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You are here: Home / Physical Kitchness / Paleo Chicken Broccoli ‘Cheese’ Skillet

Paleo Chicken Broccoli ‘Cheese’ Skillet

12 Feb

This paleo, Whole30 comfort meal can’t be beat! A fun twist on a beloved American soup – this paleo chicken broccoli cheese skillet is easy, quick, and definitely hits the spot. Dinner in under 30 minutes with big flavor, juicy chicken, and the power veggie otherwise known as broccoli.

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This dairy free, paleo, and Whole30 broccoli 'cheese' skillet is the ultimate comfort food with a cashew-based cream sauce

Comfort food is broccoli cheese soup. Am I right?! Come on, you KNOW sometimes you just want to smash your face in a massive bread bowl from Panera and lick off every last drop of their broccoli cheese soup from the bowl. It’s one of those meals I remember ordering all the time, growing up in the Midwest when it was like 8 million degrees below zero.

I can’t do their broccoli cheese soup anymore – not that I don’t LOVE it, but I don’t love the way I feel after eating it. Bloat, headache, bleh. I don’t know why (dairy? salt? processed junk?) but it totally sucks. Maybe one day I’ll be able to eat a big bowl again, paired with one of their massive cookies, then go on with my day like I’m a rockstar, but until then, I’ll just make this chicken broccoli cheese skillet and enjoy my favorite soup in a paleo, dairy free one-pan form.

Dairy free based 'cheese', this 30 minute skillet meal is paleo and whole30

It’s still comfort food, but reinvented. You’re cool with that, right?

So how the heck do I count this healthy, dairy free, no-processed-crap ‘comfort food’? It’s the creamy cashew-based cheese sauce. I love it in this meal, I love it over veggie noodles, I love it dripping straight into my mouth. Slightly tangy and nutty like a sharp gourmet cheese, but completely dairy free and EASY.

Paleo Chicken Broccoli Cheese Skillet

An easy, one-pot meal that's whole30 compliant, dairy free, and paleo. Comfort food the healthy way!

The first step is soaking the cashews – this ensures they are soft enough to break down in the blender to create a smooth, creamy consistency. No time to soak? No problem – I have an easy ‘hack’. When I forget to soak my cashews for a recipe, I simply boil them in water for a few minutes. They’ll get nice and soft just like soaking overnight. BOOM.

This paleo chicken broccoli cheese skillet is the perfect easy dinner that might be your best kept secret for all the broccoli cheese lovers of the world. Love dairy-free cheese substitutes? Double the recipe and keep this ‘cheesy sauce’ in your refrigerator (for emergencies and stuff).

Comfort food the Whole30 way. This dairy free broccoli cheese skillet with chicken is easy, made in under 30 minutes, and delicious!

Are you a fan of skillet meals like me? Try this easy paleo Greek chicken skillet, one pot creamy whole30 mushroom and sage chicken, 15 minute paleo orange chili shrimp, meaty marinara eggs and squash, and this tomato basil beef goulash with eggplant.

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Paleo Chicken Broccoli ‘Cheese’ Skillet

This dairy free, paleo, and Whole30 broccoli 'cheese' skillet is the ultimate comfort food with a cashew-based cream sauce

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This dairy free, Whole30, paleo chicken broccoli ‘cheese’ skillet is the ultimate comfort food with a cashew-based cream sauce. A delicious dinner in under 30 minutes!

  • Author: Physical Kitchness
  • Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 large chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon oil of choice

‘Cheese’ Sauce

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
  • 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

  1. Pour 1/2 cup water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the broccoli florets. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes until broccoli is slightly soft but not mushy. Turn the heat off and remove the broccoli, set aside
  2. Wipe out any moisture from the pan and add 1 tablespoon oil of choice. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper if desired. Turn the heat back on to medium and place the chicken breasts into the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until chicken is thoroughly cooked and internal temperature is 165 degrees
  3. While the chicken is cooking, drain the soaked cashews and place them into to a blender. Add the broth, salt, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard. Blend until creamy, scraping the sides of the blender when needed
  4. Once the chicken is finished cooking, turn the heat to medium-low and add the broccoli back into the pan. Pour the cashew cheese sauce over the top
  5. Heat a few minutes until everything is warm throughout and serve

Notes

If unable to soak the cashews overnight, follow this shortcut: boil 1 cup water and add the cashews to the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until the cashews have softened. Drain the water and follow directions to make the cheese sauce.

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Chrissa
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14 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, Physical Kitchness, Recipes, Whole30 Tagged With: broccoli, cashews, chicken, paleo, whole30[heart_this]

About Chrissa

I'm Chrissa - a lover of cooking, hater of spiders, fitness enthusiast, red lipstick wearer, mom and wife. Here you will find healthy recipes the family will love, step-by-step workout tutorials, meal planning guides and wellness tips.

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Comments

  1. Danielle says

    February 13, 2018 at 5:21 am

    Can’t wait to try this!!! What brand of yeast and broth do you use that is whole30 compliant?

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 13, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      Most nutritional yeasts should be compliant – as long as it’s just nutritional yeast. I typically make my own broth 🙂

      Reply
  2. Emily Swanson says

    February 14, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    I SOOO have to try the broccoli cheese sauce you made here; I’ve been really curious about cashews and the cheesy flavor they can imitate. We have chicken, and my mom just bought a BUNCH of broccoli, so I think, Lord willing, it was meant to be.

    Reply
  3. Julie says

    February 19, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    Good gravy!!! This looks so good. My goal, now, is to find raw cashews so I can try this.

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 27, 2018 at 10:27 pm

      Enjoy Julie!

      Reply
  4. run 3 says

    February 22, 2018 at 12:21 am

    I SOOO have to try the broccoli cheese sauce you made here; I’ve been really curious about cashews and the cheesy flavor they can imitate. We have chicken, and my mom just bought a BUNCH of broccoli, so I think, Lord willing, it was meant to be.

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 22, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      I hope you love it!

      Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 27, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      I agree. I hope you love it!

      Reply
  5. Tracey says

    February 22, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    This sauce is so good!! It’s a magic elixir-shout out to @nocrumbsleft!!! Love your stuff!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 27, 2018 at 10:19 pm

      Hahaha huge compliment! Thanks Tracey!

      Reply
  6. Sierra says

    February 25, 2018 at 5:35 am

    Hi! Have you ever tried a different nut other than cashews to make dairy free cheese? I’ve made other cashew cheese versions and they come out great, but the only raw nuts I have at home today are pecans and a handful of walnuts, and its pouring outside so I really don’t want to go to the grocery store 😉

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      February 27, 2018 at 10:09 pm

      I have with almonds and that also works. Pecans and walnuts are so distinct, I worry it wouldn’t taste well with the nutritional yeast. Let me know if you tried it!

      Reply
  7. Heather says

    June 26, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    Made this tonight and it was amazing! The sauce tasted just like cheese. I didn’t have enough broccoli so I subbed one chopped zucchini and added onion and loved it!

    Reply
    • Chrissa says

      July 12, 2018 at 9:07 am

      Love the additions! Thanks for your feedback Heather!

      Reply

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