Lemon Garlic Chicken with Broccoli Rice

For a balanced meal, try this lemon garlic chicken with broccoli rice, fresh orange, crumbled feta, and harissa yogurt. Just because it's healthy doesn't mean it has to be boring!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Greek yogurt: Use plain Greek yogurt as the base of the harissa yogurt, which has a thicker consistency than regular yogurt.
• Rose harissa: A North African chili paste, rose harissa is made from a variety of roasted red peppers, spices, and herbs. What sets it apart from traditional harissa is the addition of rose petals or rose water, which lends a floral aroma and subtle sweetness to the spicy paste. I use Belazu Rose Harissa for this recipe. If you can't find rose harissa, substitute it with regular harissa.
• Orange: You can use any type of orange, including navel, Cara Cara, blood orange, or raspberry orange.
• Almonds: The nuts add a crunchy texture and flavor to the rice.
• Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh for this recipe but you can also use bone-in chicken. If you use bone-in chicken, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
• Feta: The briny, crumbled cheese adds a tangy, salty flavor to the dish while also providing a creamy, savory element.
• Herbs: Using fresh herbs such as dill, scallions, and mint increases the overall dish's flavor.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: Although chicken is usually the star protein, you can substitute it with salmon, steak, tempeh, shrimp, or any other protein.
• Other toppings: If you don't like feta, you can use goat cheese instead. If you don't like almonds, you can replace them with any other nut, such as pine nuts or walnuts.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Broccoli Rice

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: chicken, rice

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Harissa yogurt

• ½ cup Greek yogurt plain
• 1 tablespoon rose harissa
• ⅓ cup grated cucumber

Broccoli rice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground fennel
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 orange peeled, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup chopped mint
• ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
• juice of ½ lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Lemon garlic chicken

• 1 pound chicken breast or thighs skinless, boneless
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh dill
• ¼ cup crumbled feta

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium heat.
• Make harissa yogurt. Combine yogurt with harissa and grated cucumber in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli florets and cover the pan. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and add garlic, coriander, fennel, and rice. Stir to combine and cook until rice is warm, about 4-5 minutes.
• Remove rice from heat and add orange, scallions, mint, and almonds. Season rice with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until well combined and set aside.
• Season chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Lay chicken on grill and cook grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and continue to cook until juices run clear. Remove chicken from grill and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, make lemon garlic sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add parsley, thyme, and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Spoon sauce over chicken.
• Portion rice into 4 bowls and lay chicken on top. Place a generous dollop of harissa yogurt on top and sprinkle fresh dill, toasted sliced almonds, and crumbled feta. Serve immediately.

Notes

The harissa yogurt can be prepared the day before.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make broccoli rice

When trying to think of a new summer recipe, I thought about the broccoli-orange salad from Souplantation. I know it might sound strange, but I loved their broccoli-orange salad. Who knew that broccoli and oranges go so well together? So I took that idea and ran with it.

Let's start with the broccoli rice. Cut a head of broccoli into small florets. You don't want to cut them too big since they will be mixed with the rice.

Cook the broccoli in a large saute pan until the thick stems are fork-tender. Then, add the seasonings, including garlic, coriander, fennel, and cooked rice. I used brown rice, but you can also use white rice or another type of grain, like quinoa or farro.

Stir everything together and cook until the rice is warm. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the fresh orange, scallions, mint, and toasted almonds. You can serve the broccoli rice cold and enjoy it more like a salad, or serve it warm as I did.

Step 2: Prepare chicken

Now that the rice is done, let's move on to the chicken. We're going to just season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, keeping it simple.

Cook the chicken on whichever cooking method you prefer. I went with the grill since it's summertime, but you can also use the stovetop or oven.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the lemon garlic sauce. This is where the magic happens, people. All you have to do is melt a couple of tablespoons of butter and saute minced garlic until golden brown.

Remove the garlic from the heat and add fresh parsley, thyme, and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon that sauce over the cooked chicken, and voila! You have one delicious lemon garlic chicken.

Step 3: Make the toppings

For the finishing touch, combine yogurt with rose harissa and grated cucumber. You can use regular harissa paste instead, and if you must, you can even go with dried harissa spices. I personally prefer the paste over the spice mix, but that's just my taste.

Assemble the lemon garlic chicken with broccoli rice into bowls and place a generous dollop of harissa yogurt on top. Sprinkle fresh dill and crumbled feta on top if desired.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried that this dish might be boring. Thank goodness it was exactly the opposite! The bright, juicy chicken with the hearty broccoli rice, sweet oranges, and spicy yogurt all come together to make one great meal. I'll definitely be making this one several more times this summer.

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Assemble all of the components, but package the harissa yogurt and feta separately. When ready to eat, heat the broccoli rice with chicken and top it with a dollop of the yogurt and feta.
• Store: Keep leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Frequently asked questions

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