Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Cozy up with a big bowl of this cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta. This chicken broccoli pasta bake recipe comes together quickly and is perfect any night of the week.
It has nutrient dense vegetables, high protein chicken and perfectly cooked al dente pasta. All tossed in a delicious yet simple homemade sauce and baked to perfection. Your family will love this simple and satisfying dinner recipe.
If you love easy dinners try my One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken, One Skillet Crispy Tuscan Chicken Thighs, or my Baked Chicken Vodka Parmesan.
About Delallo Foods
For this recipe, I used Delallo Foods tortiglioni pasta. This pasta shape holds up well when baked and grabs onto the cheese and sauce. If you’re new here, I have been using Delallo Foods products for as long as I can remember. They are dedicated to sourcing only high-quality ingredients for all their delicious products. You can truly taste the Delallo difference. Click here for more information.
This post is sponsored by Delallo Foods. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.
Ingredients and Substitutions Needed
- Pasta – This recipe calls for 8 ounces Delallo tortiglioni pasta. Al dente is best as the pasta will continue to bake in the oven.
- Chicken – This recipe calls for ½ – ¾ pound of chicken breast shredded. This is about 1 – 1.5 chicken breasts.
- Broccoli – This recipe calls for 3 cups of broccoli florets. Wash the florets and dry them well before blanching.
- Fats – This recipe calls for one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons of salted butter. This is used to sauté the vegetables and form a roux for the sauce.
- Vegetables – This recipe calls for one cup of diced yellow onion and two teaspoons finely diced garlic.
- Flour – You’ll need two tablespoons of AP flour for this recipe. It forms the roux for the base of the sauce.
- Seasoning – You’ll need kosher salt, cracked black pepper and ground mustard for this recipe.
- Broth – You’ll need chicken broth or chicken bone broth for this recipe. Option to use low sodium.
- Milk – This recipe calls for 2% milk. For a creamier sauce use half and half or heavy cream.
- Cheese – You’ll need cubed cream cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese for this recipe.
- Reserved Pasta Water – Reserve about a ½ cup of pasta water for this recipe. Grab the water BEFORE you blanch the broccoli.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2.5-quart Corningware baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Make the Pasta and Broccoli
Boil a pot of water and season it with salt. Add the pasta and two minutes before it reaches al dente, add the broccoli florets. Quickly blanch the broccoli in the hot water before draining the water. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
Reserve some of the pasta water BEFORE you add the broccoli. Otherwise, the water will be green.
Shred the Chicken
Shred ½ – ¾ pounds of chicken breasts. This is roughly 1 – 1.5 chicken breasts. Option to blanch the chicken and shred it with two forks or you can use rotisserie chicken. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Sauce
Add extra virgin olive oil and salted butted to a saucepan. Add the diced yellow onion and sauté. Next, add the finely diced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Season with kosher salt, cracked black pepper and ground mustard. Mix well. Then, add the ap flour and fresh thyme. Allow the flour to cook in to pan for 2-3 minutes before deglazing the pan with chicken broth. Scrape any small pieces from the bottom of the pan.
Next, slowly add the milk, whisk well. Your sauce should begin to thicken. If it is getting too thick reduce the heat and add a touch of reserved pasta water. Next, add the cubed cream cheese. Whisk the cream cheese into the sauce. Once it is well combined, add the grated parmesan cheese. Whisk well again.
Bake
Once the sauce is well combined remove the fresh thyme sprigs and fold in the al dente pasta, blanched broccoli, and shredded chicken. Toss until well combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and hot. Serve hot and enjoy.
How to Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Add a splash of chicken broth to a pan or microwave safe bowl before adding the leftovers. The broth will help reconstitute the sauce, making it creamy again. Heat until warmed through.
Yes! Any 2.5-quart deep baking dish will work fine. I like using the Corningware because it is deep versus wide. The deep baking dish keeps the pasta well coated in the sauce. Whereas a wide dish will allow the sauce to spread which could cause the pasta to become dry while baking.
Yes! Delallo Penne, Farfalle, or Cavatappi would all work great! Their shellbows would work well too! That said, I would avoid long thin pasta like spaghetti or angel hair.
This recipe is well balanced and has protein, vegetables, fiber and carbs all in one! So, if you want to keep things simple with one dish you totally can! That said, I would suggest trying this single serving Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie for dessert.
Other Pasta Recipes to Consider Trying
- Pesto Whipped Ricotta Stuffed Shells
- Creamy Marry Me Ditalini Sausage Pasta
- One Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Sausage Pasta
Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- 1 2.5-quart Corningware baking dish
- 1 pasta pot with colander
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
Pasta, Chicken, Broccoli
- 8 ounces tortiglioni pasta, Al dente, Delallo Foods
- 3 cups broccoli florets, remove stem
- ½ – ¾ lb. chicken breasts, shredded, about 1-1.5 breasts
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ – 1 cup yellow onion, diced small
- 2 teaspoons garlic, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- kosher salt, to season
- cracked black pepper, to season
- 2 tablespoons AP flour
- 2 sprigs thyme, fresh
- 1 cup chicken broth, low sodium optional
- ½ cup 2% milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- ¼ – ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2.5-quart Corningware baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Make the Pasta and Broccoli
- Boil a pot of water and season it with salt. Add the pasta and two minutes before it reaches al dente, add the broccoli florets. Quickly blanch the broccoli in the hot water before draining the water. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil and set aside.Reserve some of the pasta water BEFORE you add the broccoli. Otherwise, the water will be green.
Shred the Chicken
- Shred ½ – ¾ pounds of chicken breasts. This is roughly 1 – 1.5 chicken breasts. Option to blanch the chicken and shred it with two forks or you can use rotisserie chicken. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Sauce
- Add extra virgin olive oil and salted butted to a saucepan. Add the diced yellow onion and sauté. Next, add the finely diced garlic and sauté until fragrant.Season with kosher salt, cracked black pepper and ground mustard. Mix well. Then, add the AP flour and fresh thyme. Allow the flour to cook in to pan for 2-3 minutes before deglazing the pan with chicken broth. Scrape any small pieces from the bottom of the pan.
- Next, slowly add the milk, whisk well. Your sauce should begin to thicken. If it is getting too thick reduce the heat and add a touch of reserved pasta water. Next, add the cubed cream cheese. Whisk the cream cheese into the sauce. Once it is well combined, add the grated parmesan cheese. Whisk well again.
Bake
- Once the sauce is well combined remove the fresh thyme sprigs and fold in the al dente pasta, blanched broccoli, and shredded chicken. Toss until well combined. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and hot. Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
5 Comments on “Chicken Broccoli Pasta”
Made this tonight for my husband and our two kids (6 & 4yo) and they devoured it!! So yummy! I used a rotisserie chicken and everything came together so quickly. Definitely a staple in our house moving forward.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the review!
Amazing dish! My husband and I loved this yummy combo of comfort food and healthy(ish) food. We added just a little too much cheese (but is that really a thing?), and it was delicious and worth it! We followed the recipe exactly. No changes needed for us.
SO glad you enjoyed!!!
Amazing dish! I made it, just as described, and it turned out amazingly. I added maybe just a little bit too much cheese (but is that really a thing?) and me & hubby LOVED it. Comfort food meets healthy(ish) in a way I can both enjoy and feel good about my choices.