Chicken Broccoli Ziti Recipe

Chicken broccoli ziti is a really easy pasta dish the entire family, neighborhood, world, will love. Creamy cheesy pasta sauce tossed with tender broccoli, thinly sliced chicken, and ziti. It’s a full meal with everything you need. That’s what I love about it. Veggies, protein, carbs all in one bowl.

Aside from boiling the pasta and broccoli, everything can be made in one skillet. Easy cleanup, easy dish, and super creamy and delicious.

The Creamy Sauce

My chicken broccoli is definitely on the creamier side. I use chicken broth, light cream, and parmesan cheese. Some recipes opt for milk, but I think cream makes it that much better. I don’t eat a tremendous amount of pasta, so when I do I go all out. The secret ingredient is actually corn starch, which helps to thicken the sauce to the texture similar to that of a roux.

Broccoli

We use Green Giant’s 12-ounce bags of broccoli a lot because it’s super easy to open the bag and roast in the oven. I recommend that for simplicity but you can of course use unprepared broccoli. A medium head of broccoli is about 1 pound. Remove all the stems and cut into small florets and you’ll most likely end up with about 10-12 ounces. That’s about the amount you’re looking for in this recipe. You can use more or less of course depending on how much of a broccoli lover you are.

Thinly Sliced Chicken

Thinly sliced chicken is so important for pasta dishes! I start with boneless skinless chicken breast and cut into thin strips that are about 1/4 inch thick. I usually slice the larger strips in half so they’re about 1/2-3/4 inches wide and a few inches long. Thin chicken is ultra-tender and eliminates any chewiness. Don’t cut the chicken into chunks or it just won’t jive with the pasta.

There’s nothing worse than chickeny chicken.

You’ll Also Love

• Ultimate baked ziti
• Creamy Tuscan chicken over pasta
• Shrimp scampi
• Creamy chicken carbonara
• Baked rigatoni
• Penne alla vodka
• Rigatoni bolognese
• Simple creamy gnocchi

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