Winter Garden High Protein (Printable)
A vibrant skillet combining winter vegetables, lean protein, and spices for a warm and filling dish.
# List of ingredients:
→ Protein
01 - 14 oz skinless chicken breast, diced (substitute firm tofu for vegetarian option)
02 - 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
04 - 1 small red onion, diced
05 - 1 large carrot, sliced
06 - 5 oz Brussels sprouts, halved
07 - 2 cups baby spinach
→ Aromatics & Spices
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
10 - 1 tsp dried thyme
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
12 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Liquids & Fats
13 - 2 tbsp olive oil
14 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
→ Garnish
15 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 1 oz feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced chicken breast and cook until browned and fully cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside. For vegetarian option, pan-fry tofu until golden on all sides.
02 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Sauté red onion, garlic, sweet potato, carrot, and Brussels sprouts for 5 to 6 minutes until they begin to soften.
03 - Sprinkle smoked paprika, thyme, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper over vegetables. Stir well to evenly coat all ingredients.
04 - Return chickpeas and cooked chicken to the skillet. Pour in broth, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender.
05 - Uncover skillet and stir in baby spinach. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until spinach wilts.
06 - Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and crumbled feta cheese if desired. Serve warm.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Everything happens in one skillet—cleanup is blissfully simple, leaving you more time to actually enjoy your meal instead of washing dishes for an hour
- It's loaded with 38 grams of protein per serving, so you'll feel genuinely satisfied for hours without that sluggish, overstuffed feeling
- The mix of textures and colors is so visually stunning that it feels restaurant-quality, yet it comes together faster than takeout delivery
- Naturally gluten-free and adaptable to vegetarian diets, so everyone at your table can enjoy it without substitution apologies
02 -
- Don't skip the step of removing the chicken before adding the other vegetables—cooking everything together at once leads to either undercooked potatoes or overcooked chicken, and there's no winning that race. Removing it first guarantees perfect doneness for everything.
- The smoked paprika is absolutely non-negotiable for this dish. Regular paprika is fine in a pinch, but smoked paprika creates a completely different emotional experience—it's the difference between 'nice dinner' and 'wow, where did you learn to cook?'
- If your sweet potato pieces are much larger than your carrot pieces, they'll take longer to cook. Keep them roughly the same size, or cut the sweet potato slightly smaller. This is a one-pan dish, and timing is everything.
03 -
- Keep your knife sharp when prepping the vegetables—a dull knife makes this task tedious and actually bruises the vegetables slightly, which affects how they cook. Ten minutes of prep with a sharp knife is infinitely better than twenty minutes with a dull one.
- If you find the spices aren't singing as loudly as you'd like, add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the very end. It's not about making it taste lemony; it's about making all the other flavors suddenly more present and vibrant, like turning up the volume on your favorite song.
- For an even heartier meal, serve this alongside quinoa or brown rice, or nestled into a grain bowl with tahini drizzle. The skillet is complete on its own, but it also plays beautifully with other elements.