This creamy chicken and broccoli pasta is perfect for a flashy weeknight date dinner, complex with flavor and simple to make.
This dish combines tender chicken, vibrant broccoli florets, and al dente pasta enveloped in a luscious, creamy sauce, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors and textures.
What makes this dish truly exceptional is its adaptability. Whether you’re a culinary novice or a seasoned chef, the creamy chicken and broccoli pasta recipe is incredibly versatile, accommodating various dietary preferences and ingredient substitutions with ease. It serves as a basis for creativity, allowing you to experiment with different proteins, vegetables, and sauces to suit your taste and pantry staples.
Furthermore, its simplicity and efficiency make it an ideal choice for weeknight dinners. With minimal prep work and cooking time, you can have a satisfying meal on the table in no time, freeing up precious moments to unwind and reconnect with loved ones after a long day.
Whether you’re craving comfort food after a hectic day or looking for a wholesome meal to nourish your family, the creamy chicken and broccoli pasta recipe is sure to become a staple in your culinary repertoire. Its versatility, ease of preparation, and irresistible flavors make it a go-to option for any night of the week.
The key tips for this easy creamy chicken and broccoli pasta are
- Sear the broccoli, as it will elevate its taste and add a certain level of smokiness to the whole thing
- Spice it up with red pepper flakes
- If you like a bit of acid to your pasta, I highly recommend throwing in some cherry tomatoes while the chicken is searing. Normally you would be using lemon, but because of the cream we don’t want it to break it
- reserve a bit of pasta water and have milk on the standby. Different countries have different cream concepts- some are heavier, and some are lighter. Whatever you use, you can always let it boil a bit to thicken it or add a bit more milk to reverse it
- This is versatile, personalize it to your liking – regardless if you want a creamier sauce, or less creamy
Creamy chicken and broccoli pasta
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 250 gr chicken or turkey breast
- 250 gr broccoli
- 200 gr your favorite cream
- pasta for two
- olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
- a bit of milk
Instructions
- In a covered frying pan with just a bit of water, steam the broccoli. Or you can steam them your favorite way. Would highly recommend to salt them
- Once the broccoli is a bit before getting ready (I like it to have a bite), remove them from the frying pan and let them rest
- Put the pasta water to boil with a bit of salt. Once it is ready, its time to put on the pasta and cook them to the recommended time minus one minute. Now depending on how comfortable you are with the next steps, it should not take you more than the time it takes the pasta to be cooked to prep everything
- (optionally) I like to sear the broccoli with a bit of olive oil (think of it like a stir fry) – this will give them a nice char and elevate the flavor profile. Be careful not to burn them as at this point they burn very easily
- Cut the meat inro smaller pieces, marinate it with salt and pepper and give them a quick sear
- Throw in the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes.
- in just 30 seconds, or when you feel the garlic aroma, throw back in the broccoli and heat everything up.
- finish up with your favorite cream. Depending on the type of cream you use, if you see that the pasta sauce is too thick, add a bit of milk to compensate
- once the pasta is ready, reserve a bit of pasta water and throw everything in the pan
- toss the pasta, and add a bit of pasta water. Once you reach the consistency you want, its ready.
