Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli

There are many kinds of food that we crave, and the cravings only seem worse when we’re trying to eat healthy…

Sometimes you just need to take a day and go out for a delicious sushi dinner, a juicy burger and fries or some heavy chinese food.  I’m a big believer in a “cheat” meal – not necessarily a cheat day, but a MEAL where you just treat yourself for the all the hard work that you’ve done without feeling guilty about it.

For example, my husband loves pancakes – I mean absolutely loves them! We eat very healthy and exercise on a regular basis, but once a while you just have to crack and “splurge” and know that it won’t mess everything up.

So on those days when you have those cravings but want to stay track, you need meals like this teriyaki chicken with broccoli. It is just the right amount of sweet and spicy flavor that you love so much from those takeout dishes.

…And maybe now you can save that cheat meal for something like pancakes 🙂

Ingredients:

For the Broccoli:

2-3 cups fresh broccoli
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper

For the Chicken:

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cubed ( 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces)
3-4 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp. ground ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp. red pepper flake

Directions:

1. First you will cook up the broccoli, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
2. Add 1 tbsp. minced garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
3. Then add your broccoli and toss to combine all ingredients.
4. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until broccoli is tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. Next you will cook up the chicken, in a skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil on medium heat.
7. Add cubed chicken and cook about 5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness of chicken), adding salt and pepper as it cooks.
8. While the chicken is cooking you can make the sauce.
9. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together soy sauce, garlic, ginger, honey and red pepper flake on medium to low heat.
10. In a small measuring cup whisk together 1/3 cup of water and 2 tsp. cornstarch.
11. Slowly add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and heat until sauce has thickened (about 5 minutes). Set aside when done.
12. Finally, mix everything together – add the broccoli to the pan with chicken and then add the sauce and toss until fully combined.
13. Top with green onions and enjoy.

Tip: Top chicken on a bed of whole grain rice for a wholesome delicious meal!

Nutritional Information:

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1/4 of the skillet

Calories: 275
Fat: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Sodium: 913 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 22 g
Protein: 30 g