This Chicken and Broccoli Pasta has every flavor element incorporated into this delicious cream sauce, including butter, white wine, garlic, lemon, Asiago and Parmesan cheese, and the best seasonings and flavor enhancers.
Be sure to try my Mushroom Chicken Pasta recipes next!
Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
It’s pretty hard to beat the layers of flavor in this creamy pasta dish. First we season chicken with lemon pepper seasoning and sear it to golden perfection, which leaves fond (i.e. flavor!) in the pot that’s deglazed with white wine, (or chicken broth if needed). From there, we add butter and garlic and create a savory cream sauce with Parmesan and Asiago cheese. A little fresh lemon juice is stirred in at the end for the perfect finishing touch.
This dish has everything you need for a complete meal that your family will want on repeat. (Feel free to serve it with a side of garlic bread with cheese!)
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Season the chicken with lemon pepper seasoning and sear it in olive oil until golden. Set aside.
Deglaze the pot with white wine and let it reduce by half. Add the butter and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and half and half in splashes, stirring continuously. Add the hot sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer while you boil the pasta to al dente. Add the broccoli to the boiling pasta water during the last 4 minutes. Drain.
Reduce heat to low and stir the Asiago and Parmesan cheese into the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, Add the pasta, broccoli, and chicken and stir to combine.
Pro Tips
- Grate the cheese from a wedge and avoid using packaged grated cheese. It will melt and taste much better. I use Belgioioso Parmesan and Asiago cheese.
- Make sure the base of the sauce isn’t too hot when the cheese is added, or the dairy can separate and result in a grainy consistency.
- White Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe and pair well with lemon. Chicken Broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- The hot sauce is a subtle flavor enhancer and doesn’t make this spicy. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce. The mustard powder is also a flavor enhancer that can’t be tasted outright.
- Frozen broccoli may be used instead of fresh, it’s already blanched so you may want to give it 3 minutes of cooking time instead of 4.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice if at all possible as it has more flavor than bottled lemon juice.
- Make sure the heat is off when you add the lemon juice at the end. Add it slowly and stir in continuously to ensure it doesn’t cause the cream to curdle.
- Fresh garlic minced from cloves tastes much better than jarred garlic.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do reheat well.
- I find that reheating in a makeshift double boiler is the best way to restore it back to it’s original consistency.
Tools For This Recipe
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- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
- Redmond Real Salt Lemon Pepper Seasoning– my preferred brand for seasoning the chicken.
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Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 ½ cups broccoli florets
- ¾ cup Parmesan
- ¼ cup Asiago, can also use all parmesan.
- ½ lb. Penne
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Prep Work: Combine the seasoning ingredients and set aside. I recommend that you measure out the remaining ingredients as well, the recipe will be a breeze from there!
- Cut the chicken into ¾-inch pieces and season it in Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until a brown crust has developed. Remove and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted pasta water to a boil while you begin to prepare the sauce as outlined below.
- Add the white wine to the same pot that you used to cook the chicken and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Let it reduce by half, about 4 minutes.
- Add the butter and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the half and half in the same manner, then add the hot sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover it partially.
- Boil the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Add the broccoli to the boiling pasta water during the last 4 minutes, then drain.
- Reduce heat of sauce to low and slowly stir in the grated cheese.
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Add the pasta, broccoli, and the chicken and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt if desired. Serve!
Notes
- Grate the cheese from a wedge and avoid using packaged grated cheese. It will melt and taste much better. I use Belgioioso Parmesan and Asiago cheese.
- Make sure the base of the sauce isn't too hot when the cheese is added, or the dairy can separate and result in a grainy consistency.
- White Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe and pair well with lemon. Chicken Broth may be used if you don't cook with wine.
- The hot sauce is a subtle flavor enhancer and doesn't make this spicy. I use Frank's Hot Sauce. The mustard powder is also a flavor enhancer that can't be tasted outright.
- Frozen broccoli may be used instead of fresh, it's already blanched so you may want to give it 3 minutes of cooking time instead of 4.
Nutritional information is per serving, this recipe makes 4 servings.
Nutrition
Great recipe! I’m so glad I tried it! TY!
You’re very welcome Liz, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review!💗
Yummy! We used tofurkey chicken and whole milk and actual mustard but otherwise followed recipe pretty closely. Super tasty!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this with the Tofurkey Amy, good to know! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💗
Excellent
That’s so great to hear Dawn, Thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Oh my goodness, this was so incredibly delicious and easy to make! This is gonna be a staple in our freezer and dinertable! Our family of 6 (4 children and picky eaters) loved this and went back for 2nds!
I’m so happy this was such a hit with your whole family! To me that’s the ultimate compliment when even the picky eaters approve. Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💖
This is very good but my only question is how much lemon pepper? The recipe didn’t say.
We use a grinder so I can’t quite measure, just a light even amount over each side! ❤️
So good!
Thanks so much for the great review Tammy, I’m so happy you liked this one!😃
Do you think I can substitute shrimp in this recipe? And if so, when should I add it?
Hi Patty, yes you could! I would sauté the shrimp in a skillet first, set it aside, and add it back at the end 🙂
Thank you – I made it with the shrimp last night (per your instructions) and it was fantastic!
Excellent! That’s so great to hear, thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out!😃
I am not rating your recipe per se, but rather what I made which involved some changes. First, I marinated the chicken in some cooking wine/soy sauce (not too much!) followed by some corn starch. Didn’t use nearly as much half and half, but instead used ~ 2Tb heavy cream and 1/4 cup milk, forgot to use Italian seasoning and hot sauce, didn’t have any asiago cheese so used sharp cheddar instead of the two cheeses you recommend, didn’t use butter but olive oil instead, used Dijon mustard because I couldn’t find our mustard powder, used cavatappi and trottole pasta in place of penne (because I couldn’t find it in our pantry). So, lots of winging it here. It was delicious, but not as good as it would have been following your recipe. Your recipe is forgiving and worthy of 5 stars.
Hi Oskar, I am happy to hear that you were able to make this your own, nice work! Thank you for sharing your process! 🙂
You’ve got a winner here, Cozy Cook! I used Sauvignon Blanc in my version of this recipe. I followed all the directions exactly how you laid out and it was the finest meal I have had in a while! My wife and kids could not get enough and there were no leftovers. I was surprised at how quickly I could put it together and it still had so much flavor!!!! I’m putting this in the front of our family’s recipe box for sure! You were right about the fresh lemon verses the bottled stuff. This is a keeper for sure! Thank you.
Wahooo! That’s so great to hear Gerald! This definitely makes a great family meal. Thanks so much for the great review!😍
So good and it’s quick & easy to prepare.
That’s so great to hear Debra! I love quick and easy!🙌 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!