Need a new super easy, midweek crowd-pleaser? I have the answer: Creamy Chicken, Broccoli and Sweetcorn pasta – simple, delicious and ready under 30 minutes – what’s not to like?
As you know, I love a good traybake or slow cooked stew, but some days I just don’t have an hour for a traybake to cook or a 3 hour window to allow my beef chilli to slowly chunter away in the oven…often I need a meal on the table within the next 30 minutes.
Like most modern families, life in the Gargano household is BUSY – the kids do loads of clubs and have a social diary that is far more exciting than mine, I have a million and one things to do on my blog…not to mention the housework, the school paperwork(!) etc. etc.
Sometimes I just need a meal that I can have on the table quickly and that I know everyone will like! And this was the inspiration for today’s recipe: Creamy Chicken, Broccoli and Sweetcorn Pasta.
This meal is really simple to make, fry up some chicken and mushrooms, boil some pasta and broccoli and throw it all together with some crème fraiche and sweetcorn – DONE, and in well under 30 minutes – more like 20 if I get my skates on!
Plus it’s a real crowd-pleaser – my kids wolfed it down when I made it for them (not to mention Mr G!). It’s really easy to adapt too. It would work brilliantly with turkey, tuna or salmon.
You could make it veggie, by adding in a tin of kidney beans or chickpeas instead of the chicken – alternatively Quorn chicken would work well here too.
And you can vary the veggies according to what’s in the fridge, or what your kids (or other half!) will eat: red peppers, green beans, peas or spinach would all work well in this very flexible recipe. I used fresh veg, but to make this super speedy you could use frozen mixed veg.
Finally if you really want to make life easy for yourself you could make a double quantity of this simple pasta dish and have it the next day sprinkled with cheese and breadcrumbs and cooked in the oven as a pasta bake, with a crisp green salad.
An easy crowd-pleaser of a dinner deserves an easy crowd-pleaser of a wine, so go for an unoaked Chilean Chardonnay, which would make a fab match.
If you like this recipe…
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Creamy Chicken, Broccoli and Sweetcorn Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 100 g mushrooms sliced
- 400 g chicken thigh fillets (no skin or bones) cut into small chunks
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 150 ml crème fraiche (or cream)
- 300 g pasta – any shape (I used spirals)
- 100 g broccoli cut into small florets
- 100 g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the olive oil and sliced onion in a wide, deep saucepan and fry gently for 3 minutes with the lid on.
- Turn the heat up and add the mushrooms and chicken pieces. Fry for a further 3 minutes to brown everything a little.
- Add the garlic and fry gently for 30 seconds, then add the crème fraiche and bring to the boil.
- Turn the heat down and allow the sauce to simmer gently for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is properly cooked through.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta according to packet instructions / your own personal preferences. 3 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the broccoli florets to the pasta water.
- When the pasta and broccoli is done, drain and add to the crème fraiche sauce. Add in the sweetcorn, salt and pepper. Stir everything together and serve.
Notes
- To turn this into a pasta bake the next day, put the pasta and sauce in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over some cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs – bake at 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) for about 30 minutes or until brown on the top and bubbling.
- Please note, this recipe creates a pasta sauce in the Italian style, where the sauce just clings to the pasta. If you prefer a more 'saucy' pasta sauce, you might want to double up on the crème fraiche.
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
Love chicken? Check out my collection of Easy Peasy Chicken Recipes…
Want more delicious and hassle-free midweek meals? Find more here…
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Mummy TamTam says
Thank you for the recipe! My toddler being a very fussy eater loves pasta so I will try and cook this for tomorrow 🙂 #brillblogposts
Eb Gargano says
A pleasure. Hope your little one likes it! Let me know how it goes ? Thanks for your kind comments. Eb x
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed says
Your creamy chicken pasta looks delicious Eb, perfect for a busy midweek night. I really like the idea of making double so you have enough for a pasta bake. x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Sarah ? Eb x
Corina says
Such an easy meal. I love pasta and would make it all the time except one of my children completely refuses to eat it! I keep hoping to convince her one day as this is just the type of meal the rest of us would love! Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice.
Eb Gargano says
How can anyone dislike pasta!?!How she changes her mind soon! Thanks for your kind comments. ? Eb x
Midgie says
Chicken, Brocoli & sweetcorn has to be one of my favourite flavour combinations especially when its cold or I feel poorly! This looks lovely and now I really need the veggie box to turn up so I can have it for dinner tonight!! xxx
Eb Gargano says
It’s a really nice combination isn’t it? Hope your veggie box turns up soon 🙂 Which one do you get? Eb x
Mandy says
You can’t beat a nice quick pasta dish. This one looks lovely and I’m sure my kids would enjoy it (once they’d picked out the broccoli – don’t think I’m ever going to win that battle…). #CookBlogShare
Eb Gargano says
Haha – I always think it’s funny how whilst the majority of kids are picky, it’s so often about different things…mine absolutely love broccoli but I have battles over tomatoes with my little boy and baked beans with my little girl – things most kids love! Eb x
Gill says
I liked the flavours of this meal and it was a convenient way to use up some ingredients but there didn’t seem to be much in the way of sauce for the quantity of pasta (which I reduced anyway as there are only two of us!) I’m wondering if the metric conversions might be slightly off?!
Looking forward to trying the remainder as a pasta bake but suspect it will be a little dry!
Eb Gargano says
Great to hear you liked the flavours. Sorry you didn’t feel like it had enough sauce. The quantities are correct, but I guess it comes down to personal preference – some people like more sauce than others. I prefer my pasta sauces in the Italian style, where the sauce just clings to the pasta, but if you prefer more sauce then I can completely see how this recipe wouldn’t be quite right for you. I’ll add a note to the notes section to make that clear. If you want to ensure your pasta bake isn’t too dry for your tastes, you could either add more crème fraiche and/or add a little chicken stock and/or stir some cheese into the pasta. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Michelle Rolfe says
Now this is my kind of meal, I even think the teenagers will eat it. I always have leftover veggies in the fridge, not quite enough for an entire side on its own but pasta is always a winner in our house. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle
David Symons says
Delicious. Followed the recipe exactly and used a GoChef (electric all singing and dancing pan). Got a hint or taste of every ingredient with every mouthful. Lots of browny points for me today.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! I am so pleased to hear that. Thank you for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating! Eb 🙂