Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

I’ve never been a particularly big fan of dark chicken meat. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a “breast” kinda girl. Growing up, I would always ask if I could get one of the breasts whenever roasted chicken was on the menu. My mom would usually have the other one, and my brothers would inherit the legs. They didn’t have a problem with that, mind you, as this was their preference anyway.

I can’t remember which one my dad preferred, though, as more often than not, his job prevented him from having dinner with us. He would usually eat way later in the night, when he’d get back from work. And his food of choice had nothing to do with chicken; my dad was all about pasta.

Night after night, he’d have Cappelli d’Angelo with a hint of tomato sauce and a very generous shake of hot chili pepper flakes. And when I say generous, I do mean generous. Sometimes, he’d leave some leftovers in the fridge and I’d get hungry the following afternoon, so I’d steal a bite or two from his fare… Invariably, I’d be sorry I did. Very sorry. My taste buds would nearly die and resent me for hours.

But I digress…

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

As I grew older, I continued to be a fan of light meat and would pretty much exclusively buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts. That much held especially true during the first few years of my journey to a thinner, healthier me, when I would steer clear of everything and anything “fat”. Thank goodness I eventually learned better!

Recently, my preference started shifting towards dark meat, especially since I discovered the awesomeness of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

Since my heart had always been so set on light meat, they’d never really appealed to me before; but then one day, not so long ago, I decided to give them a try. I was instantly sold. These things are so crazy convenient to have around! They cook in just minutes, and unlike breasts, you don’t need to brine or marinate them overnight for them to be tender, juicy and tasty!

This Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken recipe, for instance, comes together in about 15 to 20 minutes. Trust me, though, the gustatory experience you’ll get out of this dish is inversely proportional to the time you’ll have spent working on it.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

Sprinkle your boneless chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then melt some coconut oil in a large, skillet set over high heat.

When the pan is nice and hot, add the pieces of chicken, nice-looking side down, and cook them without moving them for about 4 minutes, until they turn opaque about half way up and develop a nice golden crust.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

When the chicken is ready to be flipped, it will let you know, as it will easily detach from the pan.

When that happens, flip the pieces of chicken and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the meat is cooked all the way through and the juices run clear. Remove to a plate.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

Put the skillet back over the heat source, lower the heat to medium and add the broccoli. Cook it for about 3 minutes, until it’s slightly softened.

See all those beautiful brown bits at the bottom of the pan? There’s so much flavor in there! Luckily, this will add detach and blend in with the sauce in a few seconds.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

While the broc is cooking, mix the chicken stock, vinegar, mustard, chili pepper flakes and tapioca starch together in a large glass measuring cup or any other container, preferably one that is equipped with a spout.

Pour this over the broccoli as soon as it’s cooked to your liking; bring to the boil and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

Don’t forget to scrape those brown bits!!!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

Add the chicken thighs, along with their cooking juices back into the pan and spoon some sauce over them.

Kill the heat, cover and allow the meat to sit in the hot sauce for about 5 minutes.

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

You are now ready to serve your delicious chicken, and I think you’ll be fairly pleased with it. It does have a bit of an Asian flare to it, but not overly so. Likewise, the addition of hot chili pepper flakes gives it a bit of a kick, but nothing that will have your taste buds resent you for hours! 

Feel free to sprinkle more at the moment of serving, if you’re feeling adventurous.

I know my dad would have, without a doubt!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe
4.60 from 5 votes

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and then melt the coconut oil in a large, skillet set over high heat. When the pan is hot enough, add the pieces of chicken, nice-looking side down, and cook them without moving them for about 4 minutes, until they turn opaque about half way up and develop a nice golden crust. Flip the pieces of chicken and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the meat is cooked all the way through and the juices run clear. Remove to a plate.
  • Put the skillet back over the heat source, lower the heat to medium and add the broccoli. Cook it for about 3 minutes, until slightly softened.
  • Meanwhile, mix the chicken stock, vinegar, mustard, chili pepper flakes and tapioca starch together in a large glass measuring cup or other container, preferably one that is equipped with a spout.
  • Pour this over the broccoli as soon as it’s cooked to your liking; bring to the boil and continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken thighs, along with their cooking juices, back into the pan and spoon some sauce over them.
  • Kill the heat, cover and allow the meat to sit in the hot sauce for about 5 minutes, then serve.
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!

You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

Quick and Easy Broccoli Chicken | thehealthyfoodie.com

doing-the-w30-fb-cover