Broccoli and Chicken Girelle Pasta

My broccoli and chicken girelle pasta is the perfect, low-fuss weeknight meal the entire family is sure to love.

If you’ve been a long time reader of the blog or my Instagram then you know how much I love a good pasta dish. Like anything in life, balance is key. Even if you consider yourself to be on a strict diet, there are still healthy ways to incorporate pasta. Now, I’m no nutritionist but one thing that has worked for me when incorporating richer, more decadent meals like this one is knowing that portion sizes matter. I like to make this dish with about 4 servings max. That satisfies my cravings and leaves room for leftovers because we all know that this pasta dish is even better the following day.

If you have a family with children, this dish is a great way to get them to eat some veggies like broccoli, which is dense in nutrition. My 2 year old son would never touch a piece of broccoli on its own but cooked up with this sauce he LOVES it! I was so proud of him for eating his entire serving.

My favorite part about this dish is that it looks really elevated and fancy but it’s essentially a humble chicken alfredo with some broccoli added. The pasta shape I chose is one that people always ask about. It’s called girelle and you can find it in most major grocery stores. I like this shape a lot over something like penne because it looks great and it taste better to me. I love how the sauce gets into all the parts of the pasta and it just makes for a really yummy bite.

I use chicken as my protein here but you can use whatever protein your prefer. I sauteed some chopped up chicken tenderloins with onions and seasoning and it was as simple as that.

After combining everything together you have this gorgeous pasta dish that is perfect for an easy weeknight meal that takes about thirty minutes from start to finish.

Let’s jump into the recipe.

Yield: 4 servings

Broccoli and Chicken Girelle Pasta

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My Broccoli and chicken girelle pasta is the perfect, low-fuss weeknight meal the entire family is sure to love.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Chicken:

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning, such as Maggie
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ALDI no salt table seasoning blend, or any chicken seasoning blend you have on hand
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup white onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic paste

For Sauce:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups parmesan cheese, grated (you can also use cheddar cheese for a cheddar and broccoli taste)
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of nutmeg

For pasta:

• 8 oz girelle pasta, cooked according to package instructions
• 2 cups of broccoli florets, steamed for the last 2 minutes in the pasta water

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions and add broccoli the last 2 minutes of cook time
2. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside
3. In a medium non stick skillet, add olive oil and butter
4. Once pan is hot add chicken and season
5. Toss to combine and let chicken cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown on all sides
6. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside
7. Add butter to the same pan and once melted add heavy cream
8. Once heavy cream comes to a simmer add cheese
9. Stir to combine and allow the sauce to thicken, about 5 minutes
10. Once sauce begins to thicken, season sauce and stir well to combine
11. Sauce is done when you can coat the back of a spoon with it and draw a line with your finger
12. Turn off the heat and add pasta, broccoli and chicken, stirring well to combine
13. Add more cheese if desired and allow the pasta to sit for 10 minutes to combine with the sauce
14. Stir well and serve warm

If you make this recipe be sure to let me know how you like it in the comments below! Also check my Instagram for daily food inspo!