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. If you dont mind the taste of garlie, grating fresh garlic will give this dish a flavor boost as well.
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, cauliflower, spinich, green beans or peas.
Your fork is waiting.
Frequently asked questions:
How would it be best to reheat leftovers?
Reheating it in a sauté pan with a little olive oil would be best but heating in the microwave totally works too.
What protein options do you recommend?
Chicken can easily be swapped out for shrimp, pork tenderloin or even white beans.
Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry penne (regular or whole wheat)
- 8 cups broccoli florets
- 20 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red peper flakes (or chili flakes)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil (optional garnish)
- black pepper (optional add)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and cook pasta al dente 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 heat (medium high) and add cooking spray. Sprinkle cubed chicken breasts with salt and pepper (optional) and red peper 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 cheese and fresh basil.
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Need more quick dinner ideas? Check out my Pinterest board!
Made this tonight for our family of 6 (4 teenagers) and it was pretty well liked! I was worried my sauce-loving husband wouldn’t like it and I was right, it was only ok to him. I added an extra 2 tbsp of butter at the end just to try to appease him. It definitely didn’t have any “sauce” but the broth at the bottom of the pan was good if you got any. I salted & peppered & red pepper flaked the chicken while cooking it, then added garlic powder to the butter & lemon. I thought the flavor was subtle, but good. Two of my kids said definitely make it again. Like someone else said above, I was glad to find a non-heavy whipping cream recipe.
Came out amazing using chicken and broccoli left overs!
Do frozen broccoli work with this recipe
Absolutely!! Add at very end!
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
Yes this would be great to freeze!! Enjoy Lisa!
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!
that’s a great idea Greg!
Not much flavor. Very watery.
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!
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.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the pasta recipe Tracey. Merry Christmas!
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
Hmm…did you add enough salt? Maybe some garlic next time or chili flakes? Sorry you didn’t enjoy!
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!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Let me know if you try any other recipes Marnie!
This dish was delicious!! My husband and I loved it! I used whole wheat penne…pretty healthy dinner…thank you!
Hi Maria, glad to hear you both enjoyed this recipe! :)
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!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!