Cheese Chicken

This Cheese Chicken recipe is an easy skillet meal with perfectly cooked chicken smothered in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli. Spoon this sauce over baked potatoes and you have a complete meal!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 687kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Chicken

6 strips thick-cut bacon optional-see notes
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt/Pepper
3 teaspoons Italian seasonings
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese finely shredded
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

3 Tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 ½ cups broccoli florets finely chopped so they cook quickly
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
¼ cup Parmesan cheese finely shredded

Instructions

Prep Work

Combine the flour and shredded Parmesan cheese and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients prior to beginning.
Slice the chicken into 2-3 thinner slices. Pound with a meat tenderizer if needed, the chicken will plump up more when cooked. Aim for ½ inch thick slices. Pat the chicken completely dry.

Cook the Chicken

Season each side of the chicken with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge in flour mixture and tap off excess.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 pieces of chicken, leaving room around each. Sauté for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden brown crust has developed. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
Pro Tips: Make slight adjustments to the heat, (up or down), as needed during cooking. Add an additional splash of olive oil if needed throughout cooking. Try to leave the chicken undisturbed as it cooks to get a nice crusty sear.

Make the Sauce

Wipe excess oil from the pan but leave the chicken remnants. This is called “fond” and it will give the sauce more flavor.
Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Do this slowly to keep the sauce nice and thick. Add the milk in the same manner.
Add the seasonings, hot sauce, and broccoli.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a gentle bubble. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli is softened.
Reduce heat to low and let the base cool slightly. Slowly sprinkle in the cheddar and Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously, until combined.
Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Allow the chicken to heat through for 5 minutes, uncovered. Garnish with bacon if desired and serve with baked potatoes.

Notes

Pro Tips:

If your chicken is smaller in size: Feel free to use 3-4 instead of 2.
To control the sodium content in this recipe: Use unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth. You can also refrain from seasoning the chicken with salt.
To ensure a smooth and creamy consistency: Ensure the base of the sauce isn’t too hot when you stir in the shredded cheese. If it’s too hot, the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency. Always shred the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than bagged shredded cheese.
Pound the chicken with the textured side of the meat mallet to create texture on the surface of the chicken. This gives the breading something to cling onto, tenderizes the meat, and makes it juicier.
The hot sauce enhances the other flavors in the cheese sauce but doesn't make it spicy.
Optional: Cook 6 strips thick cut bacon and set aside to crumble and garnish on top of this meal. Reserve the bacon drippings and use it to cook the chicken in or make the roux with instead of butter.
This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 103!

The nutritional facts assume that all of the flour is used for dredging but you'll likely have a little excess. Nutritional information is per serving, there are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition