Korean spicy chicken with sweet apple & broccoli
Soy sauce, honey, ginger, and a hit of paprika. That marinade does most of the work. Chicken strips soak for at least 15 minutes, then pan-fry until golden and sticky. Meanwhile, apple slices caramelize with cinnamon and a little extra honey. Warm, sweet, slightly tart.
A big pile of steamed broccoli rounds it out. The whole plate: 525 kcal, 28g protein, and 10g fiber.
Soy sauce, honey, ginger, and a hit of paprika. That marinade does most of the work. Chicken strips soak for at least 15 minutes, then pan-fry until golden and sticky. Meanwhile, apple slices caramelize with cinnamon and a little extra honey. Warm, sweet, slightly tart.
A big pile of steamed broccoli rounds it out. The whole plate: 525 kcal, 28g protein, and 10g fiber.
Ingredients
- garlic 1 clove
- ginger 1 slice
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- apple 1
- soy sauce 1 tablespoon
- honey 2 teaspoons
- vinegar 0.5 tablespoon
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- paprika (ground spice) 1 teaspoon
- chili powder 1 pinch
- lemon juice 1 squeeze
- cinnamon 0.5 teaspoon
- broccoli florets (frozen) 9 ounces
Method
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Press the garlic, grate the ginger and slice the chicken into strips. Peel the apple and cut it into thin slices.
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In a bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, half of the honey, vinegar, half of the oil, paprika, chili powder and a pinch of pepper. Add the chicken and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
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Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 5–7 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside.
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In the meantime, toss the apple slices with lemon juice, cinnamon and the remaining honey. Cook in a skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized.
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Steam or briefly boil the broccoli for 4–5 minutes, until tender-crisp.
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Serve the chicken with the warm, sweet apple slices and broccoli.
Let the chicken sit undisturbed for the first 2 to 3 minutes in the hot pan. The honey and soy sauce in the marinade want to caramelize, and moving the strips too early breaks that crust before it forms.
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?
Both work well here. Research shows frozen broccoli retains comparable vitamins and minerals to fresh. it is blanched and flash-frozen at peak ripeness, locking in most nutrients. The main trade-off is a compound called sulforaphane, which needs an enzyme that blanching deactivates. If you use fresh, cut the florets small and steam for the same 4–5 minutes.
Is 28 grams of protein enough for a dinner?
For most people, what matters more than the per-meal number is the daily total. A 24-study analysis found that higher overall protein intake during weight loss preserves lean mass. and spreading it across meals helps your body use it. This plate’s 28g from chicken breast is a solid single-meal contribution toward that daily target.
Read the full evidence reviewHow do I keep the apple slices from turning to mush?
Cut them thin. roughly 2–3 millimeters. Thicker slices release too much moisture before the surface gets a chance to caramelize. Keep the heat at medium, not high. The lemon juice helps them hold their shape, and 3–4 minutes is the window: soft enough to yield, firm enough to pick up with a fork.
