ingredients
For Chicken:
- 1 lb chicken tenders (about 8 tenders)
- 1/2 tsp pink sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
For Skillet:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp pink sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 broccoli head
- thinly chopped parsley and lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
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Place chicken tenders in a large mixing bowl, remove tendons and pat dry. Sprinkle with pink sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Toss to combine main sure chicken tenders are well coated with spices and herbs. Set aside.
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Prep the rest of your ingredients. Remove broccoli florets from stem and set aside. Mince garlic, grate parmesan cheese and measure out 1/2 cup.
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Place a large 12 inch skillet on stovetop and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Turn heat to medium-high and bring oil to a heat. Place first half of chicken tenders (you will have to cook in 2 batches) and cook until golden brown. About 2 minutes. Flip chicken tenders over and cook for another 2 minutes on the opposite side. Remove chicken tenders from skillet and place on a dish and set aside. Drizzle remaining tablespoon of olive oil over skillet. Place the other half of chicken tenders and repeat process to cook on both sides. Remove cooked tenders from skillet and place on dish along with the rest of cooked chicken tenders. Set aside.
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Add butter to the same heated skillet where chicken tenders were cooked through (do not clean skillet). Keep heat on medium-high. Once butter has completely melted add in minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
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Measure out 2 tablespoons of the 1.5 cups almond milk to keep in a separate small mixing bowl. Pour the remaining almond milk into skillet along with garlic. Add in pink sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and whisk making sure spices and herbs are mixed in with milk. Add in lemon juice and continue mixing. Sprinkle in grated parmesan cheese and continue whisking until cheese has melted into milk.
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Add arrowroot flour to reserved almond milk and whisk together making sure there aren't any lumps of flour left. Pour slurry into skillet and whisk until it starts to thicken.
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Add in broccoli florets and turn heat down to low. Cover skillet and let it simmer to cook broccoli through for 3-4 minutes.
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Uncover skillet and add cooked chicken tenders back to skillet. Cover again and let it continue simmering for another 2-3 minutes.
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Remove skillet from stovetop. Use spoon to scoop some of the creamy sauce from the side of the skillet and drizzle over chicken and broccoli. Repeat until chicken and broccoli have been smothered with sauce.
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Garnish with fresh thinly chopped parley and lemon wedges. Serve while still hot. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
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- Use chicken breasts if that's what you have- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts and butterfly them. Chicken breasts are too thick and will need too much time to cook on the pan. This will result in them being over cooked and not juicy. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Substitute for almond milk- Cashew milk works great as it is so creamy. You can also use dairy-milk if you are not dairy-free. This will result in a thicker sauce.
- Switch up your broccoli- You can use other veggies such as asparagus, zucchini, or green beans.
- Use parmesan cheese that comes in a brick- Grate it yourself. Prepackaged shredded cheese has starchy preservatives to keep it from going bad. This prevents it from melting properly. Fresh grated cheese will melt just fine into sauce.
- Substitute for arrowroot flour- You can use tapioca or cornstarch to keep this recipe gluten-free. If you are not gluten-free, all purpose flour works too.
- Create a slurry rather than adding flour directly into sauce- Creating a slurry gets rid of any lumps so once it's added to sauce it will start thickening right away.