Chicken Vegetable Pasta
A super fast last minute dinner idea, chicken vegetable spaghetti is a healthy, hearty pasta dish using spaghetti, chicken, and plenty of veggies, and comes together in under 30 minutes.
This post was originally published with the title “20-Minute Spaghetti with Chicken and Veggies”, we’ve changed the name and updated it to improve the post but it’s the same great recipe!
About this Chicken Vegetable Pasta Recipe
A quick, simple last minute dinner idea, this chicken vegetable pasta recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and is full of bright and satisfying flavors!
Flavored with fresh garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan, basil & parsley, this pasta is the perfect light dish to use with your favorite seasonal veggies.
I used chicken, asparagus, and fresh cherry tomatoes but the options for customizing this versatile, healthy pasta dinner are endless.
You can play around with the protein and swap in white beans, ground turkey, frozen thawed meatballs or even some shrimp.
And the choice of veggies is flexible too, so feel free to make this one your own and use whatever your family loves & whatever you happen to have on hand!
Process & Tips
At least once a week, some sort of pasta dinner with chicken and vegetables makes it onto our family menu.
And this simple variation that creates its own sauce in the pan is one of our go-to’s.
The best part is that once you know the base recipe, you can customize it and create any combination of protein, veggies, herbs & sauce that you like.
All you need to do is cook your pasta of choice and as it cooks, saute your chicken & veggies in a hot pan.
Then finish by adding your hot pasta into the pan with your chicken & veggies, and toss with lemon juice, Parmesan and fresh herbs.
Note: I use just a half a pound of pasta in this recipe because I like to have more chicken and veggies than pasta. But you can, of course, cook up a full pound of pasta if you’re feeding a hungry crowd – just add a splash more of chicken stock to stretch the sauce.
Easy Protein Variations to Try Instead of Chicken
Swap in some ground turkey, it cooks super quickly & easily!
Use some sauteed or grilled shrimp.
Serve it with frozen thawed meatballs or use these gluten free turkey meatballs or easy crockpot meatballs.
Use a can of rinsed, drained white beans for a quick & easy vegetarian version.
Ways to Serve this Chicken Vegetable Pasta
Since this dish is already packed with plenty of protein, veggies and healthy fats, it’s already a deliciously complete meal as-is.
But you can also customize it by adding fun toppings like fresh chopped basil or parsley, extra Parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or some fresh cracked black pepper.
It would also be delicious with a big salad set out on the table for sharing.
To make a simple side salad, toss any fresh greens with an easy healthy dressing (if it were me, I’d pair it with either the easy balsamic vinaigrette or the creamy balsamic dressing!).
Ingredients & Modifications
Pasta: Whole wheat or gluten-free pasta both work great for this recipe. I used spaghetti but you could use any shape pasta you like.
Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. Both work great in this recipe.
Cherry tomatoes: The fresh cherry tomatoes make this simple pasta dinner extra tasty. I love how lightly sweet they are and halving them makes prep a breeze. Since we’re not using a pasta sauce, they help to give lots of flavor to the pasta.
Asparagus: I used asparagus for this recipe, but you could also swap in another green veggie (like green beans or sugar snap peas).
Chicken stock: I used low sodium chicken broth for this recipe but you could also use vegetable broth in its place.
Fresh basil and parsley: There’s just something about fresh herbs that can make even the simplest dishes feel elevated and special. And when it comes to pasta, fresh basil and fresh parsley are always a great choice!
Lemon juice: The fresh lemon juice provides some nice brightness and acidity to this dish, and really helps to lift up all the flavors.
Parmesan: It’s an optional ingredient but I love how the Parmesan combines with the lemon juice, chicken stock, olive oil, garlic and tomatoes to create a fresh “sauce”. For a dairy-free version, you could use a plant-based Parmesan or omit it entirely.
Olive oil: I like the subtle flavor from the olive oil but you can also use any other neutral oil you like – such as avocado, canola or vegetable oil.
Garlic: Since we’re using so few ingredients, I used fresh garlic cloves for this recipe for the best flavor. But you could use granulated garlic powder in its place if you prefer.
Kosher salt: Look for kosher salt with the regular iodized salt at the grocery store (it has a subtler flavor). Use less iodized salt if that’s what you have on hand.
More Easy Last Minute Dinner Recipes
Chicken Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound whole wheat or gluten-free spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , or thighs
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package direction, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken, setting aside. Add an additional 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the garlic and cook until golden but not browned, stirring often, about 30 seconds.
- Add the asparagus, tomatoes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock, add the chicken back to the pan, and simmer everything together on medium for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the cooked, drained pasta to the pan, tossing to combine. If the sauce is a bit dry, add a splash more chicken stock. Drizzle with lemon juice, add the parmesan (if using), then sprinkle with basil and parsley, tossing to combine. Taste and add additional salt or lemon juice if you like. Serve warm.
We made this tonight and it was fantastic!
So happy you enjoyed, Cathy! 🙂
This was so simple and flavorful, I’ve made it a couple times now! I chop it up and my toddler gobbles it down without needing his favorite marinara sauce. We have been using ground Italian sausage instead of chicken.
Chicken sausage sound like a great substitute, Amber. So glad your family is enjoying this one! 🙂
This is probably the most requested dish in my household! My Pinterest pin wasn’t taking me directly to the recipe, so I’m going to add it again 🙂
So happy this is on your regular rotation, Trisha! And glad you’re able to bookmark it now so you can always find it. Thanks so much for leaving a review!