Looking for an easy weeknight meal, that will be on the table in minutes? If you have a skillet, we have just the recipe for you.
There’s just no way around it. Getting meals on the table during the hustle and bustle of a weeknight is challenging. How can you feed your family a filling, nutritious meal, and not spend the entire evening in the kitchen? Well, all you need to answer this question is a skillet and a few simple ingredients. Within minutes this Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Recipe will come together, and leave both you and your family, feeling good.
Just watch how quickly you can pull together this tasty meal!
In a large skillet, you’ll cook both your chicken, as well as make the creamy Alfredo sauce, followed by adding the cooked pasta and broccoli. Familiar flavors such as parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic will have your loved ones asking for seconds.
Related: Top 5 Lunchboxes We’ve Tested
How to Pack Leftover Pasta for Lunch
Last night’s pasta is always a hit for lunches the next day. It gives us a switch from the regular wraps, salads, and sandwiches, and my kids are always down for pasta! To pack this as a hot lunch:
- Start with a warmed thermos container. If you’re not sure how to warm a thermos, you can find out here along with the best thermos containers for lunches.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, warm the pasta to a piping HOT temperature, I recommend adding 2-3 tablespoons water per cup of cold pasta, to prevent it from drying out.
- Fill the thermos with the pasta. Seal and pack into a lunch bag.
That was easy enough! If you want more hot lunch ideas from leftovers, I’ve got them all right here! Now you can make healthy dinners and lunches, but you only have to cook once. Repurposing dinners for a healthy lunch is one of the best ways to get good food in a lunchbox and thankfully, it’s one of the easiest too.
For more easy meal ideas, like this one, subscribe to our meal plans where you’ll get fresh lunch or dinner ideas sent to you weekly!
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Recipe
Looking for an easy weeknight meal, that will be on the table in minutes? This Chicken and Broccoli Skillet Alfredo is the perfect fit!
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, chopped
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin diagonal slices
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk, or more, as needed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions.
- In the final 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the pasta and cook the remaining time.
- Drain pasta.
- In a large 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil.
- Add chicken to skillet and begin to cook, flipping them over once, until they are cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
- Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- Melt butter in the skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add in ⅓ cup Parmesan until well combined, about 1 minute.
- If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed.
- Stir in pasta, broccoli and chicken.
- Serve and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 4.7g
- Sodium: 405.3mg
- Fat: 18.2g
- Saturated Fat: 7.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 40.4g
- Fiber: 2.9g
- Protein: 28.6g
- Cholesterol: 86.2mg
Jocelyn
Printing to make this next week for my meal plan. It looks easy and pleasing, my kind of meal. My kids don’t like sauce so will serve it on the side so they can preview by dipping it but I will enjoy it all mixed together. Thanks.
★★★★★
LL
A great one that everyone loves!!!!
★★★★★
Becky Elfert
Finally found something that the kiddo really liked for dinner. I don’t know if it was good because I don’t eat meat, but it must be because he snarfed it down!
MOMables - Laura
Glad the kiddo liked it!
Jennifer Brillantes
Wow, I am actually going to attempt this right now!
MOMables
Awesome!
Kathleen W.
Quick and tasty with leftovers for lunch !
Leticia
I slow-cooked a whole chicken yesterday, so I’m thinking this is definitely a dinner this week! thanks!
MOMables
Enjoy!
Matt Robinson
The perfect, easy, weeknight meal, and even better leftovers. Love this!
MOMables
Matt!!! where have you been? lol. this is definitely an easy-peasy kind of dinner. thanks for visiting the recipe!