Chicken and Broccoli Recipe

A Dinner Redefines What "EASY" Means from Making 100% Keto, Low-Carb to A Regular Family-Friendly Pasta Dinner in One Meal

This chicken and broccoli recipe is an all-around dish that accommodates the entire family. Whether they are on a diet or not, this meal makes everyone happy.

Total Time: 3 Hours 5 Minutes - 4 Hours 5 Minutes
Prep Time: ZERO   
Active Cook Time: 5 Minutes  
Inactive Cook Time: 3-4 Hours  
Serving: 4-6

I love to watch shorts or reels on social media which are less than a minute. I apply this principle to my cooking videos as well. The videos that catch my attention often feature rice and noodles, which I can't consume as much as before.

With that said, this recipe was inspired by a reel posted by CookingforGains. Looking at the video, creamy chicken with broccoli and tossed in with short pasta looked so awesome. It looks very easy, too. But as much as I love to make that, I know that I am not in a position to consume so much carb physically. The first question that came to mind was, "Will the chicken become sandpaper?" I never like lean meat cooked in a slow cooker. It destroys the meat. But I am willing to give it a try. Then, I started to ask myself, “Can I make it a Keto or low-carb version for my lunch prep?”

How to Make This Dinner Your Carb Eating Family?

A challenge I learned during my diet journey was that your family may not like to have the same meal like you do, especially if you're the only one on a diet. But cooking multiple meals is the last thing you want to do.

So, how can you make everyone happy without extra work?

First of all, let’s think of the game plan of exiting with success. What I meant is to have less work. Less cooking and less dishes.

Assume that you will serve pasta for your carb eating family.

So, when the water boils, add the frozen broccoli into the pot first. Use the slotted spoon to take them out as soon as they go in. Transfer the broccoli into a bowl and put aside. The residual heat from the water will continue cooking the broccoli. When you stir the vegetables into the chicken mixture, they will be easily warmed up and are still crisp tender.

(Side Note: Why do you want the broccoli to go into the boiling water first instead of pasta? It is because for anyone being on Keto/low-carb diet, you don't want the starchy water to add more carbs into your vegetables. That's why vegetables first and pasta after.)

Use the same pot of hot water, stir in the pasta when the water boils again. Cook it until al dente and strain pasta. Serve pasta along with the broccoli and chicken mixture. Do NOT combine the pasta into the chicken mixture in order to keep your low-carb version intact. The rest of the family can add the chicken broccoli mixture into their pasta. Now, everybody is happy and enjoy their own version of dinner.

How to Make This Dinner Quicker?

Time is an essence. I have a very athletic kid so I know how tight the schedule is for many parents, not to mention you most likely have more than one. There are unpredictable situations that it forces your hand to play by ear. So, use the approach of using store-bought rotisserie chicken and cooking on the stove top.

If that’s the case, you can cook the sauce which is cream of chicken and Alfredo sauce mixture on the stove top. Then, add rotisserie chicken into the sauce. That was what I did after a very disappointed experience of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Instead of throwing it away, I got all the cooked meat and threw them into the sauce and it turned out pretty awesome.

To have less dishes to do, use the same pot to cook both broccoli and sauce. Here are the directions if you choose this method:

1. Fill a soup pot with water and add 1 tsp of salt. Bring it to a boil.
2. Add frozen broccoli in. As soon as they are in the hot water, use a slotted spoon to take them out and transfer into a bowl. Put the vegetables aside. The heat it got from the hot water will continue the cooking process. The broccoli will be crisp tender by the time dinner is served.
3. Discard the hot water and use the same pot to cook the the cream of chicken and Alfredo sauce mixture at medium to medium low heat while you debone and shred the meat of the store-bought rotisserie chicken.
4. Make sure you don’t add any water to rinse the residue from the cans and jar. This will dilute the sauce. Stir it every now and then to prevent sticking or burning it.
5. Once the sauce boils, stir in garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, shredded chicken meat and then the broccoli. At this point, if you love to add cheese, it is time to stir it in. Enjoy immediately!

What Other Variations Can You Make with This Chicken and Broccoli Recipe?

The original recipe I was inspired by used 26-28 ounces of cream of chicken soup. When I put my version together, I happened to have 2-10.5-ounce cans of cream of chicken. So, I thought throwing in alfredo sauce will make up the shortage plentifully. If you only have alfredo sauce handy, add two 16-oz jars instead.

You can use cream of mushroom which is one of my favorites. Check out this pasta recipe using exactly that combination.

After the holiday dinner, do you always have plenty of ham leftover? Throw in some shredded ham to elevate the dish. It is kind of like making chicken cordon bleu.

If you have turkey leftover after Thanksgiving, use it instead of rotisserie chicken.

This ebook will teach you to cook authentic Chinese food in a healthy way. It will also show you how to get the beautiful colors, texture and taste you get from your favorite Chinese restaurants.

Chicken and Broccoli Recipe and Instructions

Ingredients

2 lbs Frozen Broccoli
4 (around 8 oz each) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Cans (10.5 oz each) Cream of Chicken
1 Jar (16oz) Alfredo Sauce
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
No-Stick Cooking Spray

1. Spray no-stick cooking spray onto the slow cooker insert.
2. Transfer chicken into the slow cooker and add cream of chicken and Alfredo sauce on top. No need to stir. Just let all the liquid cover the meat is good to go.
3. Cover the slow cooker with lid and cook on high heat for about 3-4 hours until chicken is fork tender.
4. About 1/2 hour before serving, bring a big pot of salty water to boil and add frozen broccoli in.
5. As soon as the vegetables go into the hot water and use a slotted spoon to take it out. The warmth will continue to cook the broccoli.
6. Once the chicken is cooked through and shredded, add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in broccoli and shredded cheese (optional). Enjoy immediately.

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