Spiralized Broccoli and Chicken Cheesy Marinara Bake
Try this Spiralized Broccoli and Chicken Cheesy Marinara Bake recipe
Try this Spiralized Broccoli and Chicken Cheesy Marinara Bake recipe
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast chopped into cubes
- 1 large head of broccoli stem spiralized with blade d, florets chopped
- 1/4 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1/3 upjarred marinara sauce
- parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)
- Carbohydrate 0.637668333657258 g
- Cholesterol 189.624226990818 mg
- Fat 29.9280630155284 g
- Fiber 0.034649998664856 g
- Protein 58.1183862277536 g
- Saturated Fat 8.82776420643273 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (284g)
- Sodium 303.666213322386 mg
- Sugar 0.603018334992402 g
- Trans Fat 2.53900503867969 g
- Calories 519 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat the oil in a medium oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the chicken and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for 7 minutes or until no longer pink on the inside and lightly browned.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Add in the broccoli and broccoli noodles, season with salt and pepper, and toss.
- Add in the chicken broth, toss, and cook for 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
- Add back the cooked chicken and remove from the heat and pour over the marinara sauce and stir to combine.
- Place the mixture into a small casserole dish or keep it in the skillet and top with the cheese and bake in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
When preparing this dish for a larger group, scaling quantities requires careful attention to surface area rather than just multiplying numbers. Doubling the recipe from two servings to four means moving from a medium oven-safe skillet to a wide three-quart baking dish, ensuring the broccoli noodles retain enough exposure to circulate heat without steaming in pooled moisture. Glass and ceramic dishes conduct heat differently than cast iron or carbon steel, often demanding an extra three to five minutes in a 400 degree oven to achieve properly melted mozzarella.
Combining poultry, brassicas, and tomato sauce draws loose inspiration from classic Italian-American parmigiana preparations, substituting traditional grain-based pasta or breaded cutlets with fiber-dense stem noodles. Spiralizing the tough broccoli stalks utilizes structural cellulose that would otherwise go to waste, transforming dense stalks into tender strands when cooked briefly in chicken broth for five minutes. The low-sodium broth creates a controlled steaming environment that softens the fibrous cell walls before the mixture encounters high heat in the oven.
Adjusting the proportions of jarred marinara sauce and cheese alters the moisture balance significantly. Adding extra tomato sauce requires reducing the initial chicken broth by half to prevent a watery casserole during the final five-minute melt phase.
