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This Chicken and Broccoli Pasta is one of our go-to recipes for a quick, flavorful dinner that the family asks for again and again! We start with rotisserie chicken, fresh broccoli, and pasta and toss it all in a simple creamy sauce!
Pasta seems to be a universal favorite, so we’re always looking for new ways to serve it up and this is a definite favorite around here.
I love Chicken Broccoli Pasta for a few reasons and one of those is that it starts with a rotisserie chicken or our crockpot shredded chicken! We ALWAYS have cooked, shredded chicken in our fridge or freezer and I can’t tell you how many times it’s saved us from hitting up the drive-thru!
The creamy cheese sauce for this chicken and broccoli pasta is super simple too, but it packs in loads of flavor from the Gruyere and cream cheese. On a budget or just don’t want to hunt down specialty cheese? Pretty much any cheese will work in place of Gruyere! Try swiss, cheddar, colby, or smoked gouda!
Plus, this recipe is a great way to sneak broccoli into your kids. I mean, it’s not hiding, but it’s covered in cheese sauce and paired with pasta, so they’re less likely to complain about it. 😉
Ingredient Notes:
Shredded Chicken – Check out my easy shredded chicken recipe, it’s perfect for using in this recipe and lots of others! A shredded rotisserie chicken works well too if you’re short on time.
Pasta – Bowtie, campanelle, penne…any small pasta shape works well.
Broccoli – We much prefer fresh broccoli florets, though frozen may work if that’s what you have.
Cheese Sauce – This creamy sauce is prepared with cream cheese, Gruyere cheese, and mozzarella cheese. It’ll get melted and whisked together with some milk and flour for an easy homemade creamy pasta sauce.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- It’s ready in under 30 minutes!
- The broccoli cooks in the same pot with the pasta.
- Easy way to get broccoli in the kids without complaints.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Pasta:
Pasta: Boil the water and cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than the package directs. Add the broccoli and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
Cheese Sauce: While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and then whisk in milk and cook until thickened.
Next add the cream cheese and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens up. It’ll take about five minutes. Remove it from the heat and then stir in the grated Gruyere and mozzarella until smooth and creamy!
Serve: Add the chicken to the pasta and broccoli and pour the chees sauce right over the top. Give it a stir and dig in.
Try serving this easy pasta dish with some even easier air fryer breadsticks! Just grab the frozen kind from the store and let the air fryer work it’s magic.
What Readers are Saying!
“Love your site and this dish is great! My Son loves eating broccoli and chicken together and this was a new way to do so instead of standard chicken fettuccine and broccoli.” – Patrick
FAQs:
You can keep this pasta stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.
Parmesan cheese will make a great substitute for the Gruyere.
Substitutions:
Chicken – We love using rotisserie chicken, but leftover grilled or pan-fried chicken would also work well.
Broccoli – Try this dish with cooked green beans in place of the broccoli!
Cheese – Gruyere makes for a flavorful cheese sauce, but mozzarella, swiss, or Parmesan will make a great substitute and all are a bit more economical.
Pasta – We generally make this with either campanelle or farfalle pasta, but any small shape will do.
Seasoning – Give it a kick by stirring in some red pepper flakes or Cajun seasoning. Add fresh basil or sun-dried tomatoes for a more robust flavor.
MORE COMFORT FOOD RECIPES!
- Fried Cabbage with Sausage and Peppers
- Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Air Fry Meatballs
- Taco Lasagna
Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound farfalle pasta
- 1 head broccoli
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water. Set the timer for 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse and chop the broccoli into bite sized florets. When the pasta has cooked for 7 minutes, add the broccoli to the pot and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is bright green and tender crisp.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk slowly. Add the cream cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli and return to the pan. Stir in the chopped chicken. Top with the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in March 2015. It was updated in June 2022. Original photo below:
Peta Brown says
Are these reciepes LOW CARB. My husband needs to be on a LOW CARB diet. I didn’t think you could have patatoe, bread & pasta etc on a low carb diet
Karly says
This recipe is definitely not low carb. I have a section of low carb recipes, but not all recipes here are low carb. You can also find me over at thatlowcarblife.com where I share only low carb recipes.
Elle Doe says
This recipe makes a lot! I was not impressed with the sauce . It definitely needs more of some kind of flavoring . I was to bland.
Toni Amstadt says
What can I substitute for Gruyere?
Debra Tallon says
Is Parmesan cheese ok to use instead of Gruyere cheese?
Karly says
Sure – it’ll be more of an Alfredo sauce. 🙂
Deborah says
I’m so grateful for the bus, because I don’t think I could do the pick up line!! But I could do this pasta. And that cheese sounds AMAZING!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
So yeah. I’m the bad mom who makes her kid take the bus all the live long days. Cannot wait for my youngest to get bussed so I don’t have to take him to preschool then turn right around and pick him up. Oy.
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Fortunately our school line isn’t so cut throat. The administration has a very particular way the line is run…and they are there making sure everyone obeys it. But yes, the 10 feet in between each car is a little obnoxious!!! I can see why a big plate of cheesy pasta is necessary for dinner!!! My kids would devour this in no time!!!