Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This chicken and broccoli pasta recipe has the most delicious creamy lemon sauce and is perfect for a quick and easy dinner option!

It was almost a year and a half ago when my blogging life changed and I had my first viral recipe. When I created this lemon asparagus pasta I had NO idea how popular it would be. This recipe was so popular that it even crashed my entire site with thousands of people clambering to try it. And pretty much everyone that’s tried this recipe LOVES it. I have no idea why I waited so long to make a new iteration of it, but here at last is chicken and broccoli pasta. It’s a similar concept with sliced chicken over a creamy lemon pasta, but this time we’re doing broccoli instead of asparagus and I browned the butter in the sauce which gives it so much more flavor.

For this chicken and broccoli pasta, the broccoli cooks along with the linguine. Simply add the broccoli  during the last 4 minutes of the pasta cook time and you’ll have perfect pasta and veggies all in one pot. While the pasta and broccoli is cooking, I make the pasta sauce and prepare the chicken. I like to use grilled sliced chicken for this recipe, but really, any cooked chicken will work, like baked, broiled, cubed, even rotisserie is just fine.

The pasta and broccoli are tossed in the creamy sauce with the chicken arranged over the top. Add a little parsley and serve! If you’d like for your pasta to look just like the photos in this post, simply reserve a handful of the cooked broccoli florets to add on top at the end along with the chicken.

This chicken and broccoli pasta is one of my go-to meals on busy weeknights, my kids happily eat it every time! It’s perfect for a quick family dinner, yet elegant enough to serve to company. It’s bound to be a hit no matter how you serve it.

4.5 from 6 votes

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Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This chicken and broccoli pasta recipe has the most delicious creamy lemon sauce and is perfect for a quick and easy dinner option!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 662 kcal

Author Dinner at the Zoo

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts grilled and cut into strips. Or you can use baked, broiled or even rotisserie chicken breast.
• 3/4 lb broccoli florets
• 10 ounces linguine pasta
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• Optional garnishes: lemon slices and chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Add the broccoli to the pot during the last 4 minutes of cooking time.

2. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta cooking liquid.

3. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat until browned. Add the heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thick enough to coat a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.

4. Place the pasta and broccoli back into the pot you cooked it in.

5. Pour the cream sauce over the pasta mixture and toss to coat evenly, adding pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Arrange the chicken on top of the pasta.

6. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 662 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28g 43%

Saturated Fat 16g 80%

Cholesterol 156mg 52%

Sodium 358mg 15%

Potassium 890mg 25%

Total Carbohydrates 60g 20%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 3g

Protein 39g 78%

Vitamin A 29.3%

Vitamin C 97.3%

Calcium 18.2%

Iron 11.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.