Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
This chicken broccoli Alfredo recipe is a 30-minute dinner that you only need a handful of ingredients to make. Finely chopped broccoli is cooked in the Alfredo sauce so the whole dish is infused with broccoli flavor. It’s a creamy and comforting weeknight pasta recipe.
I’m no stranger to chicken and broccoli recipes, and at the risk of doing a “repeat” of previous recipes, I’m sharing my new favorite today, which, in my not-so-humble opinion, is different from others I’ve shared before.
The big difference between this chicken and broccoli dish and others is that the broccoli is finely chopped and cooked in the alfredo sauce, so the whole dish is infused with broccoli flavor. Every bite is full of broccoli flavor.
So it’s a broccoli alfredo sauce with chicken instead of chicken alfredo with some broccoli. As a self-proclaimed chicken and broccoli connoisseur, this distinction is an important one.
Plus, this chicken broccoli alfredo only requires a handful of ingredients. It’s as easy as making fettuccine alfredo with a few extra delicious steps.
Ingredients
- Fettuccine: You can use other long pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine. I prefer a long pasta shape, but you could also use a short pasta like penne, rotini pasta, or cavatappi.
- Unsalted butter
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Broccoli florets: The key to infusing the sauce with the broccoli flavor is to chop the florets finely. You can do this with a knife or pop the florets in a food processor and pulse a few times to break them down.
- Finely chopped garlic
- Heavy cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make It
☑️ Cook the Pasta
Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. While it’s cooking, you can work on the rest of the recipe. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and set it aside.
☑️ Brown the Chicken
First, prep the chicken. I like to slice the chicken breasts in half crosswise through the middle so you end up with two thinner pieces. This way, it cooks evenly. You can also use a meat mallet to pound them to an even thickness.
Cook the chicken in some butter until it develops a golden crust and is cooked through.
☑️ Cook the Broccoli
Sauté the broccoli and garlic in the same pan you cooked the chicken in. I like to add the rest of the butter at this point, too. As it cooks, the broccoli will release some moisture.
☑️ Make the Sauce
Add the cream to the pan and lightly simmer it for a few minutes with the broccoli. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir it all together.
Simmer the sauce until it thickens, which will take about five minutes or so.
☑️ Bring it All Together
While the broccoli sauce simmers, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the sauce and give it all a stir.
Add cooked fettuccine and toss to coat it evenly in the sauce.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe serves four people, so using a large skillet with taller sides is helpful to make the sauce. That way, you don’t have overflow issues when you add the pasta.
- To change things, use finely chopped broccolini or broccoli rabe instead of the broccoli.
- I’ve never been one to turn down leftover Alfredo, but the leftovers are never as good as when it’s freshly made. If you have leftovers, add a splash of cream when you reheat to bring the sauce back together. It tends to break after it’s been chilled.
- Serve your chicken broccoli alfredo pasta with garlic bread and a crisp green salad.
More Creative Alfredo Recipes
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 broccoli crowns approximately 11 ounces, cut into florets and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil the pasta following package instructions.
- While the pasta cooks, slice the chicken breasts in half crosswise. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and all of the pepper.
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until golden and cooked through, about four minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.
- In the same pan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook them in the butter for about five minutes. Add the cream and bring it to a light simmer.
- Add the cheese and stir until it’s melted into the sauce. Simmer the sauce for about five minutes or so. It will thicken a bit as it simmers.
- While the sauce simmers, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken to the sauce and stir. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat it evenly in the sauce.
Video
Nutrition Estimate
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Broccoli
If you’ve been following along over the years, you already know how much I love a cozy pasta dish, and this broccoli chicken alfredo always hits the spot. I hope you try it!
Happy Alfredo-making!
This post was updated from the archives. It was first published in October 2019.
This is a great fall recipe, I will use this for many occasions. The flavor is amazing and was really simple to make. I appreciate how all of April’s recipes allow me to cook with ease!
So glad you liked it! 🙂
So yummy! My bf and I make this often, it’s our favourite😌 we use about 1/4 cup more cream and Parmesan than what’s called for, and we dice half a red onion and add it in with the other veggies
So glad you love it!
i love this dish and recipe. Use the best grade of parmesan you can. Use lemon in the sauce as well to brighten up the dish. I also like cracked black pepper and red crushed pepper for a little heat