Chicken penne pasta with broccoli and marinara sauce is an easy all-in-one dinner that’s family friendly, just a few simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!

My kiddos started back to school this week. We are in person (for now) and it’s been a great first couple of days! They are loving their teachers (mine are in 4th and 1st grade) and they have some good buddies in their classes. Each class is split into a small bubble, everyone is wearing masks and the groups are spreading out all over campus to maintain enough distance.

I know we might end up doing remote learning again at some point this fall, but I’m thankful they’ll have a little school time under their belts. 

OK, let’s get on to the food. 

We are a pasta loving family, through and through. And I’ve been sharing the love here on the blog.

Most recently it was one-pot pasta with chicken sausage, spinach and peas and I’ve previously shared one-pot creamy chicken and mushroom pasta. Both are so creamy and delicious.

Oh, and my cheesy chicken pasta with zucchini and peas is perfect for a fresh summertime dish.

Today’s recipe is all about simple comfort.

Chicken penne pasta with broccoli is a great all-in-one dinner that the whole family will love.

It’s inspired by my family in fact. The pasta is for my carb-loving son. The marinara sauce is for my sauce-loving daughter.

And the general idea comes from my husband, who made some version of chicken-pasta-veggies for dinner many a night before we met and married.

So as you might imagine, this is a go-to recipe in our house.

Roasted chicken, tender pasta and broccoli get coated with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese and mixed all together for a bowl full of delicious.

You’ll be vying to get a little bit of everything on your fork for each bite. I love that.

And while its simplicity might have made me hesitant to share, I think we can ALL use some more simple recipes in our lives these days, right?

Between back-to-school season and the craziness of this virus, simple dinners are about all I care to tackle.

This chicken penne pasta is just 5 main ingredients and it’s ready in about 30 minutes.

So it’s the perfect throw-together kind of meal at the end of a long day. Cause if you’re like me, you’ve almost always got these ingredients on hand.

Plus, there’s tons of ways you can change it up and make substitutions, so you can really tailor it to your needs. Or whatever is in your fridge and pantry. 👍

So let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make chicken penne pasta. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on chicken penne pasta with broccoli:

• The recipe calls for penne, but another similar sized pasta would work here too. Whole wheat or regular pasta are fine, as is a gluten-free pasta, just following the package directions for cooking time.
• You can roast the chicken breasts in the oven, as indicated in the recipe, or you could slice the chicken and cook it in a pan. Or grill it.
• Or make this recipe super easy and use a rotisserie chicken from the store.
• Not a fan of broccoli? You could substitute frozen peas. Add them to the pasta cooking water in the last minute of cooking to get them thawed and warmed through.
• Or fold in some fresh spinach with the cooked, drained pasta to wilt down for a different vegetable.

You could also change up the flavors here by the type of marinara sauce you use. I tend to go for the basic tomato marinara sauce. However, you could use a mushroom flavored tomato sauce or a tomato basil sauce for a different flavor.

Whatever you go with, you’ll need about 1/2 of a regular 25 oz. jar.

Want to make this super cheesy?

In addition to the Parmesan cheese, mix in a heaping cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. It’ll get nice and gooey and stretchy. Mmm!

Finally, let’s talk leftovers.

The leftovers of this chicken penne pasta with broccoli will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding extra marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

They make a great lunch another day – or a repeat dinner.

I hope you give this a try for a comforting, familiar, delicious dinner that will have everyone digging in.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. You can check out all of my 30-minute chicken recipes for more easy dinner ideas.

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Yield: 4 servings

Chicken penne pasta with broccoli

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Chicken penne pasta with broccoli and marinara sauce is an easy all-in-one dinner that’s family friendly, just a few simple ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 (6-7 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
• 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or red pepper flakes for some heat)
• 8 oz. (1/2 box) penne pasta
• 1 medium head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray for easy clean up.
2. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a roiling boil. Season generously with salt. Add the penne pasta and cook according to package directions. In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the pot with the penne pasta to cook the broccoli.
4. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain the penne and broccoli and add to a large bowl.
5. Slice the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce, 1/4 cup of the reserved water and the Parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Add additional pasta water and/or marinara sauce if desired to help the dish come together.
6. Season to taste and serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Chicken: You can roast the chicken breasts in the oven, as indicated in the recipe, or you could slice the chicken and cook it in a pan. Or grill it. Or make this recipe super easy and use a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Pasta: The recipe calls for penne, but another similar sized pasta would work here too. Whole wheat or regular pasta are fine, just following the package directions for cooking time.

Vegetable: Not a fan of broccoli? You could substitute frozen peas. Add them to the pasta cooking water in the last minute of cooking to get them thawed and warmed through. Or fold in some fresh spinach with the cooked, drained pasta to wilt down for a different vegetable.

Marinara: You could change up the flavors here by the type of marinara sauce you use. I tend to go for the basic tomato marinara sauce. However, you could use a mushroom flavored tomato sauce or a tomato basil sauce for a different flavor. Whatever you go with, you’ll need about 1/2 of a regular 25 oz. jar.

Cheese: Want to make this super cheesy? In addition to the Parmesan cheese, mix in a heaping cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. It’ll get nice and gooey and stretchy.

Leftovers: The leftovers of this chicken penne pasta with broccoli will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding extra marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 592Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 1454mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 10gSugar: 12gProtein: 30g