Chicken and Zucchini Skillet Frittata
A one-pan frittata with golden seared chicken, sweet zucchini and onion, and a smoky paprika finish. The eggs set right over the vegetables for a high-protein dinner straight from the skillet.
- Total
- 27 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 16 · Rest 3
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Sweating
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
- Microwave
- One pan
Instructions
-
Cut the Chicken breast into 2 cm pieces and pat them dry. Cut the zucchini into 1 cm half-moons and the onion into thin slices. Mince the garlic.
~6 min
-
Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Chicken breast in a single layer, season with 0.25 tsp salt and 0.125 tsp black pepper, and sear until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes, turning once. Move the chicken to a plate.
~5 min
Patting the chicken dry prevents surface moisture from steaming off, allowing a fast golden Maillard crust when it hits the hot pan.
Let the chicken sit undisturbed for the first 2 minutes in the pan so it forms a golden crust instead of steaming.
Searing Get the pan hot and leave the chicken undisturbed for the first two minutes; moving it too early tears the crust and steams the meat instead of browning it.
-
Add the onion and zucchini to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
~5 min
Cooking the garlic and paprika briefly in the hot fat blooms their fat-soluble flavor compounds, which otherwise stay locked in and taste raw.
Sweating Cook the onion and zucchini over medium heat until softened and lightly golden; too high a heat browns them before the insides turn tender.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the vegetables cook, beat the eggs in a small bowl with the remaining 0.25 tsp salt and 0.125 tsp black pepper.
~2 min
-
Return the chicken to the skillet and spread everything evenly. Pour the eggs over the top and scatter the grated cheese. Cover and cook over low heat until the eggs are just set, about 4 minutes.
~4 min
Covering traps steam so the eggs cook gently and evenly from the top without the bottom scorching before the center sets.
If the eggs still look loose after 4 minutes, cover again and cook 1 more minute; they should be barely set, not firm, so they stay tender.
-
Take the skillet off the heat and let the frittata rest, covered, for 3 minutes so the center finishes setting. Slide it onto a plate and serve.
~3 min
Residual pan heat finishes setting the custardy center gently, so the eggs stay tender instead of turning rubbery.