Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Egg Skillet

End of January. Cody is on day three hundred and eighty-nine of his sentence. The Tulsa Review winter issue with The Sister at the Stove has gone to the printer. The issue is going to ship the second week of February. Cody is going to be a published author in two weeks. He has the proofs back from the editor on his desk in the cell. He read me the final version Saturday at the visit. The piece is, I want to write down because the writing of it is the whole arc of the year, even more beautiful than the chapbook version. The editor pulled three small lines and added one transition; the piece is sharper for the edits.

And the recipe Sunday was cheesy chicken broccoli egg skillet from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. The recipe is the kind of one-pan brunch-y dinner that the cold week needed — chicken cooked in a cast iron, broccoli florets added, four eggs cracked over the top, cheese melted on, the whole skillet finished under the broiler. Twenty-five minutes total.

The math: a pound of chicken thighs from the markdown rack $2.79, a head of broccoli $0.99, four eggs $0.32, a half cup of shredded sharp cheddar $0.50, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil. Total: about $4.60 for a dinner that fed Mama and me for two nights.

The technique is the build-and-broil. Cook the cubed chicken in olive oil in a cast iron over medium-high until just cooked through. Add the broccoli florets and three cloves of minced garlic, cook three minutes. Make four small wells in the chicken-broccoli mixture with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each well. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the whole pan. Slide under the broiler for three minutes — the egg whites set, the yolks stay slightly runny, the cheese melts and browns.

You serve from the skillet at the table. Mama said, when she ate this Sunday night, baby, this is dinner that thinks it is brunch. Yolks running into the cheese over the chicken and the broccoli, on a cold January Sunday, the magazine called the piece coming out of the printer. The week was a good week.

The recipe is below. The trick is the wells — make small depressions in the chicken-broccoli with the back of a spoon before cracking the eggs. The wells hold the eggs in place during the broil.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
4 large eggs
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley or green onion, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season generously with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
Cook the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken in a single layer and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring once, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Soften the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, add the diced onion and cook 3 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
Add broccoli and broth. Add broccoli florets and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cover and let steam 4–5 minutes until broccoli is bright green and just tender.
Return the chicken. Nestle the cooked chicken back into the skillet, distributing evenly among the broccoli. Stir gently to combine everything.
Add the eggs. Use a spoon to create 4 small wells in the mixture. Crack one egg into each well. Season each egg lightly with salt and pepper.
Melt the cheese. Scatter both cheeses evenly over the top of the skillet. Cover with a lid or foil and cook over medium-low heat 5–7 minutes, until the egg whites are fully set but the yolks are still slightly jammy. (Cook 2 minutes longer if you prefer fully set yolks.)
Garnish and serve. Remove from heat, scatter parsley or green onion over the top, and serve directly from the skillet with crusty bread, rice, or warm tortillas.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Egg Skillet — The One-Pan Brunch Dinner