Chicken & broccoli is a great weeknight dinner in just one pan.
Tender chicken breasts and broccoli covered in a creamy, homemade cheese sauce. This delish dish goes from stovetop to tabletop in minutes!
An Easy One Pan Dinner
Skip the takeout, this easy one-pan dinner comes together quickly and easily.
- This dish cooks quickly, ready in under 30 minutes.
- The quick and creamy cheese sauce is easy to make and great over any vegetable.
- Double or triple the sauce and serve this dish over pasta.
- The cream cheese base of this sauce is naturally low-carb.
Ingredients in Chicken and Broccoli
We love the combination of chicken and broccoli stir fry, in casseroles, pasta, and in this dish!
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs are great in this recipe. Pound them to 1/2″ thick so they cook quickly and evenly.
- Fresh broccoli is my first choice but frozen will work too. Try different veggies like carrots, cauliflower, green beans, peas, or asparagus.
- The cheese sauce starts with cream cheese and is easy to make (no roux required). You can use any cheese but bolder cheeses like sharp cheddar add the most flavor. The cheese sauce in this recipe goes well with almost any vegetable.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli
- Pound chicken, season, & brown in a skillet per the full recipe below. Set aside.
- Cook the broccoli just until tender-crisp and then set aside with the chicken.
- Whisk in the cheese sauce ingredients into the pan and serve with the chicken and broccoli.
This dish is great served with egg noodles, rice, or over cauliflower rice. It’s perfect for meal prep.
Recipe Tips
- Pound the chicken so it cooks quickly and evenly. Cover it with plastic wrap when pounding to avoid splattering. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use a rolling pin.
- Alternatively, the chicken can be cut into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried.
- Lightly cover the chicken and broccoli while whisking the sauce to keep it warm.
- Add any juices from the chicken into the sauce for extra flavor. Sharp cheese adds more flavor.
Leftovers & Storage
Keep leftover chicken and broccoli in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add some milk or cream to thin out the sauce before reheating on the stovetop and serve with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese.
Freeze portions for up to 4 weeks. Thaw overnight and reheat as directed.
More Broccoli Recipes
Broccoli is one of my fave veggies, it’s delicious and goes well with cheese or even added to a chicken stir fry!
Did you make this cheesy Chicken and Broccoli? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast pounded ½ thick
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup chicken broth more as needed
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 4 ounces cream cheese cubed
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound to ½-inch thickness with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Flip over and brown for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the broth to the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add broccoli to the pan and cover. Cook covered for about 3-4 minutes or until tender crisp and chicken is cooked through (165°F).
- Remove the broccoli and chicken, place on a serving plate, and lightly cover to keep warm.
- Add the cream cheese to the pan and whisk until melted and creamy, adding more broth if needed. Whisk in the cheddar & parmesan cheese until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the cheese sauce over the chicken and broccoli and serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to 3 days.
- To make this recipe quick, prepare the broccoli while the chicken cooks and shred the cheese while the broccoli cooks.
- Pound the chicken to 1/2″ thickness so it cooks quickly and evenly. Cover it with plastic wrap when pounding to avoid splattering. If you don’t have a meat mallet, use a rolling pin.
- Cook the chicken just until it reaches 165°F, do not overcook.
- Add any juices from the chicken into the sauce for extra flavor.
- Sharp cheeses add more flavor to the sauce. The sauce can be doubled or tripled if you’d like to serve this dish over pasta.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I’m assuming you cut up the chicken? Doesn’t really say…can you clarify?
It’s cooked whole, you can find detailed instructions in the recipe card but the gist of it is: Pound chicken with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. Season the chicken, add chicken to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Flip over and brown for an additional 2 minutes. I hope that helps, we would love to hear how this recipe turns out for you!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’ve tried many others and they are all good! You’re amazing!
Made a double recipe to feed my family and a friend’s family that just had surgery. Everyone love it! the sauce is amazing and with my friend being on a low carb diet this was perfect. Easy, Fast, and Amazing, you don’t get much better than that. I served with both rice and baked potatoes for picky kids, worked perfectly. Not one complaint just all yumms. Thanks girl you always have my back for sinner
I am so glad this recipe worked so well for you! I love when you can easily accommodate all the picky eaters in one meal!
O! M! G! This was SOOOO GOOD! Made this 3 days ago and my family is still talking about it. I served the chicken and broccoli with baked potatoes and the cheese sauce went perfectly on everythinggggg. Definitely doubling the sauce next time. Thanks for the recipe!!!
I am so happy to hear that, Jaclyn!
Is there a difference with using prepared yellow mustard instead of dry mustard?
This recipe doesn’t call for mustard, but you could use a little of either. It’s be a great flavor!