Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli satisfies even the pickiest palate with cheesy, buttery, garlic alfredo sauce, pasta shells, chicken, and healthy, crunchy broccoli for the perfect amount of texture.
For more easy pasta recipes, bookmark my popular posts for Easy Tortellini Alfredo, One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta, and Spicy Tomato Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
I have found that very few people can say “no” to alfredo. Anything in alfredo. Shrimp, chicken, veggies, spinach, ravioli, bacon…honestly it’s hard to hate. Try these Cheesy Bacon Alfredo Shells, for instance.
For this dish, I went pretty straightforward: Pasta, alfredo, chicken, and broccoli, essentially. What more do you need though, honestly? Also, this recipe (even the sauce!) is easily made from fridge and pantry staples. And, if you don’t have something, just get creative. I’ve used frozen broccoli before when I didn’t have fresh, and you could use a shredded rotisserie chicken if you don’t have any boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand. Any kind of short/small pasta will work too! If you only have spaghetti, you can break it up into smaller pieces.
Don’t sweat it if you don’t have the exact right things to make a meal. Substitute if you need to — it’ll still turn out great. Plus, the more you try things, the better a cook you’ll become. It truly is about trial and error to find what works best for you.
What You’ll Need
Not many ingredients, so much flavor!
- Short pasta noodles
- Broccoli florets
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Minced garlic
- Flour
- Half and half or whole milk
- Reserved pasta water
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Here’s How you Make it
This creamy chicken alfredo dish with broccoli comes together in just 30 minutes!
- First thing’s first, you’ll want to cook the pasta noodles according to package instructions. Drain the past but be sure to save ¾ of the pasta water because you’ll want to use it later to help make the sauce.
2. Next, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and broccoli (if using fresh) to the skillet and saute both for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Remove the chicken and put it on a plate or in a bowl. Put a lid or cover on it to keep it warm.
3. It’s sauce time! The best part! Using the same skillet, melt the butter and then stir in the garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute so it gets nice and fragrant. Then, stir the flour into the butter till the mixture gets foamy. From there, slowly whisk in the milk, ½ a cup at a time to make sure it all gets incorporated and there are no lumps.
4. Take that reserved pasta water and pour it into the roux, along with the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Keep whisking. When the cheese is melted all the way and the sauce has smoothed back out, taste and adjust by adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Now let’s pull all the pieces of this chicken broccoli pasta dish together, shall we? Stir the chicken and broccoli into the alfredo sauce, being sure to cover it all. Add more cracked black pepper and freshly shredded parm too if you want and serve!
How to Lighten up Alfredo Sauce
If you would prefer a lighter version of alfredo sauce for this alfredo with broccoli recipe (or to just have one in your sauce arsenal), I have a couple recipes that are lighter and still as delicious!
- Use the lightened up alfredo sauce recipe I used in this Lighter Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo dish.
- You can also pull together an alfredo sauce using Greek yogurt!
- If you want to lighten up this particular recipe, then I suggest using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream.
No matter how you serve this creamy alfredo dish, I’m 100% sure you’re going to love it!
More Amazing Pasta Recipes
- Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
Did you make this Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 16 ounces short pasta noodles
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 medium-large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
for the alfredo sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups half and half - or whole milk
- ¾ cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper - or to taste
Instructions
cook the pasta noodles
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta water and setting aside.
prepare the chicken and broccoli
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Generously season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and broccoli and saute 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked through and golden on the outside. Transfer to a dish and cover to keep warm.
prepare the alfredo sauce
- In the same skillet, melt the butter. Once melted, stir in garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in flour til mixture is foamy. Gradually whisk in the milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated and mixture is smooth.
- Stir in reserved pasta water, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once cheese is fully melted and incorporated into the sauce, give it a taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
put it together
- Stir in chicken and broccoli. Garnish with additional cracked black pepper and parmesan if desired and serve.
Excellant & easy to prepare.
Thanks for your feedback, Sharon!
I do this the same way but I make it with Amish Egg Noodles because my husband loves those…I guess the kids do as well. The 8 year old gobbles this up and he hates everything. LOL
My whole family really liked this. Nice hint of garlic in the sauce. I will definitely make it again.