Chicken and Broccoli Pasta
Tender chicken, broccoli and penne share a mustard-Parmesan sauce with enough lemon to keep dinner lively.
01Blanching in the pasta pot saves time and water.
02Mustard adds savoury depth without dominating.
03Lemon balances the dairy sauce.
Cook it calmly.
- 01
Blanch the broccoli
Add broccoli to the pasta pot for the final 3 minutes, then lift it out while still bright green.
- 02
Cook the chicken
Sear seasoned chicken in a wide pan until golden and cooked through. Set aside.
- 03
Make the sauce
Lower the heat and add garlic, cream, mustard and 125 ml pasta water. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- 04
Toss
Add penne, chicken and broccoli. Finish with Parmesan, lemon zest and a squeeze of juice.
Common mistakes
- Overcooking the broccoli.
- Cutting chicken into uneven pieces.
- Making the sauce too thick before tossing.
The detail that changes the dish.
Keep the broccoli a little firmer than you want it. It gets another turn in the hot sauce and nobody is cheering for grey florets.
A green vegetable that belongs in the sauce
Broccoli is cooked in the pasta pot, then folded into a light cream sauce with chicken. It remains bright and firm enough to feel like part of dinner, not a nutritional apology.
Mustard and Parmesan give the sauce savoury depth. Lemon keeps the final bowl from becoming flat.
A practical meeting of pasta, vegetables and family supper
Chicken-and-broccoli pasta is a modern family format rather than a named historical recipe. It reflects a broader habit of turning a modest amount of meat and a readily available vegetable into a complete pasta meal, with Parmesan and pasta water doing more work than a heavy sauce.
Broccoli has deep roots in Italian vegetable cookery, but that does not make this exact chicken dish traditional Italian. Here penne keeps the florets and chicken pieces in proportion, and its ridges catch the light cheese emulsion. The result is best understood as useful contemporary cooking with Italian technique.
Use the pasta pot twice
Broccoli needs only a few minutes in boiling water. Chicken breast cooks quickly, so even pieces and decisive removal matter.
Keep the broccoli a little firmer than you want it. It gets another turn in the hot sauce and nobody is cheering for grey florets.
At the table
Serve hot with lemon and black pepper.
Later, if needed
Refrigerate for 3 days. Reheat over low heat with water. Do not freeze the assembled pasta.
Be realistic
Do not freeze the assembled pasta; broccoli and cream both lose quality.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen broccoli?+
Yes. Add it to the pasta pot for the final 2 minutes and drain thoroughly.
How do I keep broccoli green?+
Cook it briefly and move it out of the boiling water while still firm.
