While some cooks who make this dish use the “hack” of cooking their broccoli directly in the pasta water (along with the noodles), I’ve found that it’s just as fast to cook both the chicken and broccoli separately—and it gives you a far better flavor, because you can brown the ingredients to get a little maillard reaction going (the chemical process that gives deeply browned foods their rich, savory flavor). Plus, since you can cook both of these ingredients in about the time it takes the pasta pot to boil, it won’t add any additional cooking time. Once the pasta is boiling, you can cook the garlic, white wine, and lemon juice in the same pot you cooked the meat and veg in, then add everything into the pot together. The finished dish will be on the table in just 40 minutes.
The Easy Genius of Chicken Thighs
Most cooks might grab some boneless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you’ll have a far better result with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Unlike breasts, the thighs don’t dry out as they cook. In fact (as barbecue fanatics will tell you), they become more tender as they get hotter. This means you don’t have to worry about over-cooking them. Besides, darker meat naturally has more flavor, so the thighs will add more flavor to the overall dish.
Types of Pasta to Use
You can really use any style of pasta you like for this recipe, but I find that shorter pastas work best here, because you can get a noodle (or two) on a fork along with a piece of chicken or broccoli. Tube-shaped pastas (or other shapes with nooks in them) also hold onto the sauce well, which will give you more flavor with each bite. I’ve used penne here, but other pastas of similar length, like rigatoni, ziti, or even fusilli or gemelli, also work well.
Don’t Ignore the Broccoli Stems
While florets get all the attention, broccoli stems are just as delicious—and sometimes more versatile, since they soften more slowly and don’t absorb liquid. (When my kid was first starting to eat solid foods, she hated the texture of broccoli florets but happily ate the smooth, tender stems.) In this recipe, I’ve used both the stems and the florets. To prepare the stems, peel them with a vegetable peeler (or a sharp cleaver) and cut them into 1/4-inch thick coins.
Substitutions and Swaps
This combination—chicken and broccoli—is both simple and classic. But the general form of this recipe will work well with a variety of other proteins and vegetables, if you pair them well. You could try it with shrimp and asparagus for another classic combination, or bacon and broccoli rabe for a slightly more sophisticated approach. Pork and zucchini also work well. Whatever combination you choose, you’ll want to be careful about how long you cook the vegetables; some (like the broccoli rabe) will need more steaming time, and some (like zucchini) can just be browned in the pan without any water. And if you want to add more vegetables, try throwing a handful of cherry tomatoes in with the broccoli, after it’s done steaming. The tomatoes will brown and burst, adding a bright, tangy flavor to the sauce once all of the ingredients are combined.
Don’t Skip the White Wine
The one thing you don’t want to swap out is the white wine. While it might not seem like a key ingredient here, the wine forms the base of the sauce and gives it a rich but subtle flavor. Without it, the garlic and lemon will taste too acidic and sharp. (For this reason, it’s also best to use a dry wine without too much acidity or a particularly strong oak flavor.)
Reserving Pasta Water
Adding some reserved pasta water—the starchy, salty water the pasta has been cooking in—to your dish is a fast, cheap way to add liquid to a sauce without diluting its flavor. The key is to remove the water just before the pasta is done cooking; that’s when it has the most flavor. To do this, you can ladle some water into a bowl, but my favorite trick is to grab a liquid measuring cup (the kind made out of Pyrex, with a convenient handle) and dip that straight into the pot.
More Weeknight Pastas
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Remove the lid, add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and the chile flakes (if using), and cook the broccoli, stirring occasionally but letting it sit on the bottom and sides of the pot undisturbed for about 1 minute at a time, so that it browns nicely, until all of the pieces have browned a bit, another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the broccoli from the pot, and set it aside in a large bowl, covered. Rinse the pot. Put the pot back on the stove over high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and let it heat for 30 seconds, then add the chicken, spreading it out in an even layer; season it with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let the chicken brown in the pan, undisturbed, until it has a nice crisp brown color on the bottom, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the heat of your pan (and how crowded it is). Stir the chicken, and let it continue to cook until it is cooked through, for another 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat under the pan and remove the chicken to the bowl with the broccoli, but do not rinse the pan. (The browned bits will help flavor the sauce.) Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered, for up to 4 days. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!
