One oven-safe skillet, forty-five minutes, and no starch of any kind. The chicken and broccoli are the whole dish and the sauce is what holds them together.
It is worth saying plainly what is not here: no rice, no pasta, no potato. The recipe says so in its own fifth step.
Why This Recipe Works
- Browning in batches keeps the skillet hot, so the chicken colours rather than releasing water and stewing.
- Blanching the broccoli for three minutes sets it bright green before it ever meets the sauce.
- A butter-and-flour roux thickened with broth and milk carries cheddar without splitting the way cream alone would.
- Holding back half a cup of cheddar for the top is what gives the broiler something to brown.
Ingredient Notes
- Sharp cheddar, divided
- A cup and a half in total: one cup melts into the sauce and half a cup goes on top for the broiler. Sharp rather than mild, because a cup of cheese in a milk sauce needs the edge.
- Smoked paprika
- A quarter teaspoon, over the top before broiling. Small, but it is part of the colour of the finished surface.
- Broccoli florets
- Three cups, blanched separately for three minutes. Added to the sauce already cooked, so they keep their colour.
How to Make It
Brown the chicken in batches
Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season and brown chicken in batches, then remove.
Blanch the broccoli
Steam or blanch broccoli 3 minutes so it is bright green and just tender.
Roux, then liquid
Melt butter in the skillet, cook garlic 20 seconds, whisk in flour, then slowly whisk in broth and milk.
Cheddar in, everything back
Simmer until thickened. Stir in 1 cup cheddar, then return chicken and broccoli.
To 165F, and no starch
Simmer gently until chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the mixture free of rice or pasta.
Under the broiler
Top with remaining cheddar and paprika and broil 1 to 2 minutes for browned patches.
Four Heats, One Skillet
Every rung uses a different kind of heat, and three of them happen in the same pan. The order is not interchangeable: each one leaves the pan in the state the next one needs.
Dry heat - brownIn batches, then out of the pan
1 1/2 lb of breast chunks seasoned with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, browned in 1 tbsp of olive oil in batches, then removed. Batches because a full pan drops below browning temperature and the chunks steam instead.
Wet heat - blanch3 minutes, bright green
3 cups of florets steamed or blanched for three minutes, away from the skillet. Bright green and just tender: cooked here so they never have to be cooked in the sauce, which would dull them.
Gentle heat - thickenSimmer to 165F
2 tbsp of butter into the browned skillet, 2 garlic cloves for 20 seconds, 2 tbsp of flour whisked in, then 1 cup of broth and 1 cup of whole milk added slowly. Simmered to thick, then 1 cup of cheddar stirred in and the chicken and broccoli returned - and held there, free of rice or pasta, until the chicken reads 165F.
Fierce heat - broil1 to 2 minutes, browned in patches
The remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar and 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika over the top, one to two minutes under the broiler. This is the only rung that changes how the dish LOOKS rather than how it cooks, and it is where the browned patches in the finished bowl come from.
Success Tips
- Use an oven-safe skillet from the start; there is nothing to transfer if the pan can go under the broiler.
- Whisk the broth and milk in slowly rather than pouring, so the roux stays smooth.
- Watch the broiler. One to two minutes is the whole window between browned patches and burnt cheese.
Serving Ideas
Four servings straight from the skillet into cream-coloured bowls, the chicken and broccoli under the thick orange cheddar sauce with the browned patches from the broiler on top. Nothing underneath it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I serve this over rice?
Not as this recipe is written — step 5 says to keep the mixture free of rice or pasta.
Do I have to broil it?
The browned patches on the surface are part of what this dish looks like, and one to two minutes under the broiler is what makes them.
Why a roux instead of just cream and cheese?
Flour-thickened broth and milk hold a cup and a half of cheddar without separating. It is the reason the sauce stays thick and smooth.
