This tried-and-true Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe will be a regular in your weekly rotation when you don’t have much time to cook dinner. It’s the ultimate comfort food that comes together in just 30 minutes.
30-Minute Pasta Dinner
Our easy Chicken and Broccoli Penne Alfredo recipe is a rich and flavorful combination of tender chicken, penne pasta, and fresh broccoli florets coated in a homemade Alfredo sauce. Made with a similar creamy cheese sauce featured in my copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce, once you try this from-scratch recipe, you’ll never go back to the kind from a can!
Few skillet meals are as satisfying as my other alfredo recipes, like my Chicken Alfredo Bake or my Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo Pasta. So I knew I needed a stove top version to round out my recipe collection! Meet my “bulked up” chicken broccoli Alfredo penne meal!
Don’t thank me now; it can wait until later. Besides the taste, it’s time you discover why this broccoli chicken Alfredo recipe is the best. Hint: the broccoli boils in the same pot as the pasta and the creamy Alfredo sauce is made in the same skillet as the seared chicken. When dinner is done, you’re left with less dishes to wash! You’re welcome!
Ingredients Notes
- Penne pasta: Any short pasta will substitute for the penne in this chicken broccoli Alfredo recipe. The small sizes are perfect for coating with cream sauce. Bowtie pasta, rotini pasta, or elbow pasta will also work well.
- Broccoli: You can substitute frozen broccoli florets for fresh broccoli. You will not add them to the boiling penne pasta; you will need to warm them, according to the package directions, before adding them to the Alfredo sauce just before serving.
- Olive oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: If you prefer dark meat chicken, you can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts. The total cooking time of the chicken may be a minute or two longer, however just make sure the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Salted butter: You can substitute unsalted butter for salted butter, but you’ll need to add a touch of salt for the missing salt.
- Minced garlic: I always prefer freshly minced garlic in my recipes, but if you are short on time, you can use minced garlic in a jar.
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Whole milk: You can substitute the whole milk for 2% milk if you prefer a lighter sauce. However, I do not recommend using anything lower than the 2% milk. The Alfredo sauce needs the richness of the dairy fats to thicken up into a nice creamy sauce.
- Heavy cream: Half-and-half and heavy whipping cream can be interchangeable. However, you may notice the sauce becomes a tad bit thinner. If you substitute whole milk, you will lose a lot of the richness and creaminess that the heavy cream brings to the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: When choosing your parmesan cheese, I suggest either grating a fresh piece of parmesan cheese yourself or to buying a brand of freshly grated parmesan that is free of any additives for the best flavor and melting texture of the cheese.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
- Prepare The Pasta: Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions.
- Boil The Broccoli: A few minutes before the penne is done cooking, add the broccoli to the boiling pasta and cook until the broccoli is bright green and tender. Drain and set aside.
- Cook The Chicken: Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and cook in olive oil until golden brown and no pink remains. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Make The Alfredo Sauce: In the same skillet, melt the butter with the garlic. Add in the flour, salt, and garlic powder and whisk until no dry pockets of flour remains and the mixture is a pale golden color. Pour in the milk and heavy cream and whisk constantly until no lumps remain.
- Thicken The Sauce: Bring the Alfredo sauce to a boil and simmer until thickened. Whisk in the parmesan cheese and cook for an additional 1 minute.
- Combine The Contents: Turn off the heat, stir in the pasta, broccoli, and chicken to coat with the Alfredo sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This Alfredo penne pasta dish is a hearty, veggie and protein-packed meal on its own, but pairs perfectly with a simple side. Try serving it with a garden salad or some garlic bread, Easy Cheese Stuffed Garlic Rolls, Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread, or Cauliflower Breadsticks on the side.
Tips & Variations
- Embrace the Power of Pasta Water: Save some starchy pasta water before draining your noodles. If your sauce seems too thick, whisk a splash of the reserved pasta water into it. It helps create a velvety texture and allows the sauce to cling beautifully to the pasta. Alternatively, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of additional whole milk to the warm sauce to thin the sauce slightly.
- Add Some Spice: For a bit of heat, add crushed red pepper flakes to your chicken broccoli Alfredo.
- Add Veggies Besides Broccoli: Feel free to mix additional vegetables into this dish, such as peas, spinach, kale, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or cauliflower.
Proper Storage
- To Store: For best results, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: I do not suggest freezing this chicken and broccoli penne pasta as the sauce does not hold up well when frozen and then thawed. The dairy in the sauce tends to separate during this process.
- To Reheat: To reheat this pasta, add it back to a skillet over medium-low heat, along with a couple of tablespoons of additional whole milk. Stir the pasta and sauce until warmed through.
More Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Chicken and Broccoli Penne Alfredo Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Serves — 4
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe makes a complete comfort food meal in only 30 minutes! Tender chicken, fresh broccoli, and pasta all coated in a creamy from-scratch sauce.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 3 cups broccoli florets cut into bite size (approximately 1 inch) pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ pounds (approximately 2 large) boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (approximately 1 inch)
- 1 teaspoon salt divided (½ teaspoon to season chicken pieces before cooked and ½ teaspoon for the alfredo sauce)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese BelGioioso brand 4 ounce container
Instructions
- To a large pot of boiling water, add the penne pasta and cook to al dente (approximately 9-11 minutes or according to package directions).8 ounces penne pasta
- 2-3 minutes before the end of the cooking time for the penne pasta, add the broccoli florets to the boiling pasta and allow the broccoli to cook for the remaining 2-3 minutes of the pasta cooking time. The broccoli florets should be bright green and tender. Drain the pasta and broccoli florets into a large colander, in the sink, and set aside.3 cups broccoli florets
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the hot skillet along with the boneless skinless chicken breast pieces. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cook the chicken pieces for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and no pink remains. Transfer the cooked, and browned, chicken to a plate and set aside.1½ pounds (approximately 2 large) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Turn the heat to the skillet down to medium and add the butter and minced garlic. Allow the butter to melt, and the garlic to become fragrant and tender, for 30 – 45 seconds before adding the all-purpose flour, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and garlic powder. Using a whisk, cook the butter and flour mixture for 30 – 45 seconds or just until no dry pockets of flour remains. The flour mixture should be a pale golden color.5 tablespoons salted butter, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- Slowly pour in the whole milk and heavy cream, while whisking constantly, until all the flour is incorporated and no lumps remain.1½ cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream
- Bring the alfredo sauce to a boil and allow it to simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in the grated parmesan cheese and cook for an additional 1 minute. Be sure to whisk often to ensure the sauce does not burn.1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Turn off the heat to the skillet, add the penne pasta, broccoli florets and cooked chicken to the alfredo sauce. Stir to evenly coat the pasta, broccoli and chicken with the alfredo sauce before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: You can store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days for best results.
- To Freeze: I do not suggest freezing this chicken and broccoli penne pasta as the sauce does not hold up well when frozen then thawed. The dairy in the sauce tends to separate during this process.
- To Reheat: To reheat this pasta you can add it back to a skillet, over medium-low heat, along with a couple tablespoons of additional whole milk. Stir the pasta and sauce until warmed through.
- Save some of the starchy pasta water before draining your noodles. If your sauce seems a bit too thick, whisk a splash of the reserved pasta water into it. It helps create a velvety texture and allows the sauce to cling beautifully to the pasta. Alternatively, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of additional whole milk to the warm sauce to thin the sauce slightly.
- Feel free to add crushed red pepper flakes to your chicken broccoli Alfredo for a bit of heat.
- Feel free to mix some additional vegetables into this dish, such as peas, spinach, kale, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or cauliflower.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 996kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 1406mg | Potassium: 1238mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2154IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 436mg | Iron: 2mg
