Name: Chicken Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 12 oz (340g) rotini pasta, dried; 1 lb (450g) chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces; 2 cups (150g) broccoli florets, fresh; 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter; 3 cloves garlic, minced; ¼ cup (25g) Parmesan cheese, finely grated; 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes; 1 tablespoon olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste

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Finding a dinner that is healthy, budget-friendly, fast, and actually gets eaten by everyone at the table without negotiation is one of the great challenges of weeknight cooking. This Chicken Broccoli Garlic Butter Pasta solves all four problems in a single pan and 25 minutes. Tender rotini, juicy golden chicken, bright broccoli, and a simple garlic butter and Parmesan sauce that is just rich enough to feel indulgent but light enough to feel like a genuinely good meal.

This is the dinner that gets requested again before the dishes from the first time are even washed.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Budget-friendly with pantry staples — Pasta, chicken, broccoli, butter, garlic, and Parmesan are all affordable, widely available, and likely already in your kitchen right now.
On the table in 25 minutes — Fast enough for the busiest weeknights without sacrificing flavor or nutrition, this is genuinely one of the quickest complete dinners you can make from scratch.
Picky eater approved — Mild, familiar flavors with no spice and a buttery, cheesy coating make this one of the most reliably well-received dinners for children and selective adults alike.
One pan plus one pot — Minimal cleanup makes this as easy to finish as it is to cook, which matters enormously on the nights when everyone is tired and nobody wants to spend an hour at the sink.

Ingredients You’ll Need

12 oz (340g) rotini pasta, dried
1 lb (450g) chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups (150g) broccoli florets, fresh
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup (25g) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Tip: You’ll find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.

Let’s Get Started

Cook the pasta and broccoli together. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil and add the rotini. Cook according to the package directions until al dente — firm with a slight bite, not soft. With exactly 3 minutes remaining in the pasta cooking time, add the broccoli florets directly to the boiling water. They will cook alongside the pasta and come out perfectly tender without becoming mushy. Before draining, scoop out about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside — this is the secret ingredient that transforms the butter and garlic into a proper sauce. Drain the pasta and broccoli together and set aside.
Cook the chicken. While the pasta cooks, season the bite-sized chicken pieces with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the olive oil in a large wide skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer without overcrowding and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until each piece is golden on the outside and cooked through to 165°F (74°C) at the center. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate — it will go back in at the end.
Make the garlic butter. With the heat reduced to medium, add the butter directly to the same skillet the chicken cooked in — those residual brown bits left behind add extra flavor to the sauce. Once the butter is melted and foaming, add the minced garlic and stir constantly for about 60 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and just turning lightly golden at the edges. Watch it carefully at this stage — garlic goes from perfectly golden to bitter and burnt in seconds.
Bring everything together. Add the drained rotini and broccoli to the skillet with the garlic butter and toss well to coat every piece of pasta and every floret in the butter. Add the cooked chicken back into the skillet and toss again until everything is evenly combined and glistening. If the pasta looks dry or the sauce is not coating smoothly, add the reserved pasta water a splash at a time, tossing as you go, until the consistency is glossy and light.
Finish with Parmesan and parsley. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the finely grated Parmesan and dried parsley flakes evenly over the top. Toss one final time until the Parmesan melts into the pasta and coats everything in a thin, savory layer. Taste and adjust seasoning with a final pinch of salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately directly from the skillet.

Servings and Pairing

This recipe serves 4 comfortably as a complete standalone dinner. For a more substantial meal, serve alongside warm garlic bread or a simple green salad. A glass of cold milk for the kids or a light white wine for the adults rounds the meal out perfectly.

Variations

Creamier Version

Stir 3 tablespoons of heavy cream into the garlic butter before adding the pasta for a richer, creamier sauce that clings even more luxuriously to the rotini and is particularly popular with children who love a creamy pasta.

Extra Veggie Version

Add halved cherry tomatoes, sliced zucchini, or baby spinach to the skillet alongside the pasta for extra vegetables that blend naturally into the dish without alerting picky eaters to their presence. Spinach wilts almost invisibly into the garlic butter within seconds.

Lemon Version

Add the zest of one lemon and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the garlic butter before tossing with the pasta. The brightness cuts through the richness of the butter and Parmesan and gives the whole dish a fresh, light quality that works particularly well in spring and summer.

Storage Tips

Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water or chicken broth stirred through to loosen the sauce back to its original consistency.
Freezer: Not recommended — cooked pasta and broccoli both become soft and unpleasant after freezing and thawing.
Meal prep: Cook the chicken and make the garlic butter sauce in advance, storing separately. Cook the pasta and broccoli fresh when ready to eat for the best texture and flavor throughout the week.

FAQs

Can I use a different pasta shape?

Any short pasta shape works well — penne, farfalle, fusilli, and rigatoni all hold the garlic butter sauce nicely and are good alternatives if rotini is not available. Avoid long pasta shapes like spaghetti or fettuccine as they do not combine as easily with the chunky chicken and broccoli.

Can I use frozen broccoli instead of fresh?

Yes — thaw the frozen broccoli completely and pat it dry before adding it directly to the skillet with the pasta rather than cooking it in the pasta water. Frozen broccoli is already blanched and only needs to be warmed through rather than fully cooked, so add it in the final step when combining everything in the skillet.

How do I keep the chicken juicy?

Cutting it into even bite-sized pieces ensures everything cooks at the same rate without some pieces overcooking while others finish. Cooking over medium-high heat rather than high heat prevents the outside from charring before the inside is done, and removing the chicken from the pan the moment it hits 165°F keeps it from continuing to cook and drying out.

Final Thoughts

Cheap, healthy, fast, and genuinely loved by the whole table — this Chicken Broccoli Garlic Butter Pasta is the weeknight dinner that earns its place in your regular rotation from the very first time you make it. Simple enough for beginners, satisfying enough for everyone, and easy enough to pull off on the most exhausting nights of the week. Make it tonight and watch it become a household staple!