Garlic Butter Chicken with Zucchini and Corn - One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal

 One-Pan Garlic Butter Chicken with Zucchini and Corn is a simple weeknight meal that uses basic ingredients and takes only 30 minutes. The sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts are coated with butter, minced garlic, and smoked paprika and pan-seared until golden brown. This restaurant-quality dinner might become your new favorite chicken dinner that both kids and adults will love!

INGREDIENTS:

Veggies

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 zucchini medium, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 cups corn kernels cooked (about 3 corn ears - corn on the cob)

Garlic Butter Chicken

• 1 lb chicken breasts skinless, boneless, sliced
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or more
• ½ teaspoon chili powder or more
• ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• black pepper freshly ground, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or more
• 4 tablespoons butter divided

Garnish

• ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the veggies

1. Heat an empty large, high-sided cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil and sliced zucchini. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Flip the veggies once. Remove cooked zucchini to a plate.

How to make Garlic Butter Chicken

1. Slice the chicken breasts into strips. Season the chicken with smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat in the same, now empty, cast-iron skillet. Add the chicken in one layer and cook, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken strips over, add minced garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Lower the heat to low, add freshly squeezed lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook for another 2 minutes or more, frequently stirring, until the chicken is cooked through but not overcooked and the garlic has softened.

Assembly

1. Add cooked sliced zucchini and cooked corn kernels to the same skillet with cooked chicken.
2. Add 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and melt it on low heat, stirring it together with the veggies. Do it rather quickly, for a couple of minutes, just until the butter melts and the garlic butter sauce coats both the chicken and the zucchini and corn evenly. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in half of the chopped fresh cilantro. Season with more salt, smoked paprika, and chili powder, if desired. Add more freshly squeezed lime juice, if desired.
4. When serving, top with the remaining half of chopped fresh cilantro. Sprinkle a small amount of chili powder over corn and chicken, for presentation purposes, if desired.