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This creamy Chicken Primavera recipe 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 the Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse — and it’s ready in less than 40 minutes!
Table of Contents
- How to Make Chicken Primavera | 1-Minute Video
- Primavera Sauce
- The Chicken
- Can I make this Pasta Primavera without chicken?
- Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Primavera
- How to Cook Chicken Primavera
- What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Primavera
- Storage Tips
- Pasta Primavera Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Chicken Primavera Recipe
- Chicken Primavera Recipe
How to Make Chicken Primavera | 1-Minute Video
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 easy skillet recipe is loaded with broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, and peas for a bright, fun and colorful dish that everyone at the table will devour.
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!
What is Chicken Primavera?
Taking inspiration from Italian home cooks who had combined fresh vegetables with pasta for generations, New York City chefs in the 1970s “invented” a dish called Pasta Primavera that instantly took off. The word “primavera” means springtime in Italian, so it was the perfect way to describe this pasta dish that’s full of fresh spring vegetables. Add some sliced, golden brown chicken breasts to the pan and you’ve got an easy skillet Chicken Primavera recipe!
Primavera Sauce
There are many different versions of this classic recipe, but early variations of primavera pasta called for an Alfredo-like sauce.
This creamy chicken primavera 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.
The Chicken
A traditional pasta primavera doesn’t include any meat — just the pasta and vegetables. Chicken has become a popular addition in more recent years as a way to add flavor, protein, and satiety to the meal. I’m using 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, you can 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, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and not worry about cooking your own meat at all!
Can I make this Pasta Primavera without chicken?
Absolutely! The dish is hearty and delicious — even without the meat. If you choose to omit the chicken, increase the butter to 4 tablespoons since you won’t have that extra fat in the pan from browning the chicken in oil.
Ingredients for Chicken Pasta Primavera
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients in Chicken Primavera. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Penne pasta: or substitute with any other pasta shape that you prefer. Ziti, rotini, medium shells, bow ties, or even spaghetti or angel hair pasta will all work. Just adjust the cooking time according to your package instructions.
- Broccoli: for convenience, you can boil the broccoli florets in the same pot with the pasta. Just add the florets during the final 3 minutes so that the broccoli is crisp-tender, but not mushy.
- Olive oil: to pan-fry the chicken.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the flavors in the dish.
- Butter: to sauté the vegetables and form the base of the creamy sauce.
- Garlic: for flavor!
- Asparagus, zucchini, sweet bell pepper, tomatoes: all cook in the skillet with the sauce.
- Chicken broth and heavy cream: simmer together to create the creamy primavera sauce. Use heavy cream (rather than half-and-half or milk) for the best texture and flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: adds cheesy flavor to the cream sauce. 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.
- Frozen peas: added at the end because they heat through almost instantly, and you don’t want them to get mushy or brown by cooking them for too long.
- 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.
- Fresh basil: a bright herb that adds great Italian flavor to the dish. If you can’t find fresh basil, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
What veggies go with pasta?
The beauty of 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 Primavera
Prep all of your ingredients in advance, because this meal comes together quickly on the stovetop! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Boil the pasta, adding the broccoli during the final 3 minutes. Drain.
- 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.
- 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.
What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Primavera
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, 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. Overcooked pasta will also become gummy and mushy, while the chicken can be tough and the vegetables can get mushy.
- I do not recommend freezing Chicken Primavera Alfredo, as the cream sauce may “break” when thawed and the pasta and vegetables will have a gummy, mushy texture.
Pasta Primavera Recipe Variations
- No Chicken. 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.
- Rotisserie Chicken. For a shortcut, use about 1 cup of shredded meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just make sure to increase the butter to 4 tablespoons to account for the missing oil/fat in the pan.
- Chicken Cutlets. To reduce the cooking time, pan-fry about 8 ounces of thinly-sliced chicken breasts or cut a larger chicken breast in half horizontally to make 2 separate cutlets. The thinner cutlets will only need about 2-3 minutes per side in the skillet, so your meal is done even sooner!
- Grilled Chicken. 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.
- Different Pasta. 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.
Tips for the Best Chicken Primavera Recipe
- Cook the pasta just slightly less than al dente (about 1 minute shorter than called for on the package), because the pasta 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!
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan (not the canned pre-grated stuff), and make sure that it’s shredded to a very fine consistency on a microplane or on the smallest side of a box grater. This will ensure that the Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce.
- Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk in this sauce. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate when simmered in the skillet.
- 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.
- Garnish each serving with additional Parmesan and/or chopped fresh herbs for even more flavor in each bite!
More Chicken Pasta Recipes to Try
Crock Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parm Casserole
50 minutes mins
One Pot Chicken and Spinach Pasta
35 minutes mins
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.
Video
Notes
- Cook the pasta just slightly less than al dente (about 1 minute shorter than called for on the package), because the pasta 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!
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan (not the canned pre-grated stuff), and make sure that it’s shredded to a very fine consistency on a microplane or on the smallest side of a box grater. This will ensure that the Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce.
- Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk in this sauce. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate when simmered in the skillet.
- 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.
- Garnish each serving with additional Parmesan and/or chopped fresh herbs for even more flavor in each bite!
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!