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Easy Ground Chicken Recipe for Busy Days

Ground chicken is one of those ingredients I like to keep in the kitchen because it can turn almost any vegetable into a quick and satisfying meal.

This is especially handy on those days when I am in a hurry—or simply not in the mood for anything complicated. And when the refrigerator is full of vegetables that need to be used, ground chicken comes to the rescue again.

The beauty of this recipe is that broccoli is only one possibility. The same simple method works with carrots, green beans, snow peas, cauliflower, cabbage, bell peppers, zucchini, or whatever vegetable happens to be available.

In less than half an hour, you can have a flavorful combination of protein and vegetables on the table. Serve it with steamed white rice, fried rice, or, if you want something lighter, cauliflower rice.

That is the kind of recipe worth keeping: simple, flexible, and easy to make your own.

Ground Chicken and Broccoli

For this version, I used broccoli because that was the vegetable I had in mind—and because ground chicken and broccoli make a particularly good pair.

I actually featured this dish with my cauliflower rice recipe. There is a little family kitchen story behind that pairing, too.

Broccoli inherited the original recipe from my mother’s kitchen, while cauliflower has since graduated to becoming rice in mine. LOL!

So, ground chicken with broccoli it is today. But don’t let the broccoli limit your imagination.

Ground chicken recipe — Ground chicken with broccoli

Use Whatever Vegetable You Have

This is where I think this recipe becomes more useful than a simple ground chicken and broccoli recipe.

You can follow the same basic method with:

carrots
green beans
snow peas
cauliflower
cabbage
bell peppers
zucchini

You can use one vegetable or combine two or three. You can even make a refrigerator-cleanout version and use several vegetables together.

The cooking time will vary depending on the vegetable, of course. Firmer vegetables such as carrots and cauliflower may need a little more time, while tender vegetables can go in later.

The basic flavor foundation stays the same:

cooking oil
onion and garlic
tomatoes, if you like
salt and black pepper
a little water or broth

From there, the vegetable does most of the work.

A Simple Formula to Remember

Think of this recipe less as one fixed dish and more as a basic formula for cooking ground chicken with vegetables.

Start with garlic and onion. Add the ground chicken and cook until it is no longer pink and its juices begin to come out. Add your vegetable, season with salt and pepper, then add a little water and let everything cook together until the vegetable is tender.

That’s it.

Once you know the formula, you don’t really need to wait for a specific recipe. Open the refrigerator, see what vegetable needs to be used, and let that be tonight’s version.

Ground Chicken with Broccoli Recipe

Print Recipe

A quick ground chicken dish packed with flavor—simple, versatile, and perfect for fast lunches or weeknight dinners.

Ingredients

Scale

250 g minced chicken (or chicken breast, cut up)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small-sized onion (chopped)
2 tbsps cooking oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 head broccoli (cut into florets)
½ cup water

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Instructions

Heat the cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onion for a couple of minutes, until softened and aromatic.
Add the ground chicken. Cook, stirring and breaking it up, until it is no longer pink and the juices begin to come out. If using chicken breast pieces, cook until they are no longer pink.
Add the broccoli and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Season with salt and black pepper, then add the water.
Cover and simmer until the broccoli is tender but still has a little bite. Add a splash more water if needed while cooking.
Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Keep This Recipe for Your Vegetable Drawer

The next time you have ground chicken and a few vegetables waiting in the refrigerator, remember this recipe.

It doesn’t have to be ground chicken with broccoli. It can be ground chicken with carrots, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini—or a combination of whatever you have.

One simple recipe. So many possible meals.

And that, to me, is the real beauty of easy ground chicken recipes.