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?
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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.
Yes, absolutely.
Thanks! 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.
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!
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