Recipe: One-Skillet Chicken with Garlicky Broccoli and Croutons

Sometimes I look at a package of chicken breast and just sigh. I mean, I get it — it’s easy, convenient, and a wonderful blank slate for pairing with vegetables and sides. You don’t even have to think about it. And believe me, there are many times when I don’t want to think about dinner.

So when I do make chicken for dinner, I do one little thing differently: I go for skin-on and bone-in, and for good reason — split bone-in chicken breasts give you more of that roasted flavor with really no more work on your end.

Adding garlic and broccoli to the skillet also means you don’t have to cook a separate side dish. Halfway through the roasting time, I like to tear up a few pieces of crusty bread and sneak them between the caramelizing chicken and veggies in the pan. They, too, will soak up the juices and get a little crispy on top. It’s a little bit like Thanksgiving stuffing and a little bit like croutons.

If you have leftover slices of bread from trimming your skillet-sized grilled cheese into shape, they can absolutely be repurposed here. Otherwise, feel free to use whatever crusty bread you have on hand, from the heels of your breakfast loaf to that half a baguette from last weekend’s party.