Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

What does delicious, creamy, filling, and nutritious all have in common? They all can be used to describe this Chicken Broccoli Alfredo recipe! Plus, you really can’t ever go wrong with pasta, no matter what you add to the mix. 

Ingredient Info

• Chicken Breasts – Boneless skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. If you want, you could use chicken thighs instead. If you do, be sure to keep an eye on them, because they tend to cook a bit faster. If you’re in a rush, there’s also nothing wrong with some shredded rotisserie chicken!
• Flour – The flour is for coating the chicken so it has a nice crispy skin. Don’t worry, you’re not making a roux!
• Pasta – Fettuccine pasta is the classic noodle type for this recipe. You don’t have to use that type of pasta however. You could make this with spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, bowtie or rotini pasta. 
• Broccoli – I prefer fresh broccoli for this recipe, but you could definitely try making it with frozen broccoli as long as you thaw and cook it before adding it to the pasta. You also don’t have to stop at broccoli, you could use a mix of all of your favorite vegetables!
• Butter – Since you’ll add salt to the recipe, go with unsalted butter. If you want to use salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe. Make sure you measure out butter for the chicken AND the sauce. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream – Also known as heavy cream, this ingredient is key to getting the right consistency in the homemade creamy sauce. 
• Minced Garlic – Fresh garlic is preferred, but if you only have jarred minced garlic, that will also work! 
• Italian Seasoning – If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you could substitute for half dried oregano and half dried basil. There won’t be as much of a flavor profile, but it will still do the trick. 
• Parmesan – Using fresh parmesan will really elevate this dish! You can also use the pre-shredded or grated kind if that’s all you have. 
• Olive Oil – Olive oil is a classic oil choice for Italian dishes, but you can sub this for vegetable oil or avocado oil instead. 

Step By Step Instructions

1. In a shallow dish, combine flour, garlic powder, Italian seasoning salt and black pepper. 
2. Place the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat completely. 
3. Shake off the excess flour from the chicken, and repeat until each piece is coated.
4. Place a large skillet on the stove. To the skillet add olive oil and butter, then heat the pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts and becomes hot, place the chicken breasts on the skillet and cook on each side until the chicken is golden brown. This takes approximately 5 minutes each side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. 
5. Next, begin boiling water in a large pot over a high heat on the stove. Place the fettuccine in the pot and cook pasta al dente. Do not over cook the pasta. 
6. Drain the pasta mixture, and coat it with a little extra olive oil or butter to keep the noodles from sticking to each other while you cook the broccoli florets and start on the sauce. 
7. Steam the broccoli using a steamer for about 5 minutes or until you get some nice, tender broccoli. You don’t want it to be too soggy. Drain the excess water off the broccoli and set aside. 
8. To the same pan that the chicken was cooked in, (don’t clean it yet!) add butter and the heavy cream. Let that come to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir sauce occasionally. Add in more garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper. 
9. Next, add in freshly grated parmesan cheese and whisk that together until the cheese has melted and everything thickens. If you find the sauce to be too thick, add a splash of pasta water and whisk until combined. 
10. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss the noodles until they’re evenly coated. Add the broccoli and keep tossing. With the chicken you can either slice it and place it on top or cut it into bite-sized pieces and toss it with the pasta. Plate your noodles and sprinkle any additional parmesan cheese on top. Serve and enjoy! 

Tips And Advice

Storage – Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or for the best results, on a skillet with some extra butter and cream. 

Customize To Your Liking 

If you’re bored of plain Alfredo pasta dishes, you can spruce it up with some spices! You can add cajun seasoning to the sauce and chicken to add some kick, or sun-dried tomatoes for a richer sauce flavor. You can also add different kinds of protein like shrimp or salmon which would taste amazing. 

Equipment 

For this recipe you may want a few or all of the following materials: 

• Large Nonstick Skillet 
• Large Pot With Steamer
• Strainer 
• Whisk 
• Spatula 
• Shallow Dish 

FAQs

Serves Well With

Serve this lovely main dish with some even lovelier sides and appetizers! Check out a few of these recipes that would make your meal complete.

• Olive Garden Copycat Salad
• Garlic Knots
• Strawberry Chicken Salad
• Air Fried Brussel Sprouts
• Homemade Dinner Rolls