MOMables® Healthy Lunches for Kids

  • MEAL PLANS
    • Weekly Family Meal Plan
    • Teaching Your Kids to Cook
    • 7-Day Family Reset
    • Meatless Meal Plan
    • Pantry Staples Meal Plan
    • Free Picky Eaters eCourse
  • Cookbooks
    • 101 Packed Lunches
    • Chicken. It’s What’s for Dinner
    • Intermittent Fasting eBook
    • Meal Prep’d
    • More Cookbooks
  • Recipe Index
  • Healthy Lunches
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Lunch Ideas
  • 101 Lunches
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Lunchboxes
  • Cookbooks
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Lunch Ideas
  • 101 Lunches
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Lunchboxes
  • Cookbooks
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Thermos Lunches

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Thermos

By Laura Fuentes Updated Sep 9, 2024

5 from 14 votes

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

Looking for an easy weeknight meal, that will be on the table in minutes? This Chicken and Broccoli Skillet Alfredo is the perfect fit!

This skillet chicken broccoli alfredo is one my family loves. It comes together in just a few minutes when I’m making dinner, and it tastes even better packed in a thermos the next day. Let me show you how.

Easy Weeknight Meal Packed for Lunch

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.

Related: Top 5 Lunchboxes We’ve Tested

How to Pack Chicken Alfredo in a Thermos

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! Here’s how to pack this recipe as a hot lunch:

  1. Preheat a thermos
    Fill a thermos container with boiling water, top with the lid, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Reheat the food
    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.
  3. Prepare for shipment
    Carefully transfer the hot pasta to the warmed thermos. Seal and pack the thermos into a lunch bag.

If you’re looking for a sturdy, double-insulated thermos container, here are several of my favorite options.

Want to pack cold items in the same lunch bag as this hot thermos lunch? The video below will show you how to do just that!

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 Thermos

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Looking for an easy weeknight meal, that will be on the table in minutes? This Chicken and Broccoli Skillet Alfredo is the perfect fit!
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin

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

Cook pasta and broccoli:

  • Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. In the final 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to the pasta and cook the remaining time. Drain pasta.

Cook the chicken:

  • In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes before flipping and cooking an additional 2 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside.

Make the sauce:

  • 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.

Combine:

  • Stir in the pasta, broccoli, and chicken. Serve and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. 

To pack in a thermos:

  • Preheat the thermos container with boiling water. This step is optional, but it helps.
  • Heat the chicken Alfredo in the microwave or stovetop to a piping-hot temperature.
  • Drain the water from the thermos.
  • Fill the thermos with the very hot chicken and broccoli Alfredo.
  • Close the thermos container and pack it inside a lunch bag with your choice of snacks.

Equipment

Green durable thermos
Wide Opening Thermos
Thermos

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 682mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 720IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 2mg

More Thermos Lunches

  • tomato pasta soup in a thermos
    Tomato Pasta Soup Thermos Lunch
  • lunchbox with meatball skewers, tomato sauce and sliced bread
    Meatball Skewers Lunch
  • potato soup in a thermos lunch
    Potato Soup Thermos Lunch
  • Thermos Mac and Cheese

Comments

    5 from 14 votes (12 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Jocelyn says

    February 25, 2022 at 6:08 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  2. LL says

    February 14, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    5 stars
    A great one that everyone loves!!!!

    Reply
  3. Becky Elfert says

    February 05, 2018 at 10:40 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • MOMables - Laura says

      February 06, 2018 at 1:50 pm

      Glad the kiddo liked it!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer Brillantes says

    January 25, 2016 at 7:13 pm

    Wow, I am actually going to attempt this right now!

    Reply
    • MOMables says

      January 25, 2016 at 10:43 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  5. Kathleen W. says

    October 06, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    Quick and tasty with leftovers for lunch !

    Reply
  6. Leticia says

    April 27, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    I slow-cooked a whole chicken yesterday, so I’m thinking this is definitely a dinner this week! thanks!

    Reply
    • MOMables says

      May 03, 2015 at 7:47 pm

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Matt Robinson says

    April 21, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    The perfect, easy, weeknight meal, and even better leftovers. Love this!

    Reply
    • MOMables says

      April 23, 2015 at 10:18 am

      Matt!!! where have you been? lol. this is definitely an easy-peasy kind of dinner. thanks for visiting the recipe!

      Reply
laura fuentes momables holding a lunch bag and lunch boxes

My name is Laura Fuentes
I’m here to help you simplify school lunches with fresh ideas your kids will actually eat.

Mom of 3. Certified in Integrative Nutrition. 5x Cookbook Author.

school lunch ideas! →

Fresh Favorites

  • collage o f four bento boxes
    Bento Boxes for Kids’ Lunches 101
  • stack of homemade PBJ uncrustables
    DIY Frozen Uncrustables
  • Quick Pepperoni Sandwich Recipe
  • a collage of healthy school lunch ideas for teens
    Healthy School Lunch Ideas for Teens

Popular Now

  • blue thermos with macaroni and cheese soup with vegetables
    How to Use a Thermos
  • an image collage of six peanut butter sandwich ideas
    Peanut Butter Sandwich Ideas
  • an image collage of healthy alternatives to lunchables
    Healthy Alternatives to Lunchables
  • Top Thermos Lunch Box Containers for Kids

 

Gold Bee – Pure Natural Products & Supplements for Sale

Gold Bee – CBD Gummies

Gold Bee – CBD Oil for Sale

Gold Bee – CBD Products

Footer

Lunchbox Builder

Download here!

Healthy Lunches

  • School Lunches
  • 101 Lunch Ideas eBook
  • Thermos Lunches
  • What's a Bento?

Resources

  • Contact
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • YouTube Channel

Privacy | Permissions | Membership Terms

COPYRIGHT © 2025 LAURA FUENTES

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.