Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake
Comfort food in one dish. Feeds four, or two with lunch sorted for tomorrow.
per serving
You'll need
Don't have it?
- Garlic granules or garlic paste: A quarter tsp of granules or 1 tsp of paste for each clove.
Don't have it?
- Whipping cream: Works in sauces and puddings. It's a little thinner, so sauces take a minute longer to thicken. It won't whip as firm.
- Full-fat cream cheese: For sauces only: use half as much cream cheese and loosen it with a splash of water. Not for puddings.
Don't have it?
- Mascarpone: Same weight. Richer, and works for cheesecake too.
- Full-fat Greek yoghurt: For dips and pâté only: same weight, a bit tangier and runnier. Not for cheesecake, it won't set.
Don't have it?
- Any hard cheese (red leicester, gouda, double gloucester): Same weight.
- Parmesan: Use about half as much. It's much stronger.
Method
- Turn the oven on to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Season the chicken and fry it for 6 to 8 minutes, turning, until browned all over. It finishes cooking in the oven.
- Put the broccoli in an ovenproof dish and tip the chicken on top.
- Turn the pan down to low. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the cream and cream cheese. Stir until smooth and bubbling.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and broccoli and scatter the cheddar on top.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Cut into the biggest piece of chicken to check it's cooked through (see Food safety below).
Cut the broccoli small so it cooks in the same time as the chicken.
- Cauliflower instead of broccoli, or half and half.
- Leftover cooked chicken works too. Skip step 2 and bake until it's steaming hot all the way through.
Cool, cover and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only reheat once.
Use an ovenproof dish that fits in the basket. Do steps 2 to 5, then cook at 180°C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. Check the chicken is cooked through, as in the last step
Air fryers vary, so check early the first time.
Chicken must be cooked all the way through. Cut into the thickest piece: it should be steaming hot, with no pink meat, and the juices should run clear. With a food thermometer, the middle should reach 75°C. Use a separate board (red) and wash your hands after touching raw chicken.
How we worked out 5g of carbs
| Ingredient | Weight | Per 100g | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli UK government food tables | 300g | 3.2g | 9.6g |
| Garlic (1 clove = 4g) UK government food tables | 8g | 16.3g | 1.3g |
| Double cream UK government food tables | 150g | 1.7g | 2.5g |
| Full-fat cream cheese Typical UK supermarket label | 100g | 4g | 4.0g |
| Cheddar UK government food tables | 100g | 0.1g | 0.1g |
| Total | 17.6g | ||
| ÷ 4 servings, rounded up | 5g | ||
Meat, fish, oil, salt, pepper and water have no carbs, so they're left out. How we count carbs.