We kept seeing this recipe floating around for lemon rosemary chicken, and as bland as it initially sounded, we gave it a try.
It turns out lemon-rosemary chicken is both flavorful and easy to prepare.
With a few tweaks, this recipe has easily jumped to one of our top favorites. Not just because of the taste but because it’s one skillet, is easy to prepare, takes less than 35 minutes, and makes a great make-ahead meal for the week.
If you are looking for a low-carb meal option that is both satisfying and healthy, this lemon rosemary chicken skillet recipe has got you covered.
This is also the perfect recipe for meal-prepping in advance for the week; instead of just broccoli, you can also make a quick 5-minute quinoa to bulk up the plate if your macros allow.
Making home-cooked meals is not always easy, especially when time is a luxury. So for a quicker, 20-minute meal, replace chicken thighs with chicken cutlets. Chicken cutlets are smaller and will cook much faster than the thighs.
If you don’t typically keep shallots on hand, sauteed onions are a good replacement. And if you have some cute little grape tomatoes or beefsteak heirloom tomatoes on hand, they would also work great in this recipe. If adding tomatoes, stir them in during the last 1-2 minutes of cook time (#8) to avoid ending up with gross, soggy, hot tomatoes.
Lemon and rosemary are citrusy and fragrant. Adding garlic, and turmeric takes this one-skillet chicken dish to the next level. Turmeric and garlic both work well with citrusy tones and are also natural anti-inflammatories and proven to aid in lowering blood pressure. Let’s jump into this recipe!
Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Skillet with Broccoli
INGREDIENTS
1-2 TB of EVOO
3 cloves garlic
3 TB unsalted butter, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 medium shallots, sliced thin (OR ½ onion)
1C chicken stock
1½ TB. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 16-oz. bag of frozen broccoli
1 medium organic lemon, sliced and cut into small, thin wedges
DRY SEASONINGS
Turmeric
Pink salt
black pepper
chili flakes (optional)
Here’s how to make our Lemon-Rosemary chicken skillet with broccoli:
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of EVOO and 1 pat of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted.
- Take your cleaned chicken thighs and season them all over with turmeric, pink salt, and black pepper. Add seasoned chicken to hot skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until chicken is golden brown. [TIP: While the chicken cooks, chop your shallots, grate/mince the garlic, and slice the lemons into wedges.]
- Remove the chicken from heat, cover, and set aside to keep warm.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining butter and sliced shallots to the skillet. Sauté the garlic and shallots, occasionally stirring, until soft and golden brown (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add chicken stock to the skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Bring the liquid to a boil. Be sure to scrape up the bottom and get all that extra brown bit flavor leftover from cooking the chicken. Add the chopped rosemary and a pinch of chili flakes.
Continue cooking until the liquid is slightly thickened and reduced by about half (maybe 4-5 minutes), stirring occasionally. - Return the chicken to the skillet, along with your frozen broccoli and thin lemon wedges.
- Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through. [TIP: for serving right away, you can cook the broccoli soft, but if this is for meal-prepping, aim for tender but still a little crisp to avoid mushy broccoli during the week).
- Remove from heat and serve immediately or let it cool down before moving it into your meal-prep containers. You can garnish with extra lemon wedges and a sprinkle of chili flakes or parsley. Enjoy!
Totals 4-6 servings
If you have room in your macros for a little dairy/fat, then I’d suggest topping the broccoli with a little parmesan too. For non-carb counters, other great sides to serve with this lemon rosemary chicken skillet would be red-skinned potatoes, jasmine rice, or brown rice.