Chicken and Broccoli Skillet Bake.

All the cozy flavors of broccoli-cheddar night, baked in one skillet with juicy chicken and melty cheese. The twist? Spiralized broccoli stems stand in for pasta—fun, light, and zero-waste.

It’s weeknight-easy, family-friendly, and smells incredible as it bubbles away. Here’s how to nail the creamy, cheesy bake without overcooking the chicken.

Why you’ll love this

• Cheesy comfort with lighter “noodles” from spiralized stems.
• One-skillet bake → quick prep, easy cleanup.
• Flexible add-ins: rice, quinoa, or sweet potato.

Ingredient Notes

• Chicken: breasts are leaner and thighs are juicier and more forgiving. Both work! You could even use rotisserie chicken. Pat dry for better browning.
• Broccoli: use florets + peeled stems (peel fibrous skin before spiralizing).
• Cheeses: cheddar + havarti for melt + stretch; grate from blocks for best texture.
• Aromatics & binder: garlic/onion; a little broth/cream/yogurt (per your recipe) to bring everything together.
• Crunch/finish (optional): toasted breadcrumbs or pine nuts for texture.

Recipe Inspiration

Today I am sharing an amazing recipe from my friend Ali’s cookbook. Some of you may already be familiar with Ali’s blog and book, both are aptly named Inspiralized, and honestly, this book is the best! So creative and filled to the brim with healthy yet satisfying recipes. Like if you are looking for new ways to use up all those end of summer veggies, this is your book! You will see veggies in a whole new light.

Growing up, one of my favorite dishes my dad would make us was a broccoli cheddar and rice dish. It was always so comforting, it’s still the best. So when I saw the recipe for chicken and broccoli skillet bake with not only cheddar, but havarti too, I was sold. Done and done.

Here’s the really cool thing about this recipe, not only does it use the broccoli florets, but it also uses the stems. I cannot tell you how many broccoli stems I have thrown out over the years. It turns out that the stems are actually really delicious! What Ali does is to spiralize the broccoli stems into pasta, yes, pasta!! I mean, how fun is that?!?

Aside from being fun, spiralizing the broccoli also breaks down the stems into a much smaller form making them far tastier and easy to chomp on. And when mixed with the broccoli florets, chicken and cheese? It’s the perfect light and healthy dinner for any time of the year.

Step by Step Instructions

Prep the broccoli “noodles”

• Trim and peel stems; spiralize on a medium setting so they hold a tender bite.
• If stems release moisture, toss with a pinch of salt and blot before cooking to avoid watery sauce.
• No spiralizer? Julienne or thinly slice stems; the goal is quick-cooking strands.

Cook the chicken (skillet cues)

• Season and sear in a hot, lightly oiled skillet until lightly browned on both sides.

Build the skillet bake

• Sauté spices and veggies, add florets and stems until bright green and just tender-crisp.
• Fold in chicken and your sauce base; season to taste.
• Scatter cheddar + havarti over top.

Bake—how to tell it’s ready

• Cheese should be fully melted and bubbling at the edges; top lightly golden.
• Center should look set, not soupy. Let rest a few minutes for cleaner scoops.

Recipe Tips

• If you’re looking to make the dish a little heartier, I highly recommend mixing in some quinoa or white or brown rice. There’s just something I LOVE so much about rice with broccoli and cheese.
• Ali also recommends adding a sweet potato to the mix, which I also think would be so great! Totally trying that next time!
• Adding a few hard boiled eggs at the end is something my dad would always do with his dish. Hard boiled, fried or poached would all work. Totally one of my favorite things to this day!

Make-ahead, storage & reheat

• Make-ahead: Assemble up to the bake step; cover and chill. Bake just before serving until hot and bubbling.
• Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; broccoli will soften but flavors meld nicely.
• Reheat: Warm gently in the skillet or oven until hot and the cheese re-melts; add a splash of broth

One of best parts about this recipe is how quick and easy it is to make. Just a handful of simple ingredients and a skillet. Perfect for busy weeknights and SO perfect for these cooler nights some of you might be starting to experience? Or maybe not… my point is that this is healthy comfort food at its best, so it’s perfect for one of those first cooler days of fall…can you feel my excitement that fall is almost here?

Major fall thoughts on the brain!

And speaking of fall, I’m pretty sure I met my new best favorite person ever on Tuesday. See, I was having this little video shoot (no big deal or anything, but… you guys might just be getting a barn video tour coming your way soon…) and I met the kindest women ever. I mean, everyone who came on Tuesday was incredibly kind and I fell in love with them all, but MC? MC shared my love of fall, Halloween and all the holidays (but Halloween the most…that’s MC’s all-time favorite holiday!). I’m quite positive I could talk with her for hours and hours and we would have the BEST time. She also just puts you in a happy mood… Love That!

Every single one of the women who came up for this shoot were so incredibly kind. I cannot wait to share a bit more about the day with you guys. And um, those final barn photos you all have been waiting so patiently for…definitely coming soon!

Ali has kindly offered to give one reader a copy of her book and a brand new spiralizer! I know, isn’t she just the nicest? Here’s the deal, if you want a chance to win a copy of the book and a brand new spiralizer, simply leave a comment on today’s post answering this question:

What is one recipe you are dying to try that involves spiralized veggies?

And that’s it, then you will be entered! I will email the winner in a week! Until then, everyone should be making this recipe for dinner ASAP.

Mmm, k?? Cool! 🙂