This Cheese Chicken recipe is an easy skillet meal with perfectly cooked chicken smothered in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli. Spoon this sauce over baked potatoes and you have a complete meal that your family will love!

A skillet of Chicken in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli.

Cheese Chicken

How have I not thought of creating a recipe like this before?! I am a huge fan of chicken, cheese, and broccoli…and cooking it all together in a single skillet is such an easy way to get a complete meal on the table that your family will love.

I love serving this with baked potatoes. There is plenty of creamy broccoli cheese sauce to spoon right on top of each and every one. 

Want to take this over the top? Cook up some crispy bacon to sprinkle on top at the end. (And reserve some bacon drippings to make the roux or cook your chicken in.) – You won’t believe the flavor!

Scroll down to see how to make it, read through my PRO tips, get storage information, and more.

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Slice the chicken into 3 thinner slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge in flour mixture. Sear in olive oil for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside. 

Wipe away any excess oil but leave the chicken remnants in the pan. Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.

Seared and seasoned chicken on a plate next to a skillet of roux to make cheese chicken.

Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the milk in the same manner. Add the seasonings, hot sauce, and broccoli. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle bubble and cook the broccoli for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

A skillet of a creamy roux with broccoli for cheese chicken.

Slowly stir in the cheddar and Parmesan until combined. Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Let it heat through for 5 minutes. Garnish with bacon if desired and serve with baked potatoes.

A skillet with cheese and broccoli being mixed into cheese sauce for cheese chicken.

Pro Tips

  • Optional: Cook 6 strips thick cut bacon and set aside to crumble and garnish on top of this meal. Reserve the bacon drippings and use it to cook the chicken in or make the roux with instead of butter.
  • If your chicken is smaller in size, feel free to use 3-4 instead of 2.
  • To control the sodium content in this recipe: Use unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth. You can also refrain from seasoning the chicken with salt.
  • To ensure a smooth and creamy consistency: Ensure the base of the sauce isn’t too hot when you stir in the shredded cheese. If it’s too hot, the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency.
  • Always shred the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than bagged shredded cheese.
  • Pound the chicken with the textured side of the meat mallet to create texture on the surface of the chicken. This gives the breading something to cling onto, tenderizes the meat, and makes it juicier.
  • The hot sauce enhances the other flavors in the cheese sauce but doesn’t make it spicy.
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 103!

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • This is the skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
  • Meat Tenderizer – Using this tool really does make the chicken more tender, you’ll barely have to chew it!
  • Kitchen Tongs– makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing and even easier to flip individual mushroom slices as they cook.
  • Box Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block. Packaged shredded cheese doesn’t melt nearly as well. 
  • Garlic Twister– Makes it quick & easy to mince garlic and it takes very little storage space. I always recommend using fresh garlic vs. jarred.

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A white plate with Cheese Chicken with bacon on top with broccoli and a baked potato.

A skillet filled with Cheese Chicken in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli.

Cheese Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
5 from 8 ratings
Servings: 4 people
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This Cheese Chicken recipe is an easy skillet meal with perfectly cooked chicken smothered in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli. Spoon this sauce over baked potatoes and you have a complete meal!

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 6 strips thick-cut bacon, optional-see notes
  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt/Pepper
  • 3 teaspoons Italian seasonings
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely shredded
  • 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cups milk
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 ½ cups broccoli florets, finely chopped so they cook quickly
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely shredded

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Combine the flour and shredded Parmesan cheese and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients prior to beginning.
  • Slice the chicken into 2-3 thinner slices. Pound with a meat tenderizer if needed, the chicken will plump up more when cooked. Aim for ½ inch thick slices. Pat the chicken completely dry.

Cook the Chicken

  • Season each side of the chicken with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning. Dredge in flour mixture and tap off excess.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 pieces of chicken, leaving room around each. Sauté for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden brown crust has developed. Remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
  • Pro Tips: Make slight adjustments to the heat, (up or down), as needed during cooking. Add an additional splash of olive oil if needed throughout cooking. Try to leave the chicken undisturbed as it cooks to get a nice crusty sear.

Make the Sauce

  • Wipe excess oil from the pan but leave the chicken remnants. This is called “fond” and it will give the sauce more flavor.
  • Melt the butter over medium heat and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Do this slowly to keep the sauce nice and thick. Add the milk in the same manner.
  • Add the seasonings, hot sauce, and broccoli.
  • Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a gentle bubble. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the broccoli is softened.
  • Reduce heat to low and let the base cool slightly. Slowly sprinkle in the cheddar and Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously, until combined.
  • Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Allow the chicken to heat through for 5 minutes, uncovered. Garnish with bacon if desired and serve with baked potatoes.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • If your chicken is smaller in size: Feel free to use 3-4 instead of 2.
  • To control the sodium content in this recipe: Use unsalted butter and low sodium chicken broth. You can also refrain from seasoning the chicken with salt.
  • To ensure a smooth and creamy consistency: Ensure the base of the sauce isn’t too hot when you stir in the shredded cheese. If it’s too hot, the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency. Always shred the cheese from a block as it will melt and taste much better than bagged shredded cheese.
  • Pound the chicken with the textured side of the meat mallet to create texture on the surface of the chicken. This gives the breading something to cling onto, tenderizes the meat, and makes it juicier.
  • The hot sauce enhances the other flavors in the cheese sauce but doesn't make it spicy.
  • Optional: Cook 6 strips thick cut bacon and set aside to crumble and garnish on top of this meal. Reserve the bacon drippings and use it to cook the chicken in or make the roux with instead of butter.
  • This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 103!
The nutritional facts assume that all of the flour is used for dredging but you'll likely have a little excess. Nutritional information is per serving, there are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 687kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 47g, Saturated Fat: 23g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 138mg, Sodium: 986mg, Potassium: 719mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1514IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 744mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie