Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
So easy, so creamy and just so simple to whip up in 30 minutes from start to finish – perfect for those busy weeknights!
Alfredo sauce is certainly not one of those “clean-eating” New Years type dish, but with all this broccoli, it all balances out, right?
I should also mention that this is certainly not one of those heavy alfredo sauces either – it’s a light sauce with a thin coating because that’s really all you need here.
There’s just no need to add in those extra calories, especially when it’s only the first week of January!
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
So easy, so creamy and just so simple to whip up in 30 minutes from start to finish - perfect for those busy weeknights!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 12 ounces broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup milk, or more, as needed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Within the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli; drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
- Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and garlic powder until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan until well combined, about 1 minute. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed.
- Stir in pasta, broccoli and chicken. Gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Great week night recipe. Super easy with few ingredients and very tasty! I followed the sauce instructions as written ; however , I used fettuccine noodles because that’s what I had on hand . The sauce binds to that type of pasta well . I will definitely make again.Â
Planning to make this recipe this week, did you use whole milk or is 2% ok? I’m looking forward to trying this. Thanks in advance, I have made many of your recipes and enjoyed them all.
Liked the recipe but needed more flavor. I think next time I will use fresh broccoli as I used frozen and add like I saw above, some paprika/red pepper flakes for more flavor, and definitely more salt and pepper and probably some minced garlic. I did substitute half and half and added a little extra butter to the sauce and it was plenty thick. Thanks for the recipe, my boyfriend still ate his entire plate!
Very good! I made a few adjustments. I used a full 16oz bag of broccoli to incorporate more veggies. I didn’t have raw chicken on-hand, but I had 2 large cans of chicken breast. I also added 1/2 tsp red pepper for spice and to bring out the flavor. It was all very delicious – everyone cleaned their plates!
Great easy quick recipe. Will double next time as I have teenagers who wanted leftovers.Â
Delicious. Â Needed more garlic, salt and pepper and needed more broccoli. Â We grilled the chicken instead of pan frying.Â
Hello! Was wondering if anyone has used frozen broccoli and if there are any changes to making it as a result? Thanks!Â
I tried this recipe tonight with the frozen broccoli, put in with rotini noodles for last 4-5 minutes. We all liked it, thanks for the recipe!
We tried this recipe because we were unsatisfied with store bought alfredo sauce.
We love this.
Have couple times a month.
I do use little more fresh parmesan.
Appreciate this recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight! Amazing! My boyfriend is super picky and loved it!
This was absolutely FANTASTIC! I initially used the sauce as a twice-baked potato topper (wasn’t in the mood for pasta that night) and then used the leftover sauce with whole wheat rotini the next day for lunch. My husband, who isn’t even an alfredo sauce fan LOVED it. Definitely a keeper. I used some previously meal-prepped chicken (paprika, onion powder, garlic powder for the seasonings) and frozen broccoli, so my preparation steps were a bit different.
Made this tonight and we all loved it!  I may try sautéing the chicken with onion and garlic next time to give it a little kick.  Definitely a keeper!
I made it tonight. It was delicious. I added extra chicken broth to thin the sauce out and a little extra cheese.
Best dang Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo dinner ever! Didn’t change a thing and the Fam loved loved loved. This is a keeper and soooooo easy to make. thank you.
Delicious! Big hit with my family. Didn’t change a thing.. thank you
This recipe was a hit by the whole fam! My 7-year old son especially loved it, and he even prayed about how good it was during our family prayer that night 🙂 I added in a generous amount of salt, and a little more garlic powder and heavy cream than it called for. I also added in sliced mushroom and pulsed spinach, and I didn’t have rotini pasta so I used spaghetti noodles. SUCH A GREAT MEAL! After even loved it so much, I immediately printed it off and added it to my cookbook binder. Thanks so much!
Holy moly this was great!!!! Used fresh broccoli added onion and garlic when frying the chicken and a container of fresh parm cheese thank you!
Easy, quick and delicious! Thanks!
My favorite! Â My husband is under the impression that cooking broccoli in the water will make all the pasta taste like the broccoli. I disagree! Your thought?
It was very good and I was able to substitute A few things because I didn’t have them available. And rotisserie chicken ready to go! Yum! I did add Parmesan Garlic Salt .Â
We love this dish! Easy and tasty
I got mixed reviews on this one. My 10 year old daughter, who isn’t the biggest fan of broccoli, cleaned her plate and took leftovers for lunch the next day. My husband, son and I thought it was okay but lacking something. For leftovers for myself I stirred in a pinch of chili powder and of garlic salt and that made it quite tasty. Overall, a quick and easy weeknight supper that was pretty good!
Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!!
Agreed 🙂
Easy to follow recipe and delicious results! Â We will make this again and again.
Awesome!
Made this last nite…omg! Delicious and so quick to make!
Happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you for a great, easy recipe. I was looking for a simpler alfredo sauce recipe, 1 skillet type meal; this was perfect! My whole family liked it (not easy with 3 children : ). side note: I had to sub something for the heavy cream as I forgot it so used light sour cream and it still came out yummy.
Can this recipe be frozen? If so, what’s the best way to cook it once it’s frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
We loved it!  Made exactly as recipe stated…I figured Chungah worked out the recipe better than I could so made no changes!  I like this “lighter” version of Alfredo – it was perfect for this dish.  I do want to say that I highly recommend using real fresh parmesan (I buy a wedge of good parmesan and finely grate it myself), it’s hugely better than even the kind you buy pre-grated in bags and definitely not that green can stuff lol!  The kind in bags has a coating on it and it doesn’t melt as smoothly or have the same flavor.  One last thing…also highly recommend fresh Italian Parsley (flat leaf) chopped for garnish, just has so much more flavor than regular parsley.  In other words, use everything fresh!  Thank you Chungah for the recipe 🙂
Would love to try this recipe, with all the great reviews. However, do I have to add the flour ? I assume it’s there for thickening , but seems it would be fine without it like most Alfredo recipes? thanks so much!
I find that it may not be thick enough without the flour but as always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Hi,Â
I really want to try this recipe but I am having some problems with measurements (if that is how you say it, I am not from USA). In Europe we dont use cups so it would really help if you could tell me how much is that in milliliters approximately.Â
Thank you and I am excited to try it.Â
Of course! You can use this conversion chart:
http://startcooking.com/measurement-and-conversion-charts.
Hope that helps!
I made this tonight using chicken cutlets and fresh chopped garlic. It was delicious. As far as prior posts regarding substitutes, I have substituted half and half for heavy cream and for milk in other receipies.
I have dome boneless chicken,broccoli, the jar of ragu parmesan alfredo and rotini pasta and im wanting to make this!!! Only thing is i dont have heavy cream instead can i use whole milk? And do u have to use the flour and chicken broth? I dont have chicken broth can u still make this without it and will it still taste the same if i dont use it?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I loved this. This is for two little kids 5 and under and 2 adults. Made this and could not stop licking the spoon. I was beyond satisfied. I followed the recipe to the t with the exception of heavy whipping cream… mine had expired so I tossed it and used a half block of cream cheese. And 1/4 cup more milk to balance out thickness of the cream cheese. This recipe WOWed me. Beyond restaurant quality. This will be a forever staple in my house. I used a whole box of del Cecco farfalle and frozen broccoli. Again…. just wow! Thanks for this!!
This was delicious and way easier than i thought to make!! I am pretty new to cooking and my boyfriend requested this dish! Your recipe was simple and easy to follow and he can’t wait until i make it again! 🙂Â
Absolutely delicious and so easy. Why had I never thought about throwing the broccoli in with the pasta for the last minute or two? Genius. I also used the broccoli stems (peeled off the outer layer, chopped into a small dice). I happened not to have any cream in the house and used just 2% milk. Still turned out great. This one is going into the permanent rotation. Thank you!
Made this, used gluten free noodles and GF flour, it was delicious and my three kids, including two toddlers, had seconds and thirds! Â Thank you for making my life easier and taste better with your recipes!!
I made this last night and my family and I really enjoyed it! I love your recipes, excited to try more. Also, love the idea of using Greek yogurt in this to give it a tang, will try that next time. And mushrooms would be so good in here too!
Hi there. Â I’m making this dish for my firehouse. There are 5 guys and me. Just wondering if I should double all of the ingredients? I wanna make sure I make enough otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it. Thanks for any help you can give. Also, I have made your bang bang chicken and firecracker shrimp for the fellas. They all loved it. Not one bit of leftovers!! Â Â
Yes, you can double all ingredients! 🙂
Love your recipe.
For the heavy cream you can leave out, (which I wouldn’t suggest you doing as it really adds to it) substitute greek yogurt (dairy or non-dairy), use creamed cashews, or use the cream from a can of coconut milk (not the lite version)
The coconut cream does not make it taste coconutty at all.
This was really good! I followed the recipe as suggested, but used Greek yogurt instead of cream, and it turned out great – thanks!
Can you switch out the heavy cream for Greek Yogurt? I always have Greek Yogurt on hand, but never heavy cream.Â
Yes, absolutely.
Thanks! Â Is it a 1:1 substitute?
Yes! But you can always add more or less as needed to suit your preferences.
I made this last night and it was awesome! Only change was I used shells instead of rotini. Yummy!
This dish was amazing! My eight year old stepdaughter, who detests every single piece of food (unless it’s fruit or plain pasta noodles), said this was “okay!” w/ a thumbs up. May not seem like much, but her dad and I were in shock. 🙂 Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I will definitely be trying some of your other dishes soon.Â
This looks delicious! My wife works so late, so I try to always have dinner ready by the time she gets home. I’m totally going to give this a try!Â
I made this last night. I was incredible!!! The only changes I made was I threw in some finely diced onions and some fresh garlic (instead of garlic powder). This will definitely go into my rotation for dinners. And since I’m only cooking for 2- I have plenty leftovers 😀
Chicken and broccoli never looked so good. I’ll definitely need to try this without the pasta (go low carb!)
made this tonight with leftover chicken and veg from yesterday’s dinner…it was delicious!!! Even my picky daughter ate it all and even wants the leftover portion in her lunchbox tomorrow!! Thank you 🙂
So my goal is to make as many of the recipes I pin as I can. I have so many of your recipes pinned!!! I made this last night and it was a huge hit with the family! It will definitely be added to the rotation! I had leftovers for lunch today!
Be careful not to overcook the broccoli. I usually prefer my broccoli on the rawer side, and cooking the full time in the instructions left the vegetable mushy. Otherwise, fantastic recipe, the family enjoyed it!
Try my tip, cook the broccoli (or any other veggie) in a small amount of water in the microwave, cover and start with one minute; we can always add cooking time, if it is overcooked, there is nothing that can be done.
I have to chime in with the others that tried this and found it DELICIOUS. I made it tonight with 2 minor changes – I used some leftover cooked diced chicken that was in the fridge, and I used 2% milk instead of milk + heavy cream. It was SO simple to make, and everyone loved it. There was only a bit left over and our youngest son took it home with him to take to work tomorrow. This dish is officially in the rotation now – it’s a triple crown winner – good, simple, and uses regular usually-on-hand ingredients 🙂
I bought some Alfredo sauce to use on a pizza but didn’t use it all. Glad I found this! Now the rest of that sauce won’t go to waste! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
It was delicious 🙂
I want to try your recipe as I prefer a lighter version of alfredo. Question: Is it possible to prepare this or any part of this dish ahead of time – like the day before?
Elaine, this is really best served (and prepped) immediately. But you can certainly make this ahead of time and serve it as leftovers if needed.
This is a delicious recipe. Thanks!
Does the broccoli have to be cooked first?
Carrie, the broccoli is cooked in the very first step with the pasta.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Within the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli; drain well.
Broccoli cooks well in the micro wave, add a little water, it retains the vibrant green colour and the crunch. This is now my usual method of cooking all vegetables; cooking times will vary- no loss of nutrients either.
I just made this for dinner tonight and it is delicious. It was so quick to make. I will be making this many times again.
This looks delicious- I’m currently adding the ingredients to my shopping list! Just one question- about how many ounces of chicken breast should I buy? Thanks!!
Mary, 1 pound (16-ounces) should be more than enough for this recipe.
Hi. Love your recipes!! I have a question regarding the parmesan. I always think “freshly grated parmesan” means the kind that looks shredded and comes in bags or deli-type plastic containers. However the powdery kind in the green jars is called “grated” and I’ve learned from past experience that equal measurements of the two types do NOT turn out the same! :/ So, which kind are you referring to? Thanks for making our dinner time damn delicious!
Candace, I purchase my freshly grated parmesan from Trader Joe’s (located in the refrigerated section). They come in deli-style plastic containers. I highly discourage anyone from using the powdery kind from the green jars – the fresh stuff is always best!
wood it’s wonderful. I cooked it last night . Thank you soon much chef
Really delicious! There are so many recipe that I Pin and then realize, when I read them, the author can’t really cook. Your recipes and blog are the real deal.
Kiddo loves Alfredo sauce but doesn’t like jarred sauces and I hadn’t found a homemade sauce that we both liked until now. Made this recipie with half and half tonight and it was great!!! Kiddo was even picking out and earning extra broccoli…lol. I will be adding this to our dinner rotation and can see building other dishes around the Alfredo sauce. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Sounds delicious (of course!), however, needs a splash of colour. Consider carrots, red and/or yellow peppers, even baby corn (for fun)
Wow! This was the best recipe yet that we’ve tried of yours. Love it!
I do not usually comment on recipes, but I felt compelled to comment on this one. WOW! I made this dish tonight, and both my boyfriend and I loved it!! It’s such a simple recipe, yet it’s so delicious and flavorful. Also, there are plenty of leftovers, which is always a good thing. This recipe is definitely a keeper! 🙂
This looks amazing! I am adding it to my menu this month. 🙂
Wondering if you have made this alfredo sauce and froze it. I am trying to build up my freezer meal stock and thought this would be great to make ahead and only have to cook the pasta on meal night.
Thanks and love your site!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Thanks, I will give it a try and report back 😉
I think this would freeze well minus the broccoli. The broccoli would become mush in the reheating.
I particularly love this recipe, because it has ingredients that I normally have on hand.
With a crisp chilled white wine and a salad, I could easily and spontaneously—and of course
proudly—-have someone over for dinner.
This sounds amazing and easy! Can’t wait to try soon!
Yesterday, my cousin suggested I follow you. So, I decided to try one of your recipes for dinner, before I got my hopes up. I’ve seen many sites like this and sometimes they don’t pan out. Mostly, I cook from The Pioneer Woman website, or my own stuff. Well, let me tell you how much my family LOVED this dish! (And, I made the Mini Garlic Monkey Bread cups too) The only thing I did differently, was to use an entire box (1 pound) of Penne and I used store bought grilled chicken breast slices, that I cut up. I only did this as a time saver, being the first day of school and all. This was by far the best Alfredo sauce I’ve come across – and I do not use the jarred stuff – so that’s a big compliment. Thanks bunches and I look forward to trying another dish.
It’s all about moderation. I’ll have two bowls instead of three. Pinned.
I am making this tomorrow! I use greek yogurt as a sub for heavy cream in most of your recipes since I never have heavy cream. They all turn out shall I say “damn delicious”?!! Glad I found this site!
CAN’T go wrong with your recipes Chungah!! I have LOVED everything that i have fixed! I will make this tonight and i am sure that there will be NO exception to this recipe either! Thanks for a source for GREAT recipes!!
This looks so delicious, and I love that you used such a fun pasta shape – what a great idea to capture all those tasty alfredo flavors!
Thank you for showing us you can use broccoli in a dish like this without turning it into an overcooked yucky mess!
I just love your recipes! I tried this one tonight and my family raved about it. It’s easy, yummy, and I even made an alternative version of it for myself with gluten free noodles, fake chicken meat, and tomato sauce instead of the Alfredo sauce. Thank you for your continued great recipes!! 🙂
This looks so good! I love good, white pasta sauces full of flavour, and broccoli? Gimme! x
i will be making this tonight. But i am going to use the jars of alfredo sauce, my family seems to love the jars of alfredo sauce. The rest i will use mushrooms and maybr a gteen pepper is that ok on the pepper. And o usually make my broccili i always steam it. SO i will try this tonight.
I used Bowtie pasta, instead of rotini, used crème fraîche instead of heavy cream, peas in place of broccoli & pounded flat normal chickens breast and lightly flowered before cooking. The dish came out great!
Looks de-lish !! Delicious and quick to make – I LOVE IT !!! (Just Pinned it!)
Awesome recipe. I did one really similar recently except it was all in one pot. Though looking at this one I am thinking that cooking the chicken first and removing it from the pan might be a better idea, for the texture at least.
I would love to see the calorie and fat counts along with the recipe. It helps those of of who need that.
Jay, I try my very best to provide nutritional information for select recipes. However, if nutritional information is not provided, it is best to use online resources at your discretion to obtain such information.
Beautiful photos!
Twinkle love the half and half idea to cut down on calories! And maybe just sprinkle some of the parm on top instead of mixing in. Trying to night!
I am new to your site. My husband and I are empty nesters and trying to loose weight. I’m looking for recipes that are healthy, quick, and easy with variety. I am hoping to cook at home more and eat out less. Yours recipes seem to fit the bill perfectly. I have noticed you use pasta, heavy cream and other items that are not particularly “diet ” friendly. Items like the heavy cream and are also not items I have on hand. Can you suggest way to “skinny” down some of the recipes? Also, is there a list of core items you would suggest to have on hand or that should become a part of our weekly shopping list? Thank you for your time. I am really excited about trying your recipes.
Sharyl, my site is not focused on diet-friendly recipes – they are simply home-cooked meals made from scratch, which is generally a lot healthier than eating out or ordering take-out! However, I do have specific “skinny” recipes that you can check out:
https://damndelicious.net/2014/06/18/skinny-queso-dip/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/12/22/skinny-mexican-casserole/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/01/24/skinny-fettuccine-alfredo/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/08/06/shrimp-alfredo-pasta-bake/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/05/23/lighter-general-tsos-chicken/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/01/29/skinny-egg-salad-sliders/
https://damndelicious.net/2014/01/01/skinny-taco-dip/
As for core items to have on hand – I would recommend stocking up on some of these items: ground beef, chicken breast, Greek yogurt (you can substitute this ingredient for sour cream), milk and fresh vegetables.
I hope that helps!
COuld you use heavy whipping cream I don’t have whipping cream?
Yes!
Couldn’t you use fat-free half & half instead of the milk and heavy cream and still get the consistency and flavor without the fat and calories? I almost always substitute it and think it’s a miracle product. How can it be half & half and be fat-free at the same time!?!?
Yes, that should work just fine. Although I prefer to list out both milk and heavy cream as half-and-half is not really something most people have readily available.
I’ve never used half and half as a substitution, but I like the idea. Is it for just heavy cream, the combo of heavy cream and milk, or both? Are the amounts the same? Thanks in advance for any tips!
Stephanie, half and half is a dairy product consisting of equal parts light cream and milk.
Oh sorry, yes I know what half and half is! I was just wondering how you recommend substituting it? Using the same amount as you would heavy cream, for example? Just looking for some tips to mainly stay away from heavy cream. Thanks!
Half and half consists of both heavy cream and milk so it would be best to substitute this for both ingredients, not just the heavy cream.
simple yet delicious
Broccoli totally balances it out and like is all about balance anyway! 🙂
Did you use fresh or frozen broccoli? Or does it really not matter?
It is best to use fresh broccoli.
I used frozen broc. Also added fresh tomato.
Made this, added asparagus also, turned out yummy. Great Alfredo Sauce! Thanks!!
We make a recipe very similar, we don’t use the Heavy Cream. It is one of my Husbands favorite meals. Great Photos!