This Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake is a one pot meal and only takes 30 minutes to make! It features a lightened up Alfredo Sauce with a crispy garlic butter Panko topping. It's quick, easy and delicious, which makes it a great weeknight dinner!
Creamy Alfredo Sauce meets crispy Panko topping in this one pot meal. This recipe is sure to please the whole family and it's seriously so easy to make. Let's get to it...
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- One Pot. Skip the long clean up with this one pot dinner.
- Quick and Easy. Ready in 30 minutes with minimal prep work and simple step by step instructions.
- Big on Flavor. This one pot meal packs so much taste!
- Budget Friendly. Pasta dishes are my favorite, because they're delicious and also pretty easy on the wallet.
For more one pot dinner ideas, check out this Stuffed Pepper Skillet, Honey Sriracha Shrimp, Broccoli Cheddar Pasta, Chorizo Pasta, Andouille Pasta, and Beef Macaroni.
Ingredients:
Chicken: I like Chicken Breast best for this recipe, and prefer the Smart Chicken brand. It's air chilled, and always really clean right out of the package, requiring minimal trimming.
Chicken Stock: Made with the bones and packs way richer flavors than its watery cousin, Chicken broth. My favorite brands are Kitchen Basics and Costco's Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock.
Parmesan Cheese: One of the ingredients I always splurge on is Parmigiano Reggiano. It has superior taste to any other parmesan and I highly recommend. If you want to get a less expensive version, that's fine, but make sure to buy a block and shred it yourself for the best melt.
Radiatori Pasta: I love the shape of this pasta and it cooks perfectly in the sauce.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Other pastas can be used for this recipe, such as mezze penne or fusilli. I would stay in the same medium sized range to keep a similar cook time though.
- To save on cost, you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, but make sure to trim them well.
- If you don't want the crunch on top, you can skip the panko topping. It's really good though!
Pair this recipe with my Stuffed Garlic Bread for a seriously delicious match up.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta:
Step 1: Trim the chicken of any excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces. Season with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil and toss to combine.
Step 2: In a dutch oven or deep skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook the chicken breast chunks for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate. Note: They won't be fully cooked, but will cook completely in the sauce in the following steps.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium low. Into the pot, add one tablespoon of olive oil and toss in broccoli and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Add in the pasta and chicken. Next, pour in chicken stock and heavy cream. Stir, cover and cook on medium low heat for 12-14 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring half way through to make sure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom.
Step 5: To make the Panko Topping: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium low heat, then add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in Panko Breadcrumbs and cook for a few minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Remove the skillet from the burner and set aside for topping at the end.
Step 6: Once the pasta is tender, turn off the heat and stir in parmesan cheese for a few seconds until melted. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the dish and add into a 400 degree oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Note: Watch it closely so that it doesn't burn.
Step 7: Top with parsley, serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Make sure to shred the cheese from a block so that it melts properly. Bagged cheeses have an anti-caking agent that prevents them from melting correctly.
- Check that the pasta is cooked completely before adding the cheese. If the pasta is still undercooked and the liquid is really soaked up, stir in another ¼ cup of chicken stock and cover and cook for a few minutes.
For more Chicken Pasta recipes, check out this Chicken Pesto Orzo, Marry Me Chicken Tortellini and Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup.
More Easy Pasta Recipes to Try:
If you tried this Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake (One Pot)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Description
This Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake is a one pot meal and only takes 30 minutes to make! It features a lightened up Alfredo Sauce with a crispy garlic butter Panko topping. It's quick, easy and delicious, which makes it a great weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Chicken Broccoli Pasta:
- 2 large chicken breasts, trimmed (about 1 lb)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 and ½ cups fresh broccoli florets, *I like to quarter the larger florets
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups radiatori pasta
- 1 and ½ cups chicken stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded fine from the block
- 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
Panko Topping:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs (plain or Italian)
Instructions
- Trim the chicken of any excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces. Season with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil and toss to combine.
- In a dutch oven or deep skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Cook the chicken breast chunks for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate. Note: They won't be fully cooked, but will cook completely in the sauce in the following steps.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Into the pot, add the other tablespoon of olive oil and toss in broccoli and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, stirring frequently.
- Add in the pasta and chicken. Next, pour in chicken stock and heavy cream. Stir, cover and cook on medium low heat for 12-14 minutes until the pasta is tender, stirring half way through to make sure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom.
- To make the Panko Topping: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium low heat, then add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in Panko Breadcrumbs and cook for a few minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Remove the skillet from the burner and set aside for topping at the end.
- Once the pasta is tender, turn off the heat and stir in parmesan cheese for a few seconds until melted. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and add into a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Note: Watch it closely so that it doesn't burn.
- Top with parsley, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to shred the cheese from a block so that it melts properly. Bagged cheeses have an anti-caking agent that prevents them from melting correctly.
- Check that the pasta is cooked completely before adding the cheese. If the pasta is still undercooked and the liquid is really soaked up, stir in another ¼ cup of chicken stock and cover and cook for a few minutes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop and oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Holly says
This match up is amazing..cheesy chicken and broccoli..so yummy!
Tara Smithson says
Such a satisfying pairing and thanks so much for the review.