Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells in Alfredo Sauce

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Juicy bites of chicken, tender-crisp broccoli, creamy Alfredo sauce, and little hits of salty bacon goes sooo well together. Pasta shells compliment with just the perfect mouthfeel in every bite.

This weeknight meal checks off all the boxes. I want a one-pot affair that checks off: ✔️Protein (chicken) ✔️Something green (broccoli) ✔️ Easy to make and very importantly ✔️ Everyone looks forward to eating!!

Alfredo sauce started in early twentieth century Rome as a simple mix of butter and cheese served over fresh pasta. It evolved as North American cooks began adding cream and other ingredients, turning it into the version you see at restaurants and in home kitchens here.

Another evolution of modern cooking is the introduction of ready-to-use jarred Alfredo sauces, which is what I reached for in this version of the recipe. It’s a nice pantry staple to have around in case you don’t have heavy cream, parmesan and other cheeses on hand. Look for a high-quality jarred Alfredo sauce with great creaminess and cheese flavour. This recipe was developed in partnership with Classico Canada, using the Alfredo Pasta Sauce which is super creamy with not one but four cheeses.

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Drop any thoughts or questions about the recipe in the comments below. I love to hear from you!

Eat well and be well,

Sonia x

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what you’ll need:

Ingredients for Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells in Alfredo Sauce

• Shell pasta - Shells usually come in three sizes. I like using the medium sized shells for a dish like this. The shape holds a lot of sauce and makes a nice mouthfeel with broccoli florets and chunks of chicken.

• Broccoli florets - they’re perfectly tender-crisp when blanched for 4 minutes therefore add them in with the pasta during the final 4 minutes of pasta cook time. So easy!

• Boneless chicken thighs - I prefer thighs for flavour and juiciness but chicken breast works here too!

• Bacon - this recipe calls for 2 strips of bacon so we can get rendered bacon fat to cook the dish with, plus crispy salty bits of bacon in the final dish. You may omit if you don’t eat pork. Use oil to sauté instead.

• Jarred Alfredo sauce - super convenient to pull this dish together quickly. Use a high quality one that is creamy with good cheesy flavour.

• Garlic and shallot (or onion) - aromatics for flavour

• Paprika and garlic powder - a little spice to marinade the chicken for a subtle dimension of flavour

• Dijon mustard - just a touch to pep up the sauce

• Chili flakes - optional if you like a little heat

• Salt and pepper to taste

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steps at a glance:

How to make Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells in Alfredo Sauce (scroll down to recipe card for full printable recipe)

• Boil salted water and cook pasta to al dente minus one minute. Add broccoli for the final four minutes. Drain and reserve one cup of pasta water.

• Season chicken with salt, paprika and garlic powder (note: I went a little heavier on the spices than the recipe).

• Add bacon to a large pot over medium heat. Render fat and crisp the pieces. Remove bacon.

• Add shallot, garlic and chili flakes to the pot. Cook until soft and fragrant.

• Shift aromatics to the side. Add a drizzle of oil if needed. Add chicken and sear until browned and cooked through.

• Scoop out chicken and add it to the pasta and broccoli.

• Add Alfredo sauce and scrape the browned bits. Stir in the mustard. (The sauce poured out in the shape of a heart!)

• Return chicken, pasta and broccoli. Warm through and loosen with pasta water if needed.

• Stir in bacon. Taste and do a final season with salt and pepper if needed.

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Tips & FAQs

• Cook in parallel to save time

  To save time, cook the pasta (and broccoli) at the same time while in a second pot, crisping the bacon, browning the chicken. etc.

• [OR] Cook sequentially to make it a one-pot recipe

  If time is not an issue, use only one pot for this recipe! Boil pasta and broccoli, strain, and reuse same pot for the remaining steps. This would obviously take longer to cook.

• Use any pasta shape

  I love the mouthfeel of mid-sized pasta shells in this recipe because it has a size and feel that goes well with the chunks of chicken and broccoli florets. But you can use other short pasta shapes you have on hand, or long pasta noodles such as fettuccini which is traditional to original Alfredo dish.

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You may also be interested in these other recipes

• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

• Simple Kale & Sausage Pasta

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Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells in Alfredo Sauce

Yield: 8

Author: sonia wong | www.saltnpepperhere.com

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Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo Shells

Pasta shells with juicy chicken, vibrant broccoli and hits of salty bacon, all coated in creamy Alfredo sauce. So luxurious yet so easy to make for weeknight dinner.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) Conchiglie medium size shell pasta
• 3 to 4 cups (350g) broccoli florets
• 1 lb (450g) chicken thighs cut into 1½” cubes
• ½ tsp kosher salt (increase to 1 tsp for Diamond Crystal brand)
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ⅛ tsp garlic powder
• 2 strips bacon, small diced
• 1 shallot or half small onion, small diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Pinch of dried chili flakes - optional
• 2 x 410ml jars of Alfredo sauce (about 3½ cups total)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Reserved pasta water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and pasta, timing to cook to al dente less 1 minute. Broccoli florets are perfectly tender-crisp when blanched for 4 minutes therefore add them in with the pasta during the final 4 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and broccoli.
2. Season chicken with salt, paprika and garlic powder. Let that marinade.
3. Meanwhile, add bacon into a second large pot and set it over on medium heat. Allow bacon to gradually heat up to render the fat and crisp up. Scoop bacon bits onto a paper towel, leaving rendered fat. Add shallots, garlic and chili flakes if using. Sauté until shallot is softened and garlic is fragrant. Push aromatics to the edge and add a drizzle of oil only if needed. Add chicken and sear until browned and just cooked through – do not overcook. Scoop out and add to pasta and broccoli.
4. Pour in Alfredo sauce, scraping with a wooden spoon to lift the tasty bits at the bottom of the pot. Stir in mustard. Bring to a simmer. Add back cooked chicken, pasta and broccoli to heat back through. Add splashes of pasta water as needed to adjust consistency. Toss in bacon bits. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

566

Fat

30 g

Sat. Fat

12 g

Carbs

49 g

Fiber

3 g

Net carbs

46 g

Sugar

4 g

Protein

22 g

Sodium

997 mg

Cholesterol

130 mg

Disclaimer: nutritional information is auto-generated and should only be used as an approximation.

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Disclosure: I developed this recipe with Classico Canada for a sponsored post on Tiktok. I own the recipe rights and because my family loved it so much, I gave it a permanent place here on the site. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me in creating content that is free for all of you — my valued readers.

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