A yummy recipe from George Stella’s Real Food Real Easy cookbook. Serves 4-6. Calories: 460, Fat: 19 g, Protein: 63 g, Fiber: 1 g, and Net Carbs: 4 g.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon trans-fat free margarine (or butter)
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 8 ounces light cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
• 2 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. ADD margarine or butter to a large skillet over medium-high to high heat, until sizzling.  Add chicken breasts and brown well, about 3 minutes each side.
2. TRANSFER chicken to a slow cooker set to low. Add the chicken broth to the skillet the chicken was cooked in over medium-high heat and use a spatula to scrape the bottom, breaking up any glaze the chicken may have left in the pan. Heat broth until simmering.
3. ADD the cream cheese, broccoli florets, salt, and garlic powder to the slow cooker and then pour simmering chicken broth over top.
4. COVER and let cook 5-6 hours, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. After the first hour of cooking, stir well to disperse the cream cheese throughout.
5. WHEN chicken is finished cooking, set the slow cooker to high and stir in shredded Cheddar cheese, until melted. Serve immediately.

George Stella’s Tips:  If you are planning on leaving the house, you can skip the stirring an hour into cooking by melting the cream cheese in the skillet before adding the chicken broth in step 2.

George Stella’s Variation: The broccoli will break up into the sauce, and that’s not a bad thing, but if you’d like something with a little more texture, start with fresh broccoli or (even better) cauliflower florets. Also, you can add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard for a little more zing (which I did).