Chicken in Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce with Broccoli
Roasting the garlic first gives this creamy chicken dish it's mild, yet rich flavor.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Nutritional Bonus: In numerous studies, garlic has been shown to be lipid-lowering, anticlotting, antihypertensive, antioxidant and antimicrobial. The key to the astonishingly wide range of health benefits in garlic seems to lie in a compound called allicin, which is created from the reaction of two other compounds – alliin and alliinase. Nature designed it so that the alliin and alliinase live in different parts of the garlic clove, so how you prep garlic is critical for the creation of allicin. Crushing or chopping garlic releases the enzyme alliinase, which reacts with the chemical alliin to form allicin. To get the most out of garlic’s primo health benefits, crush or chop garlic cloves (the finer the better) to join the active compounds and let them sit for 15 minutes before using.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 head garlic (whole) plus 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 4 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded about 1⁄2-inch thick
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cups broccoli florets
Preparation
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut a 10-inch square of foil and mist with cooking spray. Slice 1⁄4-inch from top of head of garlic. Place cut side up on foil and wrap tightly. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 1 hour. Set aside to cool.
- When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves out of peel into a blender; discard peels. Drain cashews and add to blender along with lemon juice and 1 cup cold water. Begin blending on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- In a large nonstick skillet on medium-high, heat 1 tsp oil. Season chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Cook, turning halfway, until browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from skillet to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Heat remaining 1/2 tsp oil in skillet. Add shallot and broccoli and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until shallot is browned and softened. Add remaining minced garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Remove to plate with chicken.
- Add cashew mixture to same skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until warmed through and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Serve over chicken and broccoli. Season with additional pepper.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 breast, 3/4 cup broccoli, 3 tbsp sauce
- Calories 305
- Carbohydrate Content 14 g
- Cholesterol Content 83 mg
- Fat Content 14 g
- Fiber Content 3 g
- Protein Content 32 g
- Saturated Fat Content 3 g
- Sodium Content 100 mg
- Sugar Content 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 2 g