One-Pot, Creamy Chicken Pasta Primavera made with lean chicken breast, spring veggies, and a light cream sauce. A delicious, high-protein dinner idea!
Chicken Pasta Primavera
Primavera means “spring” in Italian, so I thought the name for this high-protein pasta dish was fitting since it’s made with spring asparagus, leeks, artichokes, and peas. The creamy sauce is made with cream cheese and parmesan cheese blended with a little milk, and each portion has a generous amount of veggies and chicken with 30 grams of protein per serving. It’s delicious, I hope you enjoy! For more primavera recipes, try this Risotto Primavera and Spaghetti Squash Primavera.
Why I Love This Chicken Pasta Primavera Recipe
- Vibrant: This simple chicken pasta primavera is bursting with the fresh flavors of spring.
- High-Protein Pasta: This meal has 30 grams of protein per serving, making it incredibly satisfying.
- Light: This healthy pasta primavera is made lighter than most creamy pasta recipes since I use no heavy-cream, and pack the dish with veggies and lean chicken.
- In Season Produce: Cooking with in-season vegetables like asparagus, leeks and peas will give you the best flavor and is budget-friendly.
- One-Pot Pasta: Cooking everything in one pot makes cleanup easy!
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make This:
- Chicken Primavera Sauce: I used a combo of milk, Pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese and 1/3-less fat cream cheese to make the cream sauce light, with no heavy cream.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into half-inch pieces adds protein.
- Seasoning: Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper, or use your favorite seasoning.
- Asparagus: Trim the tough ends off and cut into one-inch pieces.
- Broth: Low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth to make the primavera sauce.
- Pasta: I used bow tie pasta but any other small shape, like orecchiette or rotini will work. Gluten-free pasta will also work.
- Leeks: Thoroughly clean 2 leeks to ensure you’ve removed all the dirt, and then thinly slice the white and light green parts.
- Artichokes: I used canned artichoke hearts, drained.
- Peas: Use fresh or frozen. You don’t need to thaw the frozen peas.
- Basil adds freshness and garnishes the dish.
How to Make Chicken Pasta Primavera
- Creamy Primavera Sauce: Blend the milk, grated cheese, and cream cheese in a blender.
- Chicken: Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat a large pot over high heat, spray it with oil, and add the chicken. Cook until the bottoms brown, flip over, and cook for another few minutes. Then transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Pasta: Add a splash of broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in the remaining broth with the cream cheese mixture, pasta, and leeks. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally to help the pasta cook evenly. Once the
pasta is al dente and there isn’t much liquid left, it’s ready. - Vegetables: Stir in the asparagus and artichokes. Cover and cook for 3 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Add the chicken, any of the juices that accumulated, and the peas. Cook for 30 seconds until the peas are warmed.
- How to Serve: Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve with more grated cheese.
Variations
- Protein: Substitute chicken with shrimp. Or omit to keep it vegetarian.
- Seasoning: If you don’t have Cajun seasoning, use onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne.
- Broth: Swap chicken broth with vegetable broth.
- Herbs: Replace basil with chives or tarragon.
What to Serve with Pasta Primavera
This healthy chicken pasta primavera is a complete meal, loaded with veggies and protein. If you’re serving it to a big group and want to stretch it to serve more people, pair it with a green salad and some crusty bread.
Storage
Store leftover pasta primavera for up to 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the pasta in the refrigerator and then microwave until warm.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 2/3 cups
- 1 cup fat free milk
- 1/3 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/3 cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese, recommend Philadelphia
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- olive oil spray
- Kosher salt, and fresh pepper
- 6 ounces fresh thin asparagus, ends trimmed and cut 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces bow tie pasta, or other cut pasta, wheat or gluten-free
- 2 medium leeks, cleaned and white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and quartered if necessary
- 1 cup frozen peas, no need to thaw
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
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In a small blender, combine milk, grated cheese and cream cheese and set aside.
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Season chicken with cajun seasoning.
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Heat a large pot over high heat. When the pan is very hot, spray it with oil and add the chicken, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook, spreading it in a single layer on high heat until the bottom browns, about 3 minutes, then flip to cook the other side until the chicken is browned on all sides and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
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Add a splash of the broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining broth, cream cheese mixture, the pasta, and leeks. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally to help the pasta cook evenly, for 15 minutes.
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Taste the pasta and if it’s not al dente, or there is still a lot of liquid at the bottom of the pot, cover and cook for another minute and check again.
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When the pasta is ready, add the asparagus and artichokes, gently stir, and cover. Cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, the pasta is tender, and the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes.
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Uncover and add the chicken and any juices that have accumulated and the peas and stir to combine. Cook just for about 30 seconds to warm the peas through.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve with more parmesan cheese, for passing.
Last Step:
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- Protein: Substitute chicken with shrimp. Or omit to keep it vegetarian.
- Seasoning: If you don’t have Cajun seasoning, use onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne.
- Broth: Swap chicken broth with vegetable broth.
- Herbs: Replace basil with chives or tarragon.
Serving: 1 2/3 cups, Calories: 369 kcal, Carbohydrates: 48 g, Protein: 30 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 69 mg, Sodium: 706 mg, Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 8 g