EN DE FR ES PT IT
Light Chicken & Bell Pepper Cream Sauce with Whole-Wheat Spaetzle and Broccoli
Recipe

Light Chicken & Bell Pepper Cream Sauce with Whole-Wheat Spaetzle and Broccoli

Main • Switzerland

Pan-seared chicken breast in a mild bell pepper and paprika cream sauce, served with whole-wheat spaetzle and steamed broccoli for a balanced, satisfying plate.

Why smarter

Uses a modest amount of half-fat cream plus stock for a creamy sauce without heaviness, adds plenty of veg, and pairs with whole-wheat spaetzle for more fibre while keeping the meal familiar.

Chef tip

Let the peppers soften properly before blending or mashing—this is what makes the sauce naturally creamy so you don’t need much cream.

Soft line

Comforting Swiss-style flavours, just a bit lighter.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Whole-wheat spaetzle (dry) 280.000 g whole-wheat spaetzle
2 Broccoli, cut into florets 600.000 g broccoli
3 Chicken breast, cut into bite-size strips 500.000 g chicken breast
4 Canola oil 2.000 tsp canola oil for cooking
5 Onion, finely chopped 1.000 medium onion
6 Red bell pepper, sliced 2.000 medium red bell pepper
7 Garlic clove, finely chopped 1.000 clove garlic
8 Sweet paprika (mild) 2.000 tsp paprika
9 Tomato purée (concentrated) 1.000 tbsp tomato purée
10 Chicken stock (low-salt if possible) 250.000 ml chicken stock
11 Half-fat cream (Halbrahm) or cooking cream (light) 120.000 ml half-fat cream
12 Dijon mustard 1.000 tsp Dijon mustard optional but recommended
13 Lemon juice 2.000 tsp lemon juice to brighten the sauce
14 Salt and black pepper salt and black pepper to taste
15 Chopped flat-leaf parsley 2.000 tbsp parsley to serve

Method

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Prepare a steamer basket for the broccoli (or plan to add broccoli florets to the pasta water at the end).
  2. Cook the whole-wheat spaetzle according to pack instructions. In the last 4–5 minutes, steam the broccoli until tender-crisp (or add it to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes), then drain. Keep warm.
  3. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tsp canola oil in a large non-stick pan and sear the chicken for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Add the remaining 1 tsp oil to the same pan. Sauté onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt for 6–8 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
  5. Stir in paprika and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, stirring, to bring out the flavour.
  6. Add the chicken stock and simmer 3–4 minutes. For a smoother sauce, mash the peppers a little with a spoon or briefly blend with a stick blender in the pan (optional).
  7. Lower the heat and stir in half-fat cream and Dijon mustard. Simmer gently for 2 minutes until slightly thickened; don’t let it boil hard.
  8. Return the chicken (and any juices) to the pan. Stir in lemon juice, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.
  9. Serve the chicken and bell pepper cream sauce over the spaetzle with broccoli on the side. Finish with chopped parsley.