Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo (with a Gluten-free Version)
Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo
Do you have leftover chicken you need to use? I don’t know about you, but I like to find ways to use leftover meat to make a whole new recipe. After all, meat is too expensive to let go to waste! This Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo is a delicious way to use leftover chicken!
Whether you have leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover baked chicken, it’s super easy to use to make this Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo. (If you happen to have leftover steamed broccoli, that’s even better! But you can always quickly steam some broccoli and cook up some pasta if you don’t have leftovers of those.)
I recently realized I desperately wanted some broccoli chicken alfredo! I don’t normally love pasta and Italian food (I know! I know! I’m weird like that.) so even I was surprised. Luckily, I had some chicken left over from earlier in the week, and I had a bag of frozen broccoli in the freezer. I keep gluten-free pasta on hand (since I have to eat gluten-free for medical reasons), so I decided to make an Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo recipe even though it’s not something I usually make.
I’m so glad I did because it turned out great and my family and I loved it! I will definitely be making this again!
This Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo is great for a quick weeknight dinner or even a special occasion!
This dish uses leftover chicken, fresh (or frozen) broccoli, and freshly-made or leftover pasta to make a delicious and easy dish for a weeknight dinner or even a special occasion.
Gather Your Ingredients
First, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. (To see the list of ingredients with amounts, be sure to check out the printable recipe near the bottom of this recipe.)
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- butter
- flour (or gluten-free flour)
- half & half
- cream cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- garlic powder
- salt
- pepper
- pasta (or leftover pasta)
- steamed broccoli (or leftover broccoli)
- cooked leftover chicken
- shredded mozzarella cheese
I added some onion powder and some diced onions cooked in butter when I made this recipe. And I could have thrown in some bell peppers (also cooked in butter) or other spices (like chili powder, basil, oregano, etc.) to the recipe. It depends on what I have available in my garden and what I feel like at the moment. 🙂
The Recipe
- First, you’ll need to preheat the oven to 375.
- Then melt your butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour (or gluten-free flour).
- Once the butter and flour are golden brown, whisk in the half & half. Cook until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. (Use your whisk to break up lumps.)
- Stir in the softened cream cheese and Parmesan cheese until it’s all melted and incorporated.
- Stir in the garlic powder, salt, and pepper (and any other spices you want to add).
- Remove from heat.
- Combine pasta, steamed broccoli (or leftover broccoli), chicken, and sauce in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly.
- Broil for a few minutes on high until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
- Serve warm.
Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo
Description
This Easy Broccoli Chicken Alfredo uses leftover chicken, broccoli, and pasta to whip up a quick weeknight dinner or meal for a special occasion! If you don’t have leftover broccoli or pasta, steam some broccoli and boil some pasta while you gather your other ingredients. You’ll love this recipe!
Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour (or gluten-free flour)
2 1/2 cups half & half
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (or pre-shredded parm in a bag)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 – 1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 oz cooked pasta (or gluten-free pasta)
2 cups steamed broccoli (or leftover broccoli)
2 cups cooked chicken (or leftover chicken)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 275. Grease casserole dish.
In medium saucepan, melt butter.
Whisk flour in and cook until golden brown.
Gradually whisk in half & half until sauce is smooth and begins to thicken.
Stir in cream cheese and Parmesan cheese until melted.
Stir in spices and remove from heat.
Combine pasta, broccoli, chicken, and sauce in large bowl and stir to combine.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake for 15 minutes and then broil for 2 to 3 minutes on high or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.
Serve.
My husband (who doesn’t usually like eating leftovers) happily took some leftovers to work to eat, and my daughter and I ate leftovers of this dish too. It was just too good to let it go to waste!
If you want to dress it up some or serve it to company, simply add a salad, some candied carrots (which is a super simple side dish, but it’s so sweet and delicious), or an English pea salad. Serve rolls (if you wish) and dessert, and you’re good to go!
I hope you and your family (or your company) enjoy this dish as much as my family and I did!
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Quick Make-ahead Broccoli Salad
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Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (Only 5 Ingredients!)
kAnd the best part is that you can put this in the oven and work on side dishes or take care of something else while this dish bakes!
This dish uses leftover chic
