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Looking for a healthy and satisfying meal? Try our chicken and vegetable pasta recipe, packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or meal prep.
With this chicken and veggies recipe, you’ve got a complete meal. You can add some bread or a Butter Lettuce Salad on the side to make it stretch a little further.
Why This Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Recipe Works
My Lemon Garlic Chicken and Vegetable Pasta has tons of flavor, no butter, and lots of protein and veggies. There’s pasta in there too, but you could leave that out if you’re avoiding carbs.
The veggies are totally customizable; I had grape tomatoes, zucchini, and spinach on hand so that’s what I used, and it was an excellent combo. I’ve also used carrots, squash, broccoli, green beans, and asparagus. You just have to adjust the cooking times for the veggies you use.
I like a lot of lemon flavor so I added a lot of lemon juice and some zest in there with the garlic; you could add more or less depending on your taste.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Breast – Use chicken breasts or tenders cut into big chunks to create single bite-sized pieces. Thighs will work, but I prefer white meat in this recipe.
- Seasoning – Salt, pepper, dried oregano, and fresh parsley. Feel free to play around with the seasonings you prefer. Just a simple salt and pepper or an Italian seasoning blend would be fine.
- Veggies – I used what I had in my pantry and fridge; carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. If you have other leftover veggies feel free to use those.
- Lemon – Nothing beats the tang of fresh lemon juice and zest with chicken and veggies. Roll the lemon on the counter to get more juice, and be sure to zest before you slice it.
- Garlic – Fresh is best but use jarred if that’s what you’ve got.
- Pasta – Rotini is my small pasta of choice but penne pasta, cavatappi, or another similar noodle will work.
- Parmesan Cheese – I like to top my pasta with some freshly grated Parm. Totally optional but adds a nutty finish.
How To Make Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Step 1: Cook the chicken pieces over medium heat, adding salt, pepper, and oregano to season. Once cooked through, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Step 2: Cook vegetables in stages, starting with root veggies since they take longer to cook. Gradually add in softer vegetables, seasoning with salt and pepper when you add the last one.
Step 3: Add garlic, lemon zest, dried oregano, and saute briefly, combining with the veggies.
Step 4: Add cooked chicken and pasta to the pan and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the dish. Garnish with fresh parsley, divide into serving dishes and serve.
How To Add a Sauce
If you’d like to create more of a sauce for this dish, reserve a cup of the pasta water or use chicken broth.
Remove all the veggies to a plate then add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the garlic, lemon zest, and oregano over medium-high heat for 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the broth or pasta water and some lemon juice, bring to a boil, then simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Toss with the pasta, veggies and chicken.
FAQs
Often in Italian cuisine, chicken is not included in pasta dishes, but I think chicken and pasta are the perfect combo! Throw in some colorful veggies and you’ve got the perfect meal!
It’s best to steam, bake, blanche, saute or grill your veggies before adding them to pasta dishes.
Pasta is boiled, so you can sometimes add your veggies, like broccoli or green beans, to the boiling water for the last few minutes. However for most vegetables this isn’t recommended because the veggies can turn out mushy.
Make Ahead and Storage
Meal Prep: I was able to get about 5 lunches out of this, which was enough for a whole week! It’s great cold (think pasta salad) or warmed up.
Leftovers: Depending on your family you should be able to get at least 4-6 servings. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Reheating: Chicken can dry out in the microwave, so if you choose to reheat a portion of this meal, be sure to use the 50% power setting.
Expert Tips
- For some heat, add a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you saute the garlic.
- I highly recommend boneless skinless chicken breast. But chicken thighs will work.
- Add some fresh herbs at the end to brighten up the finished dish, like fresh parsley or fresh basil.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- One Pan Lemon, Ricotta and Kale Pasta
- 15 Minute Broccoli and Tortellini Alfredo
- Garlic Shrimp and Tomato Pasta
- Summer Spaghetti Salad
Lemon Garlic Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 zucchini cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- half of a lemon or more to taste
- 3 cups cooked pasta about 8-10 ounces dry
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese if desired, for garnish
- Lemon slices for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and season with 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper and oregano. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside.
- Add more olive oil to the skillet if necessary, then add zucchini and squash to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes or until mostly tender.
- Stir in spinach and season everything with salt and pepper. Saute for one minutes or until spinach has just begun to soften.
- Push the veggies to one side and add minced garlic, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Sauté for about 30-60 seconds, then stir into the vegetables. Remove from heat.
- Stir in hot cooked pasta and chicken and squeeze fresh lemon juice (from the half lemon) over the mixture.
- Divide into serving dishes and serve immediately, garnished with fresh minced parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Are there suppose to be carrots in this recipe? I see them in the instructions but not the ingredients. Can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious 🙂
Originally there were. I recently updated the recipe and must have forgotten to remove that step. You really can add any veggies you like, just be sure to cook heartier vegetables, like carrots, first.