The holidays often mean a steady stream of baked goods and festive treats, so it’s nice to have a quick, healthy dinner ready to balance things out. This chicken and rainbow chard stir-fry is colorful, satisfying, and on the table in about 30 minutes. If you roast or pan-cook the chicken ahead of time, dinner comes together in 15 minutes. For a Whole30 version, substitute ghee for butter.
Rainbow chard is in season and sautéeing it with butter (or ghee) and garlic brings out a rich, silky flavor. I like to add rainbow carrots for a touch of natural sweetness and extra color. For a one-pan version, cook the chicken first and use the pan drippings to cook the carrots and chard—this deepens the flavor but adds about 15 minutes to the cooking time.
When preparing chard, rough-chop the leaves and finely chop the stems: the stems are denser and need a bit more time to soften, while the leaves wilt quickly and become tender and glossy in the fat. The stems add both texture and pretty color to the dish.
Start by cooking the carrots for about 8 minutes so they soften and slightly caramelize. Add the chopped chard stems and then the leaves, sautéing another 4–5 minutes until the stems are tender and the leaves are wilted but still vibrant.
Chicken and Rainbow Chard
4 people
10 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch rainbow chard
- 1 cup rainbow carrots, sliced
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium. Add 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and place them in the pan. Sear on one side 5–8 minutes, then flip and cook another 8 minutes until done.
- While the chicken cooks, heat a second pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the sliced carrots and minced garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Prepare the chard by rough-chopping the leaves and finely chopping the stems.
- Add the chard stems and leaves to the carrots, tossing to coat in the butter. Sauté about 4–5 minutes, until stems are tender and leaves are wilted.
- Serve the sautéed chard and carrots over riced cauliflower and top with sliced chicken.
- If the chicken is pre-cooked, simply reheat gently in a pan over low heat before serving.
