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This one pot chicken and broccoli pasta recipe is a quick pantry meal, and you will love the creamy garlic sauce! It’s ready in 30 minutes for a lighter comfort food meal.
You may also enjoy this Cheesy Chicken Divan or Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake next.
Why you’ll love it
Chicken and broccoli are a classic combo, and they’re great in this one pot pasta. It’s not a fancy recipe, making it great for kids and picky eaters and for any time you’re craving a no-fuss meal fast. We’re talking everyday ingredients and a few simple seasonings!
One pot meals are good for obvious reasons (fewer dishes), but they’re also great because the way the starch from the pasta thickens up the garlic sauce here is kind of magical. That means you get a nice texture while using half-and-half, keeping this pasta a bit lighter.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re cutting chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Garlic – add even more if you’re a garlic lover
- Italian seasoning – it’s an all-purpose blend of dried herbs that comes in one jar
- Red pepper flakes – they add a pop of color and gentle warmth, but you may want to skip it for the little ones
- Chicken broth – for more savory flavor
- Half-and-half – for my international readers, this is half milk/half heavy cream
- Pasta – we’re using fusilli (spiral) pasta
- Broccoli – for fresh goodness
Pro tip
This is designed to be a simple pantry meal with few ingredients, so be sure to add enough salt & pepper to bring out the flavors. If you want to add some pizzazz, season with Tony’s Chachere’s to add a little kick or seasoning salt instead of regular salt.
How to make chicken and broccoli pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a soup pot, sauté the chicken in the oil for a few minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the broccoli, salt & pepper, and parmesan (if using). Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring every so often.
Add in the broccoli, cover, and reduce the heat. Cook until the broccoli is tender to your liking. Season generously with salt & pepper (or other suggested seasonings in the post). Grate parmesan on top if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here’s the Dutch oven I use for this pasta.
- Effortlessly mince the garlic with this garlic press. No peeling necessary. Store remining cloves in this garlic keeper.
- I like storing uncooked pasta in one of these airtight containers rather than the box.
Substitutions and variations
- If you do want this to be a richer dish, feel free to use heavy cream instead.
- Grating a little bit of lemon zest on at the end would add a little brightness.
- For a stronger herb flavor, simply increase the amount of Italian seasoning you’re using or throw in some fresh herbs.
- As with any one pot pasta, swapping out the variety of pasta might require altering the liquid ratios and cooking time, so keep that in mind.
What to serve with chicken broccoli pasta
- If you want to indulge a little, my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread makes a great pairing. Otherwise, a slice of fresh crusty bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar for dipping works great.
- For a salad, try spring mix with my Honey Mustard Dressing or this Strawberry Spinach Salad for something different.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover chicken broccoli pasta in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Keep in mind the pasta will soak up the sauce, so it’s best eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheat over low heat, and add a splash of half-and-half if needed to perk up the sauce.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one. The texture of both the pasta and sauce will change.
If you made this one pot broccoli and chicken pasta, please leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to hear from you. Or tag me on Instagram with your S&L creations!
One Pot Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-size strips/pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 3 cups uncooked fusilli pasta
- 2 cups broccoli florets cut small
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a Dutch oven or soup pot along with the olive oil. Give it a good stir and sauté over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, half-and-half, and pasta to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium (or medium-low if it is still bubbling a lot). Let it simmer for 8 minutes, giving it the occasional stir so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the broccoli to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Season the pasta generously with salt & pepper. If the broccoli is still too crisp, cook it for another couple of minutes. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
- This is a basic, kid-friendly recipe. If you want to jazz it up a bit, there’s some tips in the blog post, and be sure to add the crushed red pepper flakes.
- This recipe is accurate as tested on my stove. However, stoves and pots can vary, so if you notice the pasta is not yet cooked and there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid, I suggest using your best judgment and adding a bit more liquid as needed, a half cup at a time until the pasta is cooked.
- Some pastas absorb more liquid than others, so I suggest sticking to the type of pasta I recommend in this recipe or you may need to make some adjustments to liquid and/or cooking time.
- The broccoli is tender-crisp in this recipe. Be sure not to cut the florets too large unless you prefer it to be crisper.
- Using half-and-half makes the sauce a bit lighter than using heavy cream, but you could sub it for heavy cream if you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on February 19, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This recipe is great simple easy and even my very picky husband loved it thanks!
That’s great to hear, Georgia!! 😀 Thanks for your 5-star review!
Very tasty!
Thank you, Mara! 😀
It was great even my husband liked it and he’s picky.
Excellent!
This recipe is a keeper! I had cooked chicken so made the adjustments for that. Flavor is very good. Easy and quick. Ingredients were on hand. Thanks so much!
You’re very welcome!
I understand this recipe is meant for kids who are picky eaters but I wish it had suggestions to be elevated, because it was quite plain.
Hi Naeli. I’m not quite sure what you were expecting given that fact. Did you read the “Substitutions and variations” section of the blog post to jazz it up? Did you add enough salt?
Tasty quick one pot mid week dish.
Added little more Italian seasoning, bay leaf and fresh basil at end.
It’s a keeper!
Thank you, Monica!!
Delish! Only change I made was to marinate the chicken pieces in Italian dressing all day. (It’s something I always do, regardless of the chx recipe).
It’s on our list! Funny, so many of your recipes are on ” our list”. 🤔
Looking forward to your cookbook. My binder is stuffed! Lol
Thrilled to hear it, Brett!! Thanks for following along, and we can’t wait till the cookbook is in readers’ kitchens! 🙂
I never comment on recipes but had to with this one. It was sooo good, everyone loved it! One of those Mondays where I really didn’t know what to cook but my daughter was starving after work and I had all the ingredients on hand to make this, and it was quick and easy! Definitely a keeper, thank you!
That’s awesome!! 😀 Appreciate you letting me know, Judy!
I made this for the first rime tonight! I read through the comments and also added extra Italian seasoning and cream cheese. It turned out delicious!
Excellent! Glad you liked it.
It was a little on the basic side for my hubby and I, but our little guys gobbled this down. I added about 3 tablespoons of creamcheese for a thicker sauce, but it still needed more help for my taste.
I will tweak and add a few more things next time, thank you for sharing. 🙂