Sandra Crispy chicken with creamy broccoli and potato skillet is a Turkish-style dinner made with spiced marinated chicken in a breadcrumb coating, served alongside broccoli and potatoes in a cheesy cream sauce. Crunchy, golden chicken next to a rich, saucy side.
The marinade needs time. Three to four hours is the minimum, but overnight is better. The milk and egg mixture tenderises the chicken and the spices soak right through to the centre. If you skip the wait and just coat the chicken straight away, the seasoning sits on the surface and the meat tastes bland inside. Patience here is the difference between chicken that’s flavoured all the way through and chicken that’s just coated.
The cream sauce for the potatoes and broccoli starts with a roux. Cooking the flour in butter and oil until it smells biscuity takes about two minutes and gets rid of the raw flour taste that ruins a cream sauce. I add the milk and cream together, whisk until smooth, and let it thicken before the potatoes go in. The broccoli goes in last so it keeps a bit of bite instead of turning to mush.
Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 500g (1lb 2oz) chicken breast, sliced into 5 thin fillets
- 1 egg
- 125ml (4fl oz) milk
- 125g (4oz) plain flour
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
For the Coating
- 150g (5oz) fine breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the Creamy Broccoli and Potatoes
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets
- 200ml (7fl oz) double cream
- 200ml (7fl oz) milk
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1.5 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Salt, to taste
- 75g (3oz) cheddar or kashkaval cheese, grated
How To Make Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet
- Marinate the chicken: Whisk together the egg, milk, flour, curry powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin and salt in a bowl until smooth. Add the chicken slices and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight for the best flavour.
- Part-cook the potatoes and broccoli: Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender but still holding their shape, about 12-15 minutes. In a separate pan, blanch the broccoli florets for 5 minutes, then drain. Set both aside.
- Make the cream sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced red onion and cook, stirring often, until soft and starting to caramelise, about 5-6 minutes. Add the butter and flour, stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the flour smells biscuity and loses its raw taste. Pour in the milk and cream together, whisking as you go to avoid lumps. Add the black pepper and salt. Let it simmer and thicken for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the vegetables: Stir the par-boiled potatoes into the cream sauce. Add the blanched broccoli and cook together for 10 minutes on a gentle heat until the potatoes have absorbed some sauce and the broccoli is tender. Stir in the grated cheese until melted and combined.
- Coat and fry the chicken: Remove the chicken from the marinade and press each slice firmly into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides well. Heat enough vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until deep golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve: Plate the creamy broccoli and potatoes alongside the crispy chicken. Serve straight away while the chicken is still crunchy and the sauce is hot.
Recipe Tips
Marinate overnight if you can. The difference between 3 hours and overnight is noticeable. The spices penetrate deeper and the milk tenderises the chicken more, giving you softer meat under the crispy shell.
Don’t fully cook the potatoes before adding to the sauce. They finish cooking in the cream sauce and absorb the flavour as they do. Fully cooked potatoes turn mushy and fall apart when stirred.
Add the broccoli last. It only needs 10 minutes in the sauce to go tender. Adding it with the potatoes overcooks it and you end up with grey, mushy florets instead of green ones with a bit of bite.
Press the breadcrumbs on firmly. The marinade is the glue. Press each slice into the breadcrumbs with your palm so they stick on both sides. A light dip won’t hold and the coating falls off in the pan.
Fry the chicken on medium, not high. High heat browns the coating before the chicken is cooked through. Medium heat gives you time for both to finish together, golden outside and no pink inside.
What To Serve With Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet
The creamy potatoes and broccoli are the side, so you don’t need much else. A simple green salad or some sliced tomatoes freshen the plate.
If you want something extra, warm flatbread or plain rice soaks up the cream sauce. A wedge of lemon squeezed over the chicken just before eating lifts the whole plate.
How To Store Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet
Fridge
Store the chicken and the creamy vegetables separately in sealed containers for up to 2 days. The chicken coating softens in the fridge but the flavour holds.
Reheat
Warm the chicken in the oven at 190°C (375°F/Gas Mark 5) for 8-10 minutes to crisp the coating back up. Reheat the creamy vegetables in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of milk if the sauce has thickened too much. Microwaving the chicken makes the breadcrumbs chewy.
Freeze
Freeze the cooked chicken and the creamy vegetables separately in sealed containers for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Re-crisp the chicken in the oven. The cream sauce may need a stir and a splash of milk after thawing as it can separate slightly.
Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 of 4): Calories: 720kcal, Protein: 40g, Fat: 38g, Carbohydrates: 55g, Sugar: 8g, Sodium: 850mg. Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes, place the coated chicken on a lined tray, spray with a little oil, and bake at 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway. The coating won’t be quite as crispy as frying but it works well.
The flour wasn’t cooked out before the liquid went in, or the milk and cream were added too quickly. Cook the flour for a full 1-2 minutes, then add the liquid gradually while whisking constantly.
Yes, boneless thighs stay juicier and have more flavour. Slice them to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate as the coating crisps.
Crispy Chicken with Creamy Broccoli and Potato Skillet
Description
Thin chicken fillets marinated in spiced milk batter, coated in breadcrumbs and fried golden, served with broccoli and potatoes in a thick, cheesy cream sauce.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade:
For the Coating:
For the Creamy Broccoli and Potatoes:
Instructions
- Whisk egg, milk, flour, curry powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin and salt, add chicken slices, cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Boil potatoes until just tender, blanch broccoli for 5 minutes, drain both and set aside.
- Cook diced red onion in olive oil until caramelised, add butter and flour, stir 1-2 minutes, pour in milk and cream, whisk until smooth and thickened.
- Add potatoes to the sauce, then broccoli, cook 10 minutes on low heat, stir in grated cheese until melted.
- Press marinated chicken into breadcrumbs on both sides, fry 3-4 minutes per side over medium heat until golden and cooked through, serve alongside the creamy vegetables.
