Creamy Chicken Skillet with Hidden Vegetable Sauce
⏱ 5 min prep · 🍳 10 min · 🍽 4
Chicken strips sizzle in the pan while bell pepper and onion go straight into the blender and into the cream sauce — no visible vegetable pieces left to pick out on the plate, just a smooth, mild sauce wrapped around the chicken. Focaccia warms in the oven at the same time, and dinner is on the table before you've had a chance to think about tomorrow's lunchboxes.
This is one of those recipes that rescues the stretched hour after school pickup, when there's no time for multiple pans or a long shopping list. Everything comes from the meat counter and produce aisle of any regular supermarket — no specialty ingredients to hunt down.
Add it as a fixed night on your weekly meal plan in Zenframe, so the decision is already made before you even notice you're hungry and out of patience.
Ingredients
- 600.000 g Kyllingfilet i strimler
- 3.000 dl Kremfløte
- 2.000 dl Grønnsakskraft
- 1.000 stk Rød paprika
- 1.000 stk Løk
- 2.000 fedd Hvitløk
- 2.000 ss Olivenolje
- 1.000 pakke Focaccia
- klype Salt og pepper
- neve Bladpersille
Instructions
Varm focaccia etter anvisning på pakken.
Hakk løk, hvitløk og rød paprika i store biter og blend dem. Reserver litt paprika til pynt.
Stek kyllingstrimer i olivenolje til de er gylne. Tilsett blendet grønnsaker og la surre litt.
Hell i buljong og fløte, kok opp og la småkoke noen minutter.
Smak til med salt og pepper, dryss over hakket persille og server med focaccia.
This recipe earns its keep on nights when you need something fast, mild, and free of dinner-table negotiations. Blending the pepper and onion straight into the sauce means they become part of the dish instead of something left behind on the plate afterward. The cream sauce is gentle enough that picky eaters get through the whole portion without asking what's in it. Serve it with focaccia or store-bought bread, depending on how much time you've actually got that evening.
FAQ
Can I freeze the chicken skillet?
Yes, the chicken and cream sauce freeze well for up to three months in an airtight container. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat gently on the stove, stirring often so the cream doesn't split. Don't freeze the focaccia alongside it — bake fresh bread or warm a separate loaf instead. Label the container with the date so you know which week the batch was made.
Can I use diced chicken breast instead of strips?
Cut the breasts into roughly half-inch cubes instead of strips. Cook time stays about the same, maybe a minute longer, and the chicken should be fully cooked and white through before you add the stock and cream. Strips brown a little faster and more evenly, which is why the recipe defaults to them, but cubes work just as well.
My kid won't touch bell peppers at all — what do I do?
Blend the sauce right in the pan with an immersion blender once the vegetables have softened, and any remaining texture disappears completely. You can also cut the pepper quantity in half and add an extra carrot for a sweeter background flavor. Test the ratio the first time you make it, then adjust next round based on what actually works at your table.
Can I make this without cream for a lighter version?
Swap the heavy cream for half-and-half or a light cooking cream plus a splash more stock — the sauce will be thinner but still satisfying. For a fully dairy-free version, coconut milk works, though it shifts the flavor toward something sweeter and a bit different from the original. Cut back slightly on the liquid if you use a thicker substitute than cream.
What can I serve instead of focaccia?
A store-bought baguette works just as well, or serve the skillet over rice or pasta if you want to stretch it to feed more people. Pan-fried potato slices, cooked quickly in the same skillet before the chicken, are another good option if you're out of bread. Pick something that can soak up the sauce — that's what pulls the whole plate together.
Can I prep this ahead for the weekly meal plan?
Chop the onion, garlic, and pepper the night before and keep them in a container in the fridge, which cuts the actual cooking time down significantly once you're home. The chicken can also be sliced into strips a day ahead and left ready to go. Slot it into a day you already know will be hectic, so you're not deciding what's for dinner at the last minute.