Easy Alfredo Chicken Pasta & Broccoli (with jar sauce) is a simple recipe. It uses basic ingredients and can be on the dinner table in less than 30 minutes!
Mindy’s Recipe Snapshot
Cooking Method: This is cooked on the stove top in one pot.
Key Ingredients: Chunks of boneless skinless chicken breast, penne pasta, Alfredo sauce, and fresh broccoli.
Ease: This is very easy because we use jar sauce.
Top Tip: Make sure to simmer it at an adequate heat. This ensures the liquid is absorbed within the same time as the pasta cooks.
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From Kay: “I loved it. I’m not much of a cook always scared to try something new. This was delicious! Thank you for sharing!!”
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This broccoli chicken Alfredo recipe has everything we love in a dish. It’s pasta, so it’s comforting. It is also a one pot dish and we love those (especially Lee because he usually does the dishes).
The first thing we do when we get home from work is start dinner. I like to get it done so I can move on to other things. And we are usually very hungry. Most nights we make something that can be ready in a jiffy. Not that I don’t like cooking, but we try to get the most out of our days.
I used to be a stay-at-home mom and I didn’t mind spending more time on dinner. But now that I work full-time, and try to post on my blog regularly, time is more valuable.
How to Make Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta
- Brown one pound boneless skinless chicken breasts in one teaspoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add one 15 ounce jar of Alfredo sauce. Fill the jar with water and shake to get the leftover sauce from the jar, pour into pot. Stir in one 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth and one-half cup milk. Add 1 pound of penne pasta. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in two cups chopped broccoli florets, cover and cook for another seven minutes or until pasta and broccoli are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle with one-half cup grated Parmesan cheese and allow to melt.
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Substitutions & Additions
- We use boneless skinless chicken breasts but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you like. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey. I have not made this recipe using cooked chicken.
- You can use homemade Alfredo sauce if you have it. We like a couple of different brands of the jarred stuff. This is one of those dishes where we get help from the grocery store.
- I use whole milk, low-fat milk or skim milk will work. I have only made this recipe using cow’s milk.
- Any short cut pasta, like rotini or shells will work. The cook time on those is going to be a little less than penne.
I have listed below some other veggies that would be great in this dish.
- spinach
- zucchini
- asparagus
- peas
- mushrooms
- green beans
- cauliflower
The cooking time of these vegetables might be different. You may need to add them to the pot a little later than the broccoli.
For example; the spinach would need to be added after the pasta cooks about 11 or 12 minutes because the spinach will only take about 3-4 minutes to wilt down.
Just remember that the total cook time for the pasta is about 15 minutes. Some of these are really great options because there is literally no prep time involved.
What we Love About This Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Recipe
- We use our favorite jar Alfredo sauce making it easy peasy!
- We add chicken to give this dish added protein and vitamins. We eat a lot of chicken because it is low in fat. Women’s Health has a great article about the nutritional value of boneless skinless chicken breasts. Check it out!
- Fresh broccoli is one of our favorite veggies and goes so well with Alfredo sauce. We like the way it tastes and love that is is so packed with nutrition. One cup has about 90% of the daily value of vitamin C! You can read more about the health benefits of broccoli at Good Housekeeping.
- You can personalize this dish by using your favorite brand of creamy Alfredo sauce, cut of pasta and vegetable. We hope you will like this dish as much as we do!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you will need about 15 ounces.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals stirring each time until heated through. It can be warmed on the stove top. Additional water, chicken broth or milk may need to be added. Stir often, (this will break up the pasta).
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Make these easy pasta dishes too!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Chili Mac
- Stovetop Italian Pork Ziti
- Cheesy Beef Taco Noodles
- Marinara Goat Cheese Pasta
- Chicken Spinach Tortellini Alfredo
- Pasta with Peas and Ricotta
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheesy Italian Shells
Did you love this recipe?
We would love it if you’d leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
Alfredo Chicken Pasta & Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 jar Alfredo sauce 15 ounces
- 1 jar water
- 1 can chicken broth 14.5 ounces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 lb penne or other short cut pasta
- 2 cups broccoli crowns
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese + additional, if desired
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Instructions
- Cook chicken in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until brown, about 5 minutes.1 tsp olive oil, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Add Alfredo sauce, jar of water, chicken broth, milk and pasta stirring to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli and cook for another 8 minutes or until pasta and broccoli are tender.1 jar Alfredo sauce, 1 jar water, 1 can chicken broth, 1/2 cup milk, 1 lb penne, 2 cups broccoli crowns
- Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, cover and let melt. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
I loved it. I’m not much of a cook always scared to try something new. This was delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
That’s awesome, glad you liked it and thanks for commenting!
This was a perfect quick recipe for a weekday. Today I used Asparagus and Peas. I really love this one-dish recipe. Thank you for this process. I have been cooking alternative recipes by cooking the pasta separately, but this is a TOTAL GAME CHANGER!!. So happy to have found your recipe. Thank you Mindy.
Aren’t one pot recipes the best?! Once you get the process down you can just swap for like ingredients to change it up in many different ways.
We love your recipe!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
You are welcome, I am glad you like it!
Delicious. Turned out perfect. Followed the recipe just as written.
I am glad you liked it, thanks for letting me know!
I marinated the chicken breasts ahead of time with an Italian marinade and then baked it in the oven. I followed the recipe here without the chicken and added the diced chicken at the end. Easy meal. My family loved it! Thanks.
Great idea, it sounds delicious!
Made tonight – worked out great!! I didn’t have chicken broth so I just used bouillon and water and it turned out perfect. For me in the first step, browning the chicken, I doused it with a healthy amount of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Awesome recipe and I will have leftovers all week!
We are so glad you liked it, thanks for sharing!
Mine did not thicken, so the sauce didn’t stick to the pasta. More like soup than a creamy sauce that I was hoping for. Seemed like a lot of liquids in the ingredients that didn’t keep the thickness of the sauce.
That’s a bummer it didn’t turn out right for you. In order for the pasta to cook there has to be enough liquid. I would say you didn’t cook it on a high enough temperature. If that happens then you need to cook it until the liquid is absorbed. Watch the video to see how it should have turned out.
To fix it, I ended up pouring out half the liquid and cooking it till the rest had burned off, though it made a lot stick to the bottom of the pan. Not as flavorful and creamy by the end but edible at least.
I love a simple pasta alfredo, you’ve made this look delicious too! Thanks for sharing!
We had this for dinner last night, it is one of our go-to’s. Thanks!
Made this last night and it was DELISH! It was slightly altered as I blackened the chicken and topped the pasta with it when it was all done and I also added about 1/4cup half and half since my broth can was only 14oz and we had extra half and half left from another dish. I used fettucine noodles and did frozen peas and a can of mushrooms and it was so creamy and wonderful. Thank you for the dish idea I have never cooked it like this and it really was a hit my whole family loved including two picky boys. LOL
That does sound delish, we love peas and pasta in a creamy sauce, thanks!
Quick and so very delicious too..a perfect weekday meal!
Thanks, Angie!