Lemon Garlic Chicken With Mixed Vegetables

I don’t know whether it's the perfectly cooked chicken breasts, the perfectly cooked broccoli, the little bursts of flavor from the cherry tomatoes, the zing of the lemon, or the ABSOLUTE deliciousness of the cream sauce….but this one-pan lemon garlic chicken with mixed vegetables rocks.

This recipe has been updated from the original October 2015 version in order to provide a better experience for our readers.

One Pan Buttery Lemon Garlic Chicken With Mixed Vegetables

Oh my goodness, this dish...

Seriously, it is worth the terrible skin-peeling burns I gave myself on the chest to make it.

Note to self: don’t absent-mindedly throw some onions into a hot pan of butter and chicken…the subsequent splash is going to hurt like hell. 

Especially when you hit the salt water in Hawaii the next weekend.

Ouch.

What Makes This Skillet Chicken and Veggies So Good?

Back to this scrumptious little dish.

When I tell people I have a food recipe site, they always ask what recipe they should check out.

If you asked me in Summer I would say my Summer Stone Fruit and Spinach Strawberry Pecan Salad for sure.

If you ask me in Fall then this is hands down THE recipe I would point you towards.

You will need:

• 2 chicken breasts: preferably organic and free range, but do what works for you and your budget;
• smoked paprika: easily found in the spice section of most well-stocked grocery stores;
• unsalted butter: if you have salted butter that is fine, just be conscious of that when adding salt later so that you don't end up with an overly salty dish;
• garlic: fresh garlic works a lot better here but in a pinch, you can get away with dried garlic;
• chicken stock: look for good quality chicken stock, and again watch for salt levels before adding more salt when seasoning the dish;
• heavy cream: I use a full cream so that we have a super luxurious creamy butter garlic sauce, but use light cream if that is your preference;
• grated parmigiano reggiano: opt for freshly grated cheese if at all possible. The stuff that comes pre-grated in bags can lead to a grainy texture in your garlic butter sauce, which we want to avoid;
• fresh thyme: of course, you can sub in dried thyme if that is what you have;
• lemon: fresh is best here. In a pinch, you can use the bottled stuff and leave out the lemon wedges, but if at all possible try and grab a fresh lemon, it makes a world of difference;
• broccoli: I use fresh for this recipe, however, use frozen if that is what you have;
• red onion: can be subbed for a brown onion if that is what you have, I just love the pop of color a red onion adds to the dish;
• cherry tomatoes: if you can't get your hands on little cherry tomatoes then you can chop up a regular tomato with no worries;
• baby spinach: baby spinach is preferred, but English spinach will work well also, just tear it up into smaller pieces.

TIP: If you prefer chicken thighs, you can absolutely use them in place of the chicken breasts, although you may need to adjust the cooking time.

How To Make

Don't you just love one pot chicken recipes?

Less dishes will always be a win in my books.

This chicken and mixed vegetables meal is made in one skillet, with about ten minutes of prep work; the rest being oven time, so you are free to go do whatever the hey you want.

One Pan and 10 Minutes of Prep!

Simply coat the chicken breasts or thighs in the paprika to coat and then cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes until they are nice and golden brown on the outside.

Remove the chicken from the pan, and cook the sauce in the chicken juices until it becomes slightly thickened.

Add the chicken back in, along with all of the veg except for the spinach.

Pop back into the oven for about 25 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and add in the baby spinach. Stir until just wilted.

How To Serve Creamy Chicken and Veggies

To be honest, I usually serve this as a meal all by itself.

You have your veggies and some chicken and you should be good to go.

Otherwise if you would like something a bit more substantial then it would also be great with some:

• Creamy Parmesan and Vegetable Orzo
• Smashed Oregano Lemon Garlic Potatoes with Feta
• steamed brown rice, white rice, or Broccoli Rice as a low-carb option
• cooked quinoa
• hot buttered noodles
• couscous
• a bed of steamed veg
• or a simple side salad.

I could harp on all day about how much I love this creamy garlic chicken and mixed vegetable dish (can you tell I am excited?), but just go try it out and see for yourself.

I promise you won't be disappointed.

I would love to hear what you think of this one pan chicken recipe if you try it out! Be sure to leave a comment or pin to Pinterest for later. Happy eating 🙂

Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Bake

Whole Food Bellies

Everything cooks together in one pot and comes out total perfection. Still showing a hint of summer with little pops of flavour from cherry tomato, but hinting at the cooler weather to come with perfectly roasted chicken and broccoli in a creamy sauce.

4.77 from 21 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 4 serves

Calories 358 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 chicken breasts preferably organic
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
• ½ lemon sliced
• 1 cup broccoli cut into even sized small florets
• ½ red onion cut into wedges
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup baby spinach

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400F
• Pop chicken breasts into a ziploc bag along with the paprika and shake to coat the chicken
• Melt half the butter in an oven-safe pan (I used a cast iron skillet) over medium heat. Add in the paprika chicken breasts and cook for about 7 minutes, flipping the chicken half way through. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate
• Add the remaining butter into the same pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes, until it becomes slightly golden and fragrant. Add in the chicken broth, cream, parmesan, thyme and a few squeezed lemon slices. Bring to a slow boil
• Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken up
• Pop the cooked chicken into the cream sauce. Surround with the broccoli, red onion wedges and cherry tomatoes. Add the remaining lemon slices on top of the chicken breasts
• Place in the oven on a middle shelf and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through
• Remove from the oven and add the baby spinach. Stir through until slightly wilted
• Serve and enjoy

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 30gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 394mgPotassium: 711mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 2438IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 2mg

Keyword lemon chicken, lemon garlic butter chicken

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Don’t forget to follow Whole Food Bellies on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration! Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post! Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group!