This creamy chicken primavera is a fresh combination of vegetables, pasta, chicken, and herbs in a light garlic Parmesan sauce. It’s better than anything you’ll find at Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse — and it’s ready in less than 40 minutes!
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If you enjoy easy chicken and pasta recipes, don’t miss this chicken penne pasta, this Crock Pot chicken Alfredo, this chicken bacon pasta, a pan of pesto cream pasta with chicken and broccoli, and this chicken noodle casserole from scratch, too!
This recipe is so delicious. Even better the second day! Five stars from me!
– Denise
A Chicken Primavera Recipe that You Can Easily Make at Home
If you need a great way to add some veggies to your family’s diet, then this chicken primavera is a delicious place to start! The word “primavera” means springtime in Italian, so it’s the perfect way to describe this pasta dish that’s full of fresh spring vegetables. The easy skillet recipe is loaded with broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, and peas for a colorful dish that everyone at the table will devour.
This recipe includes a flavorful, rich-yet-light, garlic Parmesan sauce that’s a simple combination of butter, garlic, herbs, chicken broth, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. The sauce lightly coats each tube of pasta and clings to each bite of chicken and veggies, providing a decadent contrast to the crisp, fresh ingredients. You can even swap out some of the veggies, replace them with others, and make the dish your own. It’s flexible, it’s quick, and it’s far better than restaurant takeout.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- A traditional pasta primavera doesn’t include any meat. Chicken has become a popular addition in more recent years as a way to add flavor, protein, and satiety to the meal. I use boneless, skinless chicken breast here, which you can easily brown in the skillet before preparing the rest of the dish. You don’t even have to wash an extra pan!
- For a shortcut, slice a thick chicken breast in half horizontally so that you have two thinner chicken cutlets that will cook in about half the time. Alternatively, use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Chicken broth and heavy cream simmer together to create the creamy primavera sauce. Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate when simmered in the skillet.
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan that you shred very fine (with a microplane or the smallest side of a box grater) so that it melts smoothly into the sauce.
- The beauty of chicken pasta primavera is that you can really include just about any vegetables that your family enjoys — and leave out the rest! For instance, swap frozen corn for the frozen peas, or use ¼ cup of grated carrots instead of the bell pepper. Similarly, you can omit the broccoli, and instead use an extra cup of asparagus (about 6-8 more spears). Or skip the asparagus, and use an extra ½ cup of broccoli. The options are endless!
How to Cook Chicken Pasta Primavera
Prep all of your ingredients in advance, because this meal comes together quickly on the stovetop! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Boil the pasta, adding the broccoli during the final 3 minutes. Cook the pasta just slightly less than al dente (about 1 minute shorter than called for on the package), because it will continue to cook in the skillet with the sauce and vegetables. You don’t want to end up with overdone, mushy pasta at the end.
- Meanwhile, brown the chicken.
- Sauté the garlic, asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, and tomatoes in butter.
- Add the chicken broth.
- Simmer, and then stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Make sure that the cream is at room temperature when you add it to the skillet. This will help to prevent it from curdling or separating in the pan.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, peas, chives, and basil. Let the sauce bubble and thicken slightly for about 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the cooked, sliced chicken and serve immediately. Garnish each serving with additional Parmesan and/or chopped fresh herbs for even more flavor in each bite!
Video: How to Make Chicken Primavera
Serving Suggestions
You’ve got pasta, meat, and veggies all in one dish, so you really don’t need to worry about too many extra sides with this meal. If you’d like something more on the table, offer garlic bread, a crusty baguette bread recipe, or some homemade focaccia to soak up any extra sauce.
Storage Tips
- This dish is best served immediately while the sauce is warm and the vegetables are fresh.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat the pasta and sauce gently over low heat on the stovetop just until warmed through, or put individual portions in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and warm for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to boil the sauce or it may “break” and have an undesirable texture.
- I do not recommend freezing chicken pasta primavera, as the cream sauce may “break” when thawed and the pasta and vegetables will have a gummy, mushy texture.
A big hit with the family! I reserved some of the sauce/veg/chicken to serve over spaghetti squash for folks who didn’t want the pasta carbs. That worked well.
– Tim W.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Chicken Primavera
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dry penne pasta
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 asparagus spears, chopped
- ½ cup diced zucchini
- ¼ cup diced sweet bell pepper
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup chicken broth, or more as needed
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup minced fresh chives (or sub with thinly-sliced green onions)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (or sub with 1 teaspoon dried basil)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute less than al dente, according to package instructions (that was about 9 minutes total for my box of penne). During the final 3 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook the chicken in the oil until browned on both sides and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, and then slice into thin strips.
- In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in asparagus, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook for 1 minute. Add the zucchini and bell pepper, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 1 more minute. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low so that the liquid is at a gentle simmer. Stir in the cream and Parmesan until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, peas, chives and basil to the sauce. Let it bubble and thicken slightly, stirring frequently, until all of the ingredients are warmed through, about 2 more minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Stir in the chicken and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Chicken Primavera Recipe Variations
- Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth (instead of chicken broth) for a vegetarian meal. If you omit the chicken, make sure to increase the butter to 4 tablespoons to account for the missing oil/fat in the pan.
- Add about 1 cup of sliced grilled chicken to the dish instead of pan-frying the chicken in a skillet. This is a great way to use up leftovers! Just make sure to increase the butter to 4 tablespoons to account for the missing oil/fat in the pan.
- You can use just about any pasta shape that you like in this recipe. Try similar short shapes such as bow ties, rotini, ziti, or medium shells. Alternatively, spaghetti, fettuccine, or angel hair pasta will all work, too. Just adjust the cooking time according to the instructions on your box.
- Fresh chives give the dish a lovely mild onion flavor, but you can substitute with thinly-sliced green onions if fresh chives aren’t available.
- If you can’t find fresh basil, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
- Omit the chicken and prepare a vegetarian dish like this quick spinach tomato pasta recipe.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes to Try
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
50 minutes mins
One Pot Chicken and Spinach Pasta
35 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Cajun Chicken Pasta
1 hour hr
Originally published in March 2021, this post was updated in March 2025.
Wow, this meal reminded me SO much of the dish I always ordered at Olive Garden. My 16 year old rated it second only to my homemade stuffed shells – that is high praise!! After trying a new recipe, we decide if it gets printed and put in “the book”. No doubt this one makes the cut! Thanks so much for sharing.
That’s amazing, Joanna! Thanks for taking the time to come back here and let me know. I’m so happy to hear that the whole family approves! 🙂
Can this be made the day before. Want to make large portion for an open house
Hi, Amy! Yes, you can certainly do that, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. The pasta will likely absorb some of the sauce as it sits, and the vegetables won’t be as firm. If you reheat it, you’ll probably want to add some extra liquid to the pan to thin the sauce a bit (such as additional cream or broth).
Absolutely delish! Made a few adjustments. Italian seasoning on chicken, only because I wad making my chicken for the week as well. And quadrupled the recipe for the kids and grandkids to take home. Husband said this was definitely a keeper. Printed, put in the book! Thank you for sharing
Awesome! Thanks, Jennifer!
This recipe is so delicious. Even better the second day! Five stars from me!
Thank you, Denise!
A big hit with the family! I reserved some of the sauce/veg/chicken to serve over spaghetti squash for folks who didn’t want the pasta carbs. That worked well.
Great tip, Tim. Thank you!