Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Broccoli
Creamy chicken pesto pasta with broccoli takes advantage of a few store-bought shortcuts for a quick, easy and flavorful stovetop dinner that's ready in 30 minutes!
Servings 4 people
Calories 665kcal
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dry penne pasta
- 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto
- ½ cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken (such as shredded rotisserie chicken)
- ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans, optional
- Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes, lemon wedges, additional Parmesan, chopped fresh parsley or 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 10 minutes total for my box of penne). During the final 2 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce heat so that the liquid is at a gentle simmer. Stir in the cream, pesto and Parmesan until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli and chicken 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. Garnish with toasted pecans, red pepper flakes and chopped herbs, if desired.
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. 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the recipe | Calories: 665kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 603mg | Potassium: 734mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1141IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 2mg