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Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta is an easy recipe that combines protein, carbs, and veggies in a simple homemade cream sauce. It's a perfect dish for creamy chicken pasta lovers!
If you're tired of dry, tasteless chicken breast recipes, then it's time to try different ways to cook chicken. In this creamy chicken and broccoli alfredo pasta, the chicken is moist and tender, as it is smothered in a creamy, white cheese alfredo sauce. This delicious family favorite dinner combines protein (chicken), carbs (pasta), veggies (broccoli) and a homemade creamy sauce.
This recipe has been repinned literally a million times, because it's simple and quick, with the amazing alfredo sauce made completely from scratch.
What do you put in Alfredo sauce?
Basic alfredo sauce recipe generally requires only heavy cream, garlic, Parmesan cheese, a little bit of butter. Garlic is always welcome, too.
What cheese to use in Alfredo sauce?
This recipe works with Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, all shredded. I use short pasta (penne) which I find is perfect for creamy sauces as it feels like you get more sauce with each bite.
How do you make Alfredo sauce without heavy cream?
You can make alfredo sauce with half-and-half or milk instead of heavy cream. If you do use half-and-half or milk, you will have to use more butter.
Other creamy chicken pasta recipes
If you liked this chicken broccoli alfredo pasta recipe, you will also enjoy these recipes:
- Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken, Broccoli, and Bacon - homemade alfredo sauce recipe with the addition of bacon!
- Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce - creamy pasta with the sun-dried tomato and basil cream sauce.
- Chicken and Bacon Pasta with Tomatoes and Spinach - in this recipe, sliced chicken breast and bacon are tossed with veggies and penne pasta in a delicious, creamy, homemade Alfredo sauce made with Parmesan cheese.
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 ounces broccoli
- 8 ounces penne pasta (for gluten free, use gluten-free brown rice penne)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 lb chicken breast (1 large chicken breast)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ¼ cups Parmesan cheese, or Mozzarella cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain well. Cut into small florets.
- Cook pasta al dente, drain.
- In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter on medium-high heat (until hot but not smoking) and saute chicken breast (seasoned generously with salt and pepper on both sides) for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the skillet from heat, cover with the lid, and let the chicken rest, off heat, covered, until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and is completely cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Add minced garlic to the same skillet and cook it in chicken juices and oil remaining in the pan, scraping up the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan, on medium heat for about 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant, making sure to avoid burning. Add cooked and sliced broccoli and mix in with garlic. Remove from the pan.
- To make the creamy sauce, in the same skillet heat up 1 cup of heavy cream until it boils. Immediately add the cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Reduce heat to medium-low, and slowly, in small portions, add milk, constantly stirring, simmering, until a creamy consistency is reached.
- Add cooked pasta to the creamy sauce, then add broccoli. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced, cooked chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made this recipe tonight for dinner. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I cut up the chicken before cooking and after I made the sauce I mixed everything together. I used pregrated mozzarella cheese and I didn't have any issues. Everything turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Would I be able to use half and half with colby jack cheese for this?
This recipe was great up until adding the parmesan cheese, it didn't melt properly for me and ended up being gritty. Will use a different cheese next time.
Thx for the recipe! I loved it! I made it for my family and they said it was one of the best things I ever made! Btw I'm a young chef in training!
This was a tasty meal, but not as quick as I had hoped it would be. It took me ~75 mins. I also didn't wind up using a full cup of milk... More like 1/2-3/4 cup. My family loved it! Very tasty! Just a little time consuming.
cheers!
I made this tonight. I doubled the recipe and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. There were NO leftovers whatsoever! We absolutely loved it! I can't have noodles so I left out a chicken thigh out for me and used the sauce and broccoli on mine and then mixed the rest together for the family. FANTASTIC. We will keep this in rotation for sure! I also had no problems with the sauce. I cooked the chicken and sauce in a cast iron skillet and had zero problems. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Made it a couple of days ago, didn't have issues with the cheese clumping maybe because I shredded the cheese myself instead of buying preshredded mozzarella and it was great. We had leftovers and just like any pasta dish it was soooooo much better a couple of days later. I'd recommend reheating on the stove with a small splash of water, I didn't it like that and it was perfect.
I made this tonight and it was tasty! Kids loved it! The only thing I'd do next time is make the sauce thicker since the sauce seemed too thin for me. I also just added already cooked chicken strips and cut them down which made it easier to make this.
Made this tonight with cheesy toasted bread. The husband suggested fresh mushrooms and bell pepper for the next time. A hit!!!
Thank you, Denise! Yes, this pasta would be great with mushrooms and bell pepper!
It was easy and turned out perfectly, thank you. Great recipe.
Thank you, Kelly, - I am glad you enjoyed it!
Very delicious! I'm cooking chicken this way from now on. The sauce turned out great, I shredded my monterrey jack before putting it in. The sauce was pretty thin, but it still worked when added to the rest. Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you - I am glad you liked it!
When I made this it went wonderfully!
The problem that the others might be experiencing could be because of they type of pan used. When I made it I used a large wok that I had.
In addition another problem could be the cheese. I have learned in the past that you never used pre shredded cheese. Instead, buy a block of cheese and shread it yourself! I did this with the mozzarella and it worked wonderfully. It incorporated great, the only problem I had was that I added too much cheese and that changed the flavor to a little bland. But it all melted. Also be sure the half and half is simmering and bubbling a lot before adding cheese. Just be sure it doesn't burn.
Kayal, thank you for your tips! Yes, I agree - it should be a large pan and the half and half should be brought to boil and then simmering - only then add the cheese. I applaud you for grating your own cheese. 🙂 I always use store-bought grated low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese - and it works great, melts and blends into the sauce perfectly!
I'm glad I didn't read the comments before I made this; I think I would gave been scared off. When making the sauce, bring the heavy cream to a boil and then REMOVE from the burner. Slowly whisk in shredded cheese ( I used pepper jack). Once you have a smooth creamy sauce, you can return to the burner to incorporate the milk. Hope this helps!
It was okay. I had the same problem with the sauce. The cheese just clumped up and the sauce was just watery. Nothing creamy about it at all.
I rarely make a recipe the same day I pin it but I had all the ingredients on hand. I had some leftover Alfredo sauce, broccoli and grilled chicken. I used fettuccine instead of penne which I didn't have, but it turned out fine. I'll be making this on a regular basis. It was easy, 15 minutes or so, and delicious. Thank you. Marianne, Modesto, Ca.
Marianne, thank you! So glad you liked it!