Chicken broccoli pasta gets kicked up a notch with a simple white wine butter sauce bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
Whenever I travel out of town, I like to stock the fridge with plenty of food and ready-to-eat meals that my husband can easily reheat for the boys.
I don’t want to worry about my boys surviving on Cheez-Its and Oreos. So, I love whipping up a batch of my fast and easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce.
I love to use a little white wine to deglaze the pan after browning the chicken. Feel free to use chicken broth instead to avoid the alcohol.
Personally, I love the flavor it adds to the background of the dish. I don’t worry about serving it to my boys since most of the alcohol content cooks off.
This pasta is ideal for entertaining a crowd or gifting to a new mother. It’s also great to make ahead for an easy, re-heatable weekday lunch.
Not a fan of broccoli? This pasta would be just as delicious with asparagus, green beans or peas.
Your fork is waiting.
Frequently asked questions:
Reheating it in a sauté pan with a little olive oil would be best but heating in the microwave totally works too.
Chicken can easily be swapped out for shrimp, pork tenderloin or even white beans.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry penne regular or whole wheat
- 8 cups broccoli cut into florets
- 20 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil optional garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Two minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add the broccoli to the same pot cooking the pasta.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to pan; set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add cooking spray. Sprinkle cubed chicken breasts with salt and chili flakes. Add to pan and brown, 7-9 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and reserve.
- Leaving the pan on medium-high, add white wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.
- Add butter to the pan and heat until melted. Stir in lemon juice and chicken broth then simmer for an additional minute or two.
- Add reserved chicken and any juices formed back to the pot with the pasta and broccoli. Stir in lemon butter sauce and toss well. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Stir in olive oil before dividing between 6 plates. Serve with plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil.
Video
Nutrition
Need more quick dinner ideas? Check out my Pinterest board!
Brenda
Do frozen broccoli work with this recipe
Liz DellaCroce
Absolutely!! Add at very end!
Lisa DeRosier
HI Liz, I haven’t made this yet but wanted to ask a question. Can this be made ahead of time then freeze it?
Please let me know.
Thanks
Liz DellaCroce
Yes this would be great to freeze!! Enjoy Lisa!
Greg
Made this tonight. For those that mentioned a lack of flavor, I’d recommend seasoning your chicken before browning it, adding Italian seasoning to recipe, as well as minced garlic and lemon zest (in addition to the juice) to pan sauce. Not a bad dish!
Liz DellaCroce
that’s a great idea Greg!
Jay
Not much flavor. Very watery.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Jay, I’m sorry this wasn’t a hit for you. I re-tested the recipe and I decided to lower the amount of broth. Feel free also to add more salt, pepper, lemon, chili flakes, oil or cheese to bump up the flavor next time. Thanks again for your feedback – it helps us improve our recipes!
Tracey lyman
Not a fan. The husband and I found it to bland. We have leftovers so I think I’ll sauté some garlic in butter and add.
Liz DellaCroce
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the pasta recipe Tracey. Merry Christmas!
cheryl Wells
It was very bland to me also. I even marinated chicken & added mushrooms. I’m trying to find a sauce to jaZz up the leftovers
Liz DellaCroce
Hmm…did you add enough salt? Maybe some garlic next time or chili flakes? Sorry you didn’t enjoy!
Marnie Hoolahan
This was delicious! I was looking for a recipe that did not rely on heavy cream or a “creamy/Alfredo” sauce and this was perfect! I substituted bowtie pasta and added a little extra pepper flakes to add a little more zest! I loved the lemon! I did not have a bottle of dry white wine so I used chardonnay 1/3 cup and it was perfect! This was a hit and will make it into my regular line-up! Thanks for sharing this recipe–husband and picky 16 year old son both enjoyed it! They even noticed the lemon!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Let me know if you try any other recipes Marnie!
Maria
This dish was delicious!! My husband and I loved it! I used whole wheat penne…pretty healthy dinner…thank you!
Ashley @ The Lemon Bowl
Hi Maria, glad to hear you both enjoyed this recipe! :)
Jeno
This was a quick and easy with a good flavor. Def different from the chicken broccoli alfredo staple, had a nice tart flavor to it. I did add some garlic to it as well. and a bit of cream to the sauce to thicken it just a bit. All the menfolk in my household loved it!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!