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Indulge in a plate of this creamy chicken broccoli pasta, a dish that’s not only light and rich but can be whipped up in just 30 minutes. It’s the comfort of mac and cheese combined with tender chicken and fresh broccoli in a silky sauce, adding a homemade touch that outshines any store-bought counterpart.
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe
There’s a reason boxed mac and cheese is so popular – you can’t beat pasta shells coated in a cheesy sauce! But as delicious as store-bought mac and cheese is, it’s usually pretty simple and without substance. That’s why I love this chicken broccoli pasta recipe. It is so delicious and cheesy, but also much better for you because it’s tossed with lean protein and vegetables. It’s packed with diverse flavors, making it a far more captivating dish, and making this pasta dinner is nearly as easy as preparing a boxed version!
Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Pasta Recipe
- Quick. This recipe only takes 30 minutes to make, and it’s a complete meal.
- Homemade. Your body and your taste buds will feel good after you eat this dish. Even though it’s lighter than the boxed version, this mac and cheese recipe is still creamy.
- Irresistibly flavorful. The cheese sauce is rich and luxurious, the chicken is tender and juicy, and the broccoli adds the perfect element of freshness.
Broccoli Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta shells: Medium size is best.
- Broccoli florets
- Olive oil
- Chicken breasts: Use boneless and skinless breasts.
- Salt
- Pepper: Make sure to use freshly cracked black pepper.
- Milk: I use skim milk because it’s a lighter option, but you can use whole milk, too.
- Chicken broth: Try to use a low-sodium broth/stock.
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic paste: You can also use minced garlic.
- Chili powder
- Cheddar cheese: Pre-shredded cheese works fine for this recipe, though you’ll always get the best results if you shred your own.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta
- Cook the pasta & broccoli. Follow the directions on the box to cook the pasta shells. Toward the end, add the broccoli to the boiling water. Drain the pasta and broccoli when they’re done cooking.
- Heat a skillet. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season & cook the chicken. Coat the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Make the sauce base. Add the milk, chicken broth, and flour to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl. Pour the sauce into the pan with the chicken.
- Cook the sauce. Keep cooking the chicken and the sauce until the sauce is thickened. This should take 2-3 minutes. Stir in the pasta, broccoli, and cheddar cheese, and cook while stirring until the cheese is melted and the broccoli is heated through.
- Rest. Remove the pasta from the heat, let it sit for a few minutes, then stir and serve.
Tips for Success
Here are some of my favorite tricks and tips for when you make this homemade chicken mac and cheese recipe.
- Salt the water. Anytime you cook pasta, you should always salt the water that you cook it in. This guarantees that your pasta will absorb some seasoning, instead of just being coated in sauce.
- Really brown the chicken. It’s important to really brown the chicken when you cook it. If chicken isn’t thoroughly browned, it won’t have a lot of flavor. Cook your chicken long enough to get a golden brown color on a few sides of each piece. If your chicken isn’t browning, turn up the heat.
- No lumps. Before adding the sauce to the skillet, give it a thorough whisking to make sure there are no lumps. It will be nearly impossible to get the lumps out of the sauce once it starts heating up in the pan, so make sure it’s very smooth before you cook it.
- Add the sauce slowly. When you pour the sauce into the skillet, do so slowly, while whisking. That will keep the sauce from seizing up, clumping, or breaking apart.
FAQs
Here are some common questions that people have about this recipe.
You can use the broccoli stems for this recipe, but I don’t recommend it. The texture isn’t as good, and I don’t think it works very well with the pasta shells.
I really like the chili powder in this recipe, but it’s optional. If you don’t like spice, you can omit the chili powder from the dish. Or, if you’re a big fan of heat, you can add extra!
I usually make this recipe with just cheddar cheese, but you can use any meltable cheeses that you like. If you want this dish to be a little more like a traditional Italian recipe, add a little bit of parmesan to the cheddar. If you want a super melty and stringy mac and cheese, add some jack. And if you want to make your broccoli pasta taste fancy, add a little gruyere.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to eat this chicken mac and cheese is with some traditional Italian side dishes. Here are a few of my favorites.
How to Store Leftovers
- Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave in 20-second increments until the pasta is heated all the way through.
- To freeze, let the chicken and broccoli pasta cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost or thaw the mac and cheese fully before you reheat it.
More Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach
- Alfredo Pasta with Steak
- Mediterranean Baked Feta Pasta
- Chicken Pasta Primavera
- Shrimp Alfredo Linguine
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Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium shells pasta,, uncooked
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste,, or 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- salt and fresh ground pepper,, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder,, or to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Add the broccoli florets to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, chicken broth, and flour. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder; whisk until well combined.
- Stir the milk mixture into the pan with the chicken. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add in the pasta, broccoli, and cheddar cheese; stir until cheese is melted and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
- Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes.
- Stir and Serve.
Video
Notes
- Chicken: I use chicken breasts in this recipe, but you can also use chicken thighs. Most importantly, brown the chicken when you cook it. If chicken isn’t thoroughly browned, it won’t have a lot of flavor.
- Shredded Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is almost always my choice for this recipe, but this will taste great with any melty cheese you want.
- Before adding the sauce to the skillet, whisk it well and make sure there are no lumps. When you pour the sauce into the skillet, do it slowly while whisking. That will keep the sauce from seizing up, clumping, or breaking apart.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 20-second increments until warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I love how comforting and filling this meal is!! A great addition to our weeknight favorites!
Looks incredibly delicious! Need to make this soon!
This is such a delicious recipe, and I love that I can get a couple of meals out of it, too.
I come back to this delicious recipe whenever we need a good comfort meal! This is it! Just made it! Thank you!
That’s great to hear! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Made this tonight, very good!!
I’m trying it tonight, I just hope everyone loves it!!!
this was linked from another site featuring healthy pasta dishes, this looks wonderful so had to comment to thank you for this recipe! And will definitely stay away from the velvetta
I made this tonight and it was a hit!! Thank you!! Now I have another go to chicken meal.
looks delicious! Is there a crockpot version of this recipe?
I made this tonight for dinner without the chicken and with whole milk, and it turned out great, so easy to make too!
Thanks so much, Maria!! Very happy that you liked it!
Okay Katerina, it’s me again. Clearly I am having a Julia/Julie moment & making a dish a day from your old/archived recipes (plus my name is Julie). And that’s because my husband’s overseas & I get to enter the kitchen without him freaking out (it’s sooooo his domain). This dish was excellent last night; a little bit too excellent as today I’m feeling my pants are a little snug. Anyways, a word for your readers; put the leftovers in a container & into the fridge STRAIGHT AWAY, otherwise you will be tempted to go back for a second bowl. Delicious!
That is SO awesome, Julie!! Thank you! I LOVE this dish, too! I can’t helping eating it straight from the pan as soon as it’s done. 😀 And that whole husband in the kitchen thing is pretty amazing! GO GIRL!