Garlic Chicken and Broccoli with Lemon

Published April 22, 2025

Garlic Chicken and Broccoli with Lemon
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(580)
Comments
Read comments

Golden seared chicken, florets of broccoli and a quick pan sauce made of garlic, anchovy and lemon, create a weeknight meal that evokes the flavors of Caesar salad. Parmesan is grated over everything, adding richness. Serve this with garlic bread or torn croutons to add crunch and help soak up the sauce. If you’d like to double this recipe, cooking the broccoli separately from the chicken is the key to success.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 2boneless, skinless chicken breasts, patted dry 
  • Salt and pepper 
  • 4tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1small head broccoli (about ¾ pound), cut into bite-sized florets, stem cut into ½-inch slices on the diagonal 
  • 4garlic cloves, chopped 
  • 2 to 3oil-packed anchovies (to taste), drained and chopped 
  • 2tablespoons lemon juice 
  • Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

710 calories; 42 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 69 grams protein; 1178 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a large (12-inch) skillet with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter over medium-high. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add the chicken breasts, smooth side down, partially covering the pan to contain the splatter, and sear until golden, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, cover with the lid, turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the broccoli to the pan, tucking it in between the chicken. Cover and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through and broccoli is slightly tender, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a serving plate and chicken to a cutting board.

  4. Step 4

    Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan, then stir in the garlic and anchovies. Once they start sizzling, after about 1 minute, add ¼ cup water along with the lemon juice and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn off heat.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, slice the chicken on the diagonal and arrange on the plate with the broccoli. Spoon the pan sauce on top and grate or shave Parmesan over everything.

Ratings

5 out of 5
580 user ratings
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Comments

I didn't have anchovies so I substituted red miso paste (enough for the saltiness to balance the acidity of the lemon juice). Very tasty, fast, and easy.

This is a pretty good, easy, quick dish for a weeknight dinner. I had some leftover chicken broth and a tiny bit of white wine, and used those in place of water for the pan sauce. Served with garlic bread for a compete meal.

@Scott Sounds like a fabulous substitution! Looking at the recipe I remembered I intended on getting anchovy paste last night! Can’t wait to try this! Thank you v much!

I followed the recipe exactly, and it was delicious! My whole family (full of very different flavor preferences) all loved it.

This simply didn't work for me technically. I suppose you put the broccoli in the pan with the chicken to save on clean-up, but it doesn't make sense to me to end up steaming the chicken breast, and it doesn't take me 3 minutes on medium-high and 12-15 more on medium low to cook a chicken breast. I liked the sauce, but my spouse didn't think it had a lot of subtlety. Might try again separating the elements, or just do something more interesting.

I didn't have anchovies, so I subbed 1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce. Yum! I also added capers. I plan to use the leftovers for chicken salad.

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