Yesterday I gazed into the fridge blankly and found a bunch of chicken and broccoli that all needed to be cooked. I could have just roasted it all and everyone would have been fine with that, but I really wanted to do something different. I went straight to Pinterest and read a bunch of recipes and kept coming up short by 1-2 ingredients. Given that I had ZERO motivation to go to the grocery store with two toddlers in tow, I decided to improvise and came up with this. Let me tell ya…it was SO delicious. My husband said he loved it, but would have really enjoyed a little “kick” so I’m including cayenne pepper in the ingredients. I do think it would have been a great addition, but I’m not sure the kids would have liked that. It’s completely optional, so leave it out if you prefer mild flavor.
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (approximately 8)
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper *optional
1/2 tsp paprika
4 TBS butter, divided
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of broccoli, chopped
1 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/2 c chicken broth or water
Instructions:
1) Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. (I use my 12 inch cast iron.) Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, pepper and paprika.
2) Sear each side of the chicken thighs until each side is brown and they are nearly cooked through (about 3-4 minutes each side). Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
3) Add last 2 tablespoons of butter to the hot pan and allow to melt. Throw in the garlic and immediately stir until fragrant being careful not to let it burn (approximately 1 minute.)
4) Pour in the liquids of your choice (heavy cream or half and half and chicken broth or water.) And stir with a whisk to pick up all the brown bits from the pan. Add cayenne pepper and stir well to combine. Add a pinch of salt if you used water instead of broth.
5) Once the cream mixture is bubbling, turn down to low. Add the broccoli to the pan and lay the chicken on top of the broccoli.
6) Cover and allow to simmer on low about 5-6 min until broccoli and chicken are cooked through.
7) Remove from heat and serve immediately. Broccoli will become over cooked and mushy otherwise.
butter+blush 