One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta is an easy meal with simple ingredients. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

I recently discovered the wonder of “one pot” cooking.  Really, it’s not a new concept per se, but it’s definitely a game changer.  It’s like using a slow cooker to make your meals, but instead they are ready in 30 minutes.

I made this meal by accident a few weeks ago.  It was a Sunday and we had been doing great at sticking to our meal plan all week.  On the menu that particular day was this really yummy looking Garlic Parmesan Chicken Lasagna Bake.  Why didn’t I make this, you ask? Well, being the genius that I am, I mistakenly thought I had a whole box of lasagna noodles in the pantry.  Nope, I had exactly 2 lasagna noodles.  Seriously, who only has 2 lasagna noodles lying around anyway?  Apparently I do.I already had the shredded chicken ready to go, the butter melting, and the garlic and onion chopped up.  So what’s a girl to do?  Throw anything that sounds right into a pot and let it cook–that’s what.

And that is exactly what I did.  Since I was already planning to make a creamy sauce base with the butter, garlic, and flour, I left that part alone. I decided broccoli would be a great addition and a way to add in a vegetable to the dish, so I quickly chopped some up. I poured in some milk, chicken broth, chicken and pasta, let it come to a boil, reduced and let it simmer covered to cook the pasta.   After the pasta was cooked, the sauce was still a little runny, but it tasted so good.

I thought adding in some cheese would be a good way to thicken up the sauce.  Besides, what good is a chicken and broccoli pasta without cheese?

I think I could get used to this “one pot” cooking method.  Just throw anything that sounds like it goes together in a pot and let it cook.

Enjoy!

One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

An easy one pot meal that's full of garlic, cheese, and flavor.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Calories 2831 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 6 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup onion finely chopped
• 6 tbsp flour
• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 2 cups broccoli chopped
• 2-3 cups chicken broth enough to cover pasta
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups shell pasta or other pasta of choice
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, melt butter.
• Saute onion and garlic until fragrant and tender.
• Whisk in flour and cook for another minute, until golden.
• Add in chicken broth, milk, chicken, broccoli, seasonings and pasta, stirring well.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer covered, until pasta and broccoli are cooked through (about 15 minutes)
• Remove from head, and stir in cheese until melted.

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