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Recipes

Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese

May 26, 2015

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Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal!

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com


We’re serving up some good, ‘ol mac and cheese today! Only this version feels a little more grown up than the Spongebob-shaped stuff my kids try to sneak in the shopping cart.  I’ve rounded out the dish with a helping of tender chicken and fresh broccoli to make it a full-blown meal vs. just a side item, and I promise you… there won’t be any leftovers!

Start by boiling your pasta… I like to use classic shells for mine, but go crazy with whatever shape you like! During the last few minutes of cooking time, toss the chopped broccoli into the boiling water.

While the pasta and veg are doing their thing, whip up a quick and easy cheese sauce. Good grief, is there anything more beautiful than a bright yellow, super melty, cheddar cheesy sauce? Mmm Mmmmm. This may look like the processed cheese-in-a-box stuff you get from the store, but it’s not! This cheesy goodness is homemade and about 1000x tastier too. Butter, flour, milk, chicken broth, cheddar cheese, and a little bit of seasoning turns into liquid gold right before your eyes.

Once the pasta is done cooking and drained and the cheese sauce is finished, it’s time to mix everything together. Wait… where does the chicken come into play??  I don’t know about you, but on busy nights when I can barely get a meal on the table before it’s time to fly out the door to baseball games or football practice, I don’t have time to mess around with raw chicken. Maybe I’m a total weirdo, but it just seems like dirtying a cutting board with raw meat and cooking it is just too much effort every single night. #lazy

A few months ago, I shared my recipe for making perfect shredded chicken in the slow cooker, and I like to make big batches of it to keep in the freezer for meals just like this. I pull a bag of the pre-cooked chicken out of the freezer the night before to thaw and toss it into the cheese sauce to let it warm through. It saves a ton of time and effort, which is something I’m sure all of you can appreciate!

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

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Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese
 
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Perfectly creamy homemade shells and cheese made with chicken and broccoli. Everyone loves this easy weeknight meal!
Author: Liz Fourez
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces medium shell pasta
  • 3 cups broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced (see recipe here)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli during last 2-3 minutes of cook time. Drain and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cooking, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and chicken broth and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickened. Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
  3. Add the drained pasta, broccoli, and chicken and stir to combine. If sauce becomes too thick, add milk as needed to thin.
3.3.3070
 

– adapted from Diethood and Cooking Classy


More easy dinner ideas:

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo - creamy, cheesy pasta that is light on calories but big on flavor! Get the recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo

The only grilled chicken recipe you will ever need! Whip up this quick marinade of garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs and get ready to enjoy delicious, flavorful chicken hot off the grill! Click for recipe at LoveGrowsWild.com

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Delicious homemade Chicken Noodle Soup ready in under 30 minutes! Get the recipe for this easy meal at LoveGrowsWild.com

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Make meal prep easier with this tender, juicy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken! Cook the chicken ahead of time and freeze to make dinnertime a breeze on busy nights! Learn how at LoveGrowsWild.com

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken


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Meal Ideas
by Liz Fourez 
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Comments

  1. Mindy says: May 26, 2015 at 4:12 pm

    I’m totally making this for dinner tonight.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says: May 26, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    This looks oh so yummy! How many servings is this recipe above?

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: May 28, 2015 at 10:20 am

      Hey Sarah! I would say this recipe easily serves 6. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
  3. Thalia @ butter and brioche says: May 26, 2015 at 11:13 pm

    That sauce looks seriously incredible.. so creamy and I bet delicious. You definitely have got me craving a good bowlful of this pasta right now.

    Reply
  4. Abby Bristol says: May 27, 2015 at 4:23 am

    Looks perfect for a light lunch!

    Reply
  5. Lilly Sutton says: May 28, 2015 at 3:19 am

    Looks so delicious. I`ll try it this weekend. My husband’s parents will come to visit, and I think this recipe will save me. Thank you for sharing it !

    Reply
  6. Brenda says: June 12, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    Made this tonight for supper and it was loved by all. Caught my 61 year old husband scraping his plate!!

    This is definitely going on my ‘go to’ list. Thank you, Liz.

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: June 14, 2015 at 6:27 pm

      Plate-scraping is always a good sign!! šŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. European says: September 22, 2015 at 1:52 am

    How about frying the chicken on pan – without using any oil or grease (do i need?)? Id love to prepare this dish, but i dont own a “slow cooker” .. Can i fry the chicken on pan ?

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: October 19, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Absolutely! You can cook the chicken however is easiest for you!

      Reply
  8. Dragana says: September 24, 2015 at 10:12 am

    What a lovely recipe! Can you substitute cheddar with some other type of melting cheese?

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: October 7, 2015 at 12:19 pm

      Absolutely! Get creative with what cheeses you use!

      Reply
  9. ethel brown says: October 7, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    I found this recipe to be bland and makes a small amount. I did not add chicken. Serves four adults. I added freshly grated parmesan cheese.

    Reply
  10. Jillian says: April 11, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Holy cow this was the cheesiest and most heavenly meal I’ve made in a while! Thanks for the recipe! I added some left over cooked bacon, and it was an awesome bonus! Loved!!!

    Reply
  11. Valerie says: April 14, 2016 at 8:02 am

    Wow! This chicken pasta meal looks amazing!! Your pictures are absolutely mouthwatering – I need to make this soon!!
    I have a similar recipe (my pictures aren’t anywhere near as delicious looking as yours) and I have added a few extra veggies.
    http://doubletherecipe.com/2016/03/30/creamy-chicken-broccoli-pasta/

    Thanks for sharing a great recipe!

    Reply
  12. Sophie says: May 16, 2016 at 8:55 pm

    This was so incredibly easy and delicious. We got four servings out of it, but one of those is a growing teenage boy so he probably had half of it (and loved it).

    Reply
  13. Jo Miller says: July 7, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    Loved it! Going to try this with Daiya cheese too.

    Reply
  14. Lynette says: August 23, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Made this last night for the first time. My husband and toddler LOVED it! (I even snuck in a little chicken into my picky toddler’s plate!) I wish I had brought leftovers for my lunch.

    Reply
  15. jennifer says: September 1, 2016 at 5:19 pm

    My 5 year old approves! That means it is a good diner!!

    Reply
  16. Laura says: October 1, 2016 at 10:45 pm

    I made this for a family of 5 for dinner and it was a hit. Really easy to make and tastes amazing. Thank – you absolutely delicious.

    Reply
  17. Leslie says: October 13, 2016 at 5:52 pm

    I taste and go when I cook and after adding one-half of the cheese I thought it was too cheesy, so I saved the other half. I added a bit of white wine. I’m taking this to a friends so I will find out how they like this recipe. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  18. Monica Baker says: October 19, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    I made this for supper tonight !! It was fantastic !

    Reply
  19. Kath says: January 8, 2017 at 3:37 pm

    The recipe doesn’t say when to cook the chicken.

    Reply
  20. Dana says: May 2, 2017 at 10:27 am

    Thought this recipe was easy and delicious. I added some personal modifications to make it healthier and suit the needs of a picky hubby! He really liked the dish – so that’s a winner for me šŸ™‚

    Alterations: prepped chicken in frying pan with oil (1 tbs) + seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic, onion). Used mix of regular and whole wheat pasta, fat free half & half (broke a little – may have heated too high or should consider milk instead), 2% cheddar cheese (1 cup) and frozen broccoli heated in microwave.

    Reply

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Welcome, sweet friends! My name is Liz, and I started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.
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Liz Fourez started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.  From simple project tutorials, to holiday and entertaining ideas, to her journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse, Liz demonstrates how to create a beautiful and inviting home with a handmade touch. She turned her signature cozy, neutral style into a best-selling book in 2016 and continues to inspire readers with her captivating photography and easy decorating ideas. Read more about Liz > > > >

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