Chicken Veggie Skillet

The aftermath of twenty dinners. My body is lodging a formal protest. My knees, my back, my shoulders, my feet — every joint and muscle that was involved in the three-day Thanksgiving operation is now demanding reparations in the form of rest, Epsom salt baths, and ibuprofen. I am sixty-five. I cooked for twenty people in three days. I am not apologizing for the pain. I am honoring it.

Phone calls have been coming in all week. Pastor Williams called to say thank you — four of the twenty recipients called the church to express gratitude, and one of them cried on the phone with the church secretary. Kayla said the woman who was waiting for us — the eighty-two-year-old — her name is Mrs. Crawford, and she lives alone and hasn't had a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal in three years. Three years. Three years without someone cooking for you at Thanksgiving. That is the kind of loneliness that breaks something essential, and I will not let it happen again.

Denise came by the porch and said, "Mama, you are sixty-five years old and you cannot cook twenty Thanksgiving dinners by yourself." I said, "I didn't do it by myself. Kayla drove." Denise said, "Mama." I said, "Denise." We did the look thing — the Henderson look that says more than words. Her look said: I'm worried about you. My look said: I am doing exactly what I was made to do, and you cannot stop me, and I love you for trying.

The book manuscript is at sixty-five pages. One page for every year of my life, Kayla pointed out, which is the kind of coincidence that feels like a sign. I recorded the Thanksgiving delivery story this week and Kayla said it might be the best chapter. I said, "It's not a chapter. It's just what happened." She said, "Granny, the best chapters are always just what happened."

Made chicken soup this week. Just for me. Simple, healing, the kind of cooking you do when your body needs gentleness. I ate it slowly and I rested and I was proud.

Now go on and feed somebody.

When the deliveries were done and the calls had come in and Denise had given me the look and I’d given it right back, what my body asked for wasn’t anything complicated. It asked for something warm, something with good things in it, something I could make without standing too long. This Chicken Veggie Skillet is exactly what I made — one pan, real ingredients, done in under forty minutes. Sometimes the cook has to feed herself too, and this is how I did it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut small
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. In a bowl, toss with garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until evenly coated.
Brown the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4–5 minutes until golden on the bottom. Flip and cook another 3–4 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté the aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant.
Cook the vegetables. Add the bell pepper and broccoli. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften. Add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.
Deglaze and finish. Pour in the chicken broth and sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the skillet and stir everything together. Cook for 2 minutes until the broth reduces slightly and everything is heated through.
Serve. Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and serve directly from the skillet. Good with rice, crusty bread, or entirely on its own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Veggie Skillet — Simple and Healing, Just for Me