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Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce

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LIZ DELLA CROCE

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Chicken broccoli pasta gets kicked up a notch with a simple white wine butter sauce bursting with fresh lemon flavor.

Forkful of chicken broccoli pasta with lemon butter sauce.

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. When hosting retreats and scouting new vacation spots, I don’t want to worry about my boys surviving on fast food or snacks. I love whipping up a batch of my fast and easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce. Not only does it make an easily re-heatable dinner, but it’s also great for meal prepping lunches!

Ingredients

  • Penne: You could use bowtie or another small pasta type, but I love the bite sized length of penne and the small ridges help to catch the lemon butter sauce.
  • Broccoli: A great source of vitamin C and fiber, among many other nutrients, it has a sweeter taste when cooked.
  • Chicken: A lean source of protein that is affordable and accessible, chicken breasts cut to be the perfect bite-sized protein.
  • Red pepper flakes: Adds just a tiny kick of heat to the dish.
  • White wine: I love to use a sauvignon blanc to deglaze the pan and add a bit of a acidity to the sauce. You could also use a pinot grigio, or simply skip it and use chicken broth.
  • Butter: Melts down with the lemon juice to make a rich and slightly sweet sauce.
  • Lemon juice: Bright, acidic, citrusy flavor for the sauce.
  • Chicken broth: Adds robust, rich flavor to the sauce, and helps deglaze the pan if you don’t have wine.
  • Olive oil: Helps to evenly cook the chicken to a delicious golden brown.

How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter

Start your chicken broccoli pasta with lemon butter sauce by cutting your chicken breasts into cubes and season with some salt and pepper.

Then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne.

During the last few minutes, add the broccoli to the same water as the pasta.

This is my trick to save on dishes and get things cooked at the same time. Let the broccoli cook until bright green, then strain with the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, add the chicken to a pan with some olive oil and add the red chili flakes.

Cook over high heat until chicken is fully cooked and browned, then remove from pan and set aside.

Next take your white wine or some chicken broth and use it to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.

Then add your butter to the hot pan and heat until fully melted.

Stir in your lemon juice.

And finish with the chicken broth.

Add the cooked chicken back into the mix and give it a good mix.

Then add the cooked pasta and broccoli, and mix it all together until evenly coated in the sauce.

Chicken broccoli pasta with lemon butter sauce.

Garnish with some parmesan cheese and additional pepper flakes before serving, and enjoy your Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce!

Easy Substitutions

  • Swap the veggie. Don’t like broccoli? No problem, you can use asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, or green beans!
  • Change the protein. This dish would also taste great using shrimp instead of chicken.
  • Make it vegetarian. Increase the number of veggies in place of the chicken, or add a meat replacement like tofu to make this dish vegetarian.

Frequently asked questions

How do you keep chicken moist and flavorful?

You want to make sure you don’t overcook your chicken. Cooking your chicken quickly at a high heat helps to lock in the moisture and flavor. Marinating your chicken beforehand can also help.

What goes with chicken and broccoli?

Seeing as this is a pasta dish, it’s pretty balanced with a protein, vegetable, and whole grain. But adding another veggie side like a salad or some garlic bread would taste great.

How do you store leftover chicken broccoli pasta?

Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

More Pasta Dishes

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Balanced, tasty, and quick, my Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce is the perfect meal for the whole family.

Your fork is waiting.

Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce

4.15 stars average
Chicken broccoli pasta gets kicked up a notch with a simple, yet flavorful, white wine butter sauce bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Serves6
CourseMain Dish
Calories455

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 pepper 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
 

  1. Bring a large pot of salty water to a boil and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
    1 pound dry penne, 1 teaspoon salt
  2. Two minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add the broccoli to the same pot cooking the pasta.
    8 cups broccoli florets
  3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to pan; set aside.
  4. 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.
    20 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, black pepper
  5. 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.
    1/2 cup dry white wine
  6. Add butter to the pan and heat until melted. Stir in lemon juice and chicken broth then simmer for an additional minute or two.
    2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup chicken broth
  7. 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.
  8. Stir in olive oil before dividing between 6 plates. Serve with plenty of Parmigiano cheese and fresh basil.
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 51.1gProtein: 37.3gFat: 11.2gSaturated Fat: 3.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8.1gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 691mgFiber: 4.7gSugar: 2.1g

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4.15 from 276 votes (256 ratings without comment)

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79 responses to “Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce”

  1. Annette Avatar
    Annette

    Absolutely a delicious dish!!! Will make again!!! We added mushrooms to this! Yum!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Yum! Mushrooms sound like a great addition!

  2. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    The ratios on this were pretty off in my opinion.
    Either needs twice as much sauce or half as much chicken/broccoli/pasta.

    The sauce is also very thin and didn’t cover the contents very well.

    I added garlic and seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika before cooking.
    But unfortunately still kinda bland.

    I think this could be improved by thickening the sauce (maybe add some flour in the pan before you deglaze), or even using something like a pesto / bechamel.

    Thanks for posting.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thanks for giving it a try! It is quite a thin sauce, and that’s intentional for a light dish. I prefer it that way, but you could definitely thicken it up by making a roux with some flour or cornstarch!

  3. M Avatar
    M

    I have never seen a pasta dish that had no seasoning. I added fresh basil, garlic and onion powder. The sauce was so runny and bland. I am sure this is bland enough for a toddler but definitely not for grown ups and teenagers.

  4. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    Hi Liz!

    This is a 5 Star recipe all the way! How ANYONE thinks it isn’t, it makes me think they didn’t read the instructions and/or read the entire recipe (which isn’t long& doesn’t require a lot of reading).

    I’m getting ready to make it for my husband & me.
    For those who said it’s lacking flavor, make sure you brown the chicken & make sure you do a reduction appropriately.
    It’s such and easy and tasty recipe 😊.

    Lisa in Laton

  5. christine travers Avatar
    christine travers

    Husband said save that recipe!! made it exactly as the recipe except for I had to substitute some of the tortellini with ravioli because it’s all I had. for people saying that it was flavorless and added cream. I think they missed the whole point of this being a light dish. I would’ve given five stars but some reason it wouldn’t let me.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thank you so much Christine! I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed it!

  6. TG Avatar
    TG

    Sadly, this recipe was virtually flavorless. I was able to bring it up to speed with some heavy cream, Trader Joe’s Chili Lime Seasoning, and some extra salt. Then it was FAB.

  7. Bill Avatar
    Bill

    This was very good! I used Cuisinart Blue Ribbon Chicken Seasoning and crushed red pepper on the chicken before putting it in the pan. I also used chicken broth instead of wine where it called for wine. After plating I topped with a little more red pepper and Parmesan cheese. Was delicious and light. For those that say flavor didn’t stick make sure don’t use oil in the pot when boiling pasta and let pasta dry thoroughly while cooking the chicken.
    Thanks for the recipe!

  8. christine travers Avatar
    christine travers

    Delicious and lite! Will make again