Garlic Parmesan Chicken Broccoli Pasta (Print Version)

Creamy one-pan pasta with chicken, broccoli, and garlic Parmesan sauce ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), diced

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 cups broccoli florets
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

→ Pasta

05 - 10 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rotini)

→ Dairy

06 - 1 cup whole milk
07 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
09 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Pantry

10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

14 - Fresh parsley, chopped
15 - Extra grated Parmesan

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add diced chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until golden and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
02 - In the same skillet, add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
03 - Stir in uncooked pasta, chicken broth, milk, and Italian herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Add broccoli florets, cover again, and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until pasta reaches al dente texture and broccoli is bright green and tender.
05 - Lower heat. Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce becomes creamy. Return cooked chicken to skillet, stir to combine, and cook for 2 additional minutes to heat through.
06 - Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan before serving.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one skillet, which means less cleanup and more time to actually enjoy your meal.
  • The sauce builds naturally from the pasta cooking liquid, making it creamy without feeling heavy or overly rich.
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but feels impossibly easy, like you're in on some delicious kitchen secret.
02 -
  • If your sauce looks too thick before adding the cream, it's actually fine—the cream will loosen it to the exact right consistency, so don't panic and add extra liquid.
  • Stir the Parmesan in slowly off the heat; if the pan is too hot, the cheese can clump up instead of melting into a smooth sauce.
03 -
  • If you're serving this to someone with dairy sensitivity, you can substitute the cream and milk with coconut milk or a quality oat milk, though the flavor will shift slightly toward something lighter and less luxurious.
  • Grating Parmesan from a block instead of using pre-grated makes a shocking difference in how smoothly the cheese melts into the sauce—it's one small detail that elevates the whole dish.
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