Description
Marinated grilled chicken with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli. Meal prep: for people with busy lives who like to plan ahead.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half
- 1 medium head of broccoli, chopped
- 1 large sweet potato, cut in rounds
- olive oil, as needed
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the marinade
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
TOTAL TIME DOES NOT INCLUDE MARINADE TIME
Instructions
- Don’t forget to watch my video with all the step-by-step instructions for this recipe!
- Start by making the marinade. Thinly slice the garlic clove and add to large bowl. Pull rosemary from stems and finely chop then add to bowl. Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt.
- Whisk ingredients together until well combined. Set aside. If you don’t have red wine vinegar – white vinegar and balsamic vinegar work too!
- Trim fat from around the chicken breasts. Cut the chicken breasts in half, lengthwise to make four pieces of chicken total.
- Cover chicken in plastic wrap and pound with mallet, rolling pin or a pan. We’re looking for uniformity in shape so focus on getting the thicker end of chicken flattened down so the chicken will cook evenly. We don’t want these too thin – just uniform in thickness.
- Once finished, season both sides with a dusting of salt and pepper. Let it sit for a few minutes.
- Add chicken to marinade bowl and fully coat all pieces, give it a forking, add additional sprigs of rosemary if you like. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate three hours to overnight. I usually go overnight with it.
- Once chicken is fully marinated, start your other prep. Slice the sweet potato into ½” rounds. Transfer to sheet pan, add olive oil and toss pieces to coat. Season with salt and pepper on top side only. Cook in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
- Add water to a pot along with a steamer insert. Water should just barely reach the bottom of steamer insert. Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot. Cook on high heat – COVERED – for about 10 minutes or until your preferred tenderness.
- I used a cast iron grill skillet to cook the chicken. I heated the skillet on medium-to-high heat for about 5 minutes before I brushed some olive oil onto it. Let the oil heat another minute then add the marinated chicken. Then don’t touch it. I mean it. Just let it cook. At the 5-6 minute mark, turn the chicken and you will have beautiful grill marks. Let the chicken cook another 3-4 minutes then transfer to a plate or small sheet pan.
- By this time the sweet potatoes and broccoli will also be finished. Now it’s time to assemble your bento boxes! You don’t have to use bento boxes, but I recently purchased mine and I love them! Technically, any container will do. Divide the portions to four containers and you’re done!
- SEE NOTES FOR OTHER COOKING METHODS
Equipment
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Lodge Cast Iron Ribbed Skillet (square)
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Kitchen Mallet (Meat Tenderizer)
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Steamer Insert, Stainless Steel
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Buy Now → Notes
- SEARING IN PAN: If you are searing chicken in a pan, heat pan on medium-to-high heat for minute or two, add olive oil let heat for a minute. Add chicken and let it cook for five minutes without touching it. We want it to get a little crust/sear on each side so leave it alone until it’s time to turn. Cook another 3-4 minutes on other side.
- BROILING IN OVEN: Place rack on highest level under broiler. Turn broiler on high. Place chicken on a sheet pan and cook under broiler about 5 minutes before turning. Ovens are all different. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. If you have a psycho broiler that is too hot, move the rack down one level. Mine is only sometimes psycho so just mentioning it.