One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli - Fast Food Friday
This simple recipe for One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with broccoli and penne is perfect for busy weeknights. Made in one pot, tossed with penne and broccoli it's fast, fresh, and satisfying.
Fast food Fridays! Also known as how I cook in real life most days. AFTER all the recipe development. Minus all the photo shoots.
Of course we eat EVERYTHING I share here. Many of those recipes fall squarely in my weekly rotation. But Fast Food Friday is a little peek into me, hungry boys, limited time, and zero desire to go back to the grocery store.
Fast Food Fridays are all about fewer photos, fewer words, and good food you can feed your family. One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli and Penne is a simple, budget-friendly recipe, and it has come together easily for me every time.
But since I published this recipe in 2016 I've had lots of questions in the comments, so I spent some time revisiting this to give you some tips and tricks so that your One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli will turn out every time. It's the easiest - I promise.
What do I need to make One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli?
First things first - for this recipe you DO need an oven safe pot. A cast iron skillet will work, but I have never had one that's quite deep enough. I use this Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Dutch Oven. I've had it for a couple of years and it had help up okay. If you are looking for a kitchen item to splurge on (or people are looking to buy you presents) DEFINITELY go for the Le Creuset Dutch Oven. 7.4 quarts if you can swing it. The next size down will be a little small.
Aside from an oven safe pot that's deep enough for this whole meal, you will also need:
- olive oil
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; wings and drumsticks also work!
- kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- garlic
- cooking liquid; I recommend wine (or beer!) and chicken broth
- dry penne pasta
- fresh broccoli florets
- Parmesan cheese
You'll notice in some of these photos I used wings and drummettes here; I didn't change anything about the preparation that round. I just accidentally bought a few odd packages of chicken. And since Fast Food Fridays are all about keeping it real, I made the executive decision to just roll with it. Now you know that you can accidentally buy wings or drumsticks and it's all good.
Liberal Salt and Pepper
Season your chicken WELL. Seriously. Don't skimp. This salt + pepper and the garlic is how you are seasoning this entire dish, so grab your salt and pepper and USE IT. You'll want to season both sides of the chicken pieces before cooking them, and I like to go heavy on the side with the skin. That way when you are cooking with the skin-side down you are sealing in all the flavor, but also are seasoning the oil you'll be cooking everything else in.
Someone once commented that her finished dish was lacking flavor, and if that was the case, this is for sure where she went wrong.
How Much Liquid Do I Need?
This is the part of the recipe that seems to trip everyone up. So first let's talk about a one pot pasta versus traditional pasta.
With traditional pasta you are draining the excess water from the pan. With one pot pasta you want the pasta to soak it all up. This means that measurements matter. Too much liquid and you have a soupy mess. Not enough and your pasta isn't done.
The first time you are adding liquid to this recipe is to quickly braise the chicken after browning. In order you are going to brown the chicken, skin-side down to get the skin nice and crisp. Turn it and cook for another 3-4 minutes, and then for the best results here, remove the chicken to a plate so that you can add and cook your garlic. Once you've sauteed the garlic, you are adding 1 ½ cups of liquid to deglaze the pan and then braise the chicken.
My favorite way is to use ¾ cup white wine to loosen all the garlicky goodness. That lets most of the alcohol start to evaporate BEFORE you put the pan in the oven. Then add ¾ cup chicken broth, add the chicken back to the pan SKIN SIDE UP, and bake uncovered.
One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli
One Pot Garlic Chicken Thighs with Broccoli is a super quick and easy meal to make in a pinch. Crisp chicken thighs, garlic, penne pasta, and tender broccoli florets - you can't go wrong!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper (or to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth - see notes
- 2 ⅔ cups dry penne pasta (approximately ⅔ cup per person)
- 5 cups fresh broccoli florets
- garnish with a little more olive oil and Parmesan cheese if desired
Instructions
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large OVEN SAFE Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high.
- Step 2
Sprinkle the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper and place them in the heated Dutch oven skin-side-down. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes. You want to crisp the skin. Turn the chicken and cook for 3-4 more minutes, adding the garlic after 2 mins. Move the garlic around so it cooks and becomes fragrant but DOES NOT burn.
- Step 3
Add the liquid to the hot pot and then place it in the oven. Cook for 20 mins or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 160°F.
- Step 4
CAREFULLY place the hot dutch oven on a burner. Remove the chicken. Leave the liquid and cooked bits. Add 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook for about 6 minutes. Then add the broccoli florets. Stir and cover.
- Step 5
Cook for 3 more minutes or until the broccoli is tender but still bright green and the pasta is al dente.
- Step 6
Garnish with a little more olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- You DO need an oven safe pot for this recipe to be "one pot".
- If you don't have a cast iron Dutch oven (or enameled like Le Creuset) don't fret!! You can use a cast iron skillet for the chicken and then just cook the pasta on the stove according to package instructions, adding the broccoli florets to the boiling water near the end. If this is the method you choose you will need to drain the excess liquid.
- Notes on the liquid: I use whatever I have handy. If I have an open bottle of wine I didn't love, I use that. Beer always works. The different liquids will change the flavor slightly, but in a good way! DO NOT USE ONLY WINE OR BEER though, or you are in danger of creating a tiny explosion in your oven. Temper the wine or beer with broth or water.
- If you want to cook the whole pound of pasta you will need closer to 4 cups of water or broth in step 4.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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POPCO Set of 3-7,9,12 Inch, Heavy Duty, Non- Stick, Stainless Steel Silicone Kitchen Tongs .Heat Resistant (Up to 480F) & BPA FREE.(Can also be used as BBQ Turners.) -
Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 7-¼-Quart Round French (Dutch) Oven, Flame -
Lodge EC6D43 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6-Quart, Island Spice Red
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Cholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
I never leave food reviews and after reading so many negative comments I was SUPER skeptical how this dish would turn out. Let me just say, it freakin’ rocked!! My 4 year old loved it, I loved it and so did my husband! We didn’t use any wine, just chicken stock and we were fresh out of Parmesan so we used sharp cheddar, but man oh man, we’re definitely adding this to our rotation! I’m glad I found your recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review, Kristin! This is definitely one of our faves. So glad you enjoyed!
Followed this recipe as written (with exception of 4 chicken thighs as opposed to 6) and it came out great in the Dutch oven. One note I think people miss is to remove the chicken from the pot before adding the liquid. After sautéing the garlic, add the wine first to deglaze the pan and soak up the garlic flavor, then add the chicken broth. You can then put the chicken back in before putting in the oven. I used just 2 cups of water for the pasta portion and it worked perfectly, all of the liquid was soaked up by the pasta by the end and it was very tasty. I used caserecce pasta. Great recipe!
Thank you Jeff! So glad you enjoyed it!
this recipe cannot be written correctly. I can cook and I cook A LOT. I am making this right now and first of all, I had to put the chicken under the broiler after removing it from the oven. It will never stay that crispy by soaking in liquid.. Also, the chicken thighs you used must be tiny because 6 chicken thighs barely fit in the bottom of my "high end" dutch oven. There was no room to even add the garlic
The amount of liquid vs the pasta would most defiantly be too much. Knowing this, I added a whole box of pasta (why would you call for 2 and 2/3 cups?). Anyway, even with a whole box of pasta, there is waaaay to much liquid.
I'm serving it now and the flavor is bland. Not impressed at all with recipe.
I just bought a dutch oven and was looking for recipes that my super picky boys might like. This recipe really works well for our family, and was a breeze to prepare. The chicken is savory and not overpowering for developing palettes, the penne is a fun new shape for my little guys and adds a nice texture, and the broccoli is a familiar favorite. This no-fuss recipe is being added to our weekly rotation.
Thank you so much,Sarah! I am so glad you guys enjoyed this!
Making this now for the first time and figured I'd jump on the wine band wagon and have a glass 🙂
Um yes. Wine required.
Hope you enjoy, Rachel!
Would this be good with brussel sprouts instead of broccoli? Or is the flavor profile too far off? I'm really looking forward to trying it, but I've got a load of brussel sprouts that I'd like to use before going out and buying broccoli. Thanks!
You can definitely try it! Brussels sprouts DO take a little longer to cook though so i would half or quarter them to help with cook time 🙂
Judy Roberts, love your feedback!!!
Had me giggling!!! Hope my dish turns out well. I too am very spectacle about the 4 cups of liquid, I'm contemplating making the penne pasta in a separate pot. I'm doing a California medley with broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. We will see how this turns out! ? I did add rosemary, thyme and the four cloves of garlic. I used chicken broth as my liquid. However I did use three leg quarters instead of thighs fingers crossed!
I followed it to a T, except I only had boneless skinless thighs. It was a soupy bland mess, I reread the instructions thinking I must have missed something, but I didn’t. I will say that I should have used chicken broth instead of water. I put red peppe flakes and garlic salt to try and help it get some umph. I wish this would have been better.
So ... "followed it to a T" does not include using boneless skinless chicken thighs
You did it wrong. I wish you were a better cook. Sorry :/
I only made the chicken part of this and I threw in some small carrots like I THOUGHT the recipe said. Lol I was recipe surfing. However , the chicken AND carrots were Awesome!! I used chix stock for the liquid and garlic powder instead. Lol I was out of the real stuff. I also threw some sweet paprika on it. So good! My go to now for chicken thighs! Thanks for great recipe!
Thanks Chip! Paprika - YASSSS
Can I use boneless chicken thighs in this recipe? How would I change the cooking time?
Follow up...I had made fried cabbage Creole seasoning, for a side.....put it on our plates and every single one of us talking never noticed your dish ended up overlapping and it really gave it a zing (for the lady who thought it was bland!
The cabbage sounds AMAZINGGGG
First, the recipe was great..eventually...I'm 70..husband is 72.....we are disabled and believe it or not..it took us over 2 1/2 hours to make it...I read and saw the comments about way too much liquid or mushy. So as literate as I am...no sweat! Wrong... have no Dutch oven (got rid of 20 yrs ago when I found out I have no arm sockets left..overuse...so to make; it took 3 spaghetti pots/ 3 med size bowls/3 lids/1 too small iron skillet 2 measuring cups 2 aluminum pie tins./ strainer and many assorted hand tools. Lol......it all boiled down to the liquid here..the liquid there (pardon the pun)..being disabled and having the recipe in your pocket on the cell phone., having chicken all over your hands..grease ALL over floor, stove and counters. After many starts stops..rereading, rereading again,refilling liquid containers because we realized you meant something else...used up a 1/2 bottle of wine, then 1/2 box ckn broth..then water...didn't know when to put chicken back in...finally we actually realized they were whole in pic..I got cooking scissors and cut into bite sized pieces, stirred in mozzarella and parmesean.mixed and everyone said GREAT! AND As dumb as we must be..shoot we can make it in our sleep now!!!! Now it all makes sense! Thanks....gotta subscribe..i think I have to..it was really good!
Hi Judy! Thank you so much for this hilarious review. I'm glad it all worked out. I feel like we need to talk about Dutch ovens though. You gotta get one!
Told my husband that was on list for payday!! I just hope theu come in smaller size than huge...one of my sons brought his at Christmas and I could hardly lift the lid.. I'll be looking online. Can't use sons, he is 7 hours away. (Looking for my next recipe with your wide variety for tonight)!
Thanks Judy! ???? Target has some good options: https://www.target.com/s/dutch+oven+kitchenaid
I have one like this: https://www.target.com/p/tramontina-5-5-quart-cast-iron-dutch-oven-blue/-/A-14862818#lnk=sametab
Made this recipe tonight for dinner. I made a few changes just to add some flavor. In a zip lock bag I added the broccoli with some mushrooms. I poured olive oil over it and added a few spices. Then I added some Parmesan cheese and shredded Romano cheese. I mixed that all up in the bag and added it to the noodles at the appropriate time. I also added Thyme to the seasoning on the chicken. Also I used wine for the liquid because then I could have a glass while I cooked! Score! This meal was fabulous and for those of you who said it was liquid mess, your crazy the liquid that was left over created a wonderful sauce..
yasssss WINE. Thanks so much, Jill! ????
Can u make this with a regular glass baking dish?
I'm not sure how you'd start that on the stove? It would be a pretty different recipe. It could be done but I'd have to write you new instructions!
I found this to be soupy and bland.
Me too, i followed the exact instructions. I am not a pro in the kitchen but i can follow a recipe. i think it’s too much oil and too much liquid. My did not thicken up at all
@suzanne, I make this at least one example a month never bland or soupy
Thanks so much, Catherine!
My first liquid addition was chicken broth. I didn't add all the 4 cups of water, about half. I added a couple tablespoons of butter. At the end of cooking time I added 1 cup of spaghetti sauce and melted parmesan cheese on top.
Thanks Mickey!