Chicken and Asparagus Penne Pasta

This easy Chicken and Asparagus Penne Pasta is such a great family weeknight dinner. Simple ingredients, great flavors and affordable! 


pasta in a large round white bowl with an orange bell pepper on the side.


This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Hot Eats and Cool Reads may receive a small commission for Amazon purchases made through these links at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!


Looking for more recipes, books, food and travel fun? Follow me!

FacebookPinterestInstagramTwitter, and Facebook Recipe Group!


Check out my kids recipes, crafts and activities at my other website, Sweet Hazel Honey!


CLICK TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER


pasta in large and small white bowls with white background.


This recipe was photographed and updated 1/2023. 


Asparagus is one of my favorite springtime foods. We use it raw for snacks or salads, steamed or roasted, and just love it with pasta. 

This recipe for Penne with Chicken and Asparagus has been a favorite in my sister's family for a couple years. She made it for us the last time we visited and it became an instant favorite for both my daughter and I.

This pasta is light and simple, but so flavorful. Chicken and asparagus are always great together and the bell pepper adds another layer of flavor. 

We are a family of garlic lovers, so naturally, this recipe has a bunch of it. The freshly shredded parmesan cheese added at the end is what ties this whole dish together.

It's ready in 45 minutes, making it great for weeknights. We serve it with some garlic bread or a side salad for a complete meal. If your family loves penne, you'll also want to try this Penne Chicken Alfredo


Keep scrolling for tips, additional asparagus recipes and more! 


Thanks so much for supporting a small business and visiting our family owned blog 💕



Shopping list:


  • penne pasta
  • olive oil
  • chicken breasts
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • chicken broth
  • orange bell pepper
  • slender asparagus spears
  • garlic
  • freshly shredded parmesan cheese


Scroll down to the printable recipe card for measurements and instructions!


Recipe tips:

  • We used medium sized chicken breasts, if yours are large, extra salt and pepper may be needed. 



pasta and veggies on a gold fork over a white bowl of pasta.


More asparagus recipes you might like:



You can add or substitute with these ingredients:



close up of pasta on a gold fork.


Our favorite kitchen equipment and supplies used with this recipe:



I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!


pasta in a large white bowl with white background.
Yield 6 servings
Author Hot Eats and Cool Reads
Prep time
15 Min
Cook time
25 Min
Total time
40 Min

Chicken and Asparagus Penne Pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 - 16 ounce box penne pasta
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1 bunch slender asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then add to skillet. Cook until chicken is browned and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  3. Pour the broth into the skillet, then add the bell pepper, asparagus, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until veggies are tender. Add the chicken back to the skillet and warm through.
  4. Add the cooked pasta, 1 tablespoon olive oil, mix and heat through. Remove from heat, top with parmesan and serve.

Notes

We recommend using freshly shredded parmesan cheese for better taste and melt.


Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.


Nutrition Facts

Calories

493.22

Fat

14.98

Sat. Fat

3.29

Carbs

65.41

Fiber

4.74

Net carbs

53.32

Sugar

4.58

Protein

31.63

Sodium

495.27

Cholesterol

54.27

Hot Eats and Cool Reads is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this blog/website. You may not always have the same results I do due to variations in ingredients, humidity, altitude, cooking temperatures, typos, errors, omissions, or individual cooking abilities. 


You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual's dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual.



pasta in a white bowl with recipe title text overlay.


Thanks so much for stopping by!


Recipes around this time in blog history....


One year ago:


Looking for more recipes, books, food and travel fun? Follow me!


FacebookPinterestInstagramTwitter, and Facebook Recipe Group!

Comments

  1. This looks delicious! Am pinning and have a great Tuesday! ~Cindy@littlemisscelebration.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for pinning! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

      Delete
  2. Asparagus are so good right now. This is a nice combination of flavors. I have to make this. Thanks for sharing.

    We're having a party at Tumbleweed Contessa and this would be a great addition. Hope you will bring it over. http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/whatd-you-do-this-weekend-9/

    Have a great week,
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  3. We will be getting asparagus in our CSA in a few weeks. I am always on the look out for a good recipe to use them in. This recipe will be on my list!

    Thank you for sharing this at the In and Out of the Kitchen link party! I always love what you share. See you next week!

    Cynthia at http://FeedingBig.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shantel your sistaaaaApril 4, 2013 at 9:09 PM

    I made this tonight! Turned out awesome :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also really love asparagus and just bought a fresh bunch yesterday! This pasta looks wonderful! I like how the ingredients actually are a little lighter than I expected (no cream!) and would be perfect for a spring meal! Thanks for sharing. Coming over from Weekend Potluck:)
    Blessings,
    Leslie

    ReplyDelete
  6. This looks wonderfully, delicious. Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. Thank you for the recipe. Pinned.

    We may have met by chance...but we become friends by choice.
    http://simpleesue.com/french-toast-grilled-cheese-sandwich-with-an-italian-twist/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pinned! I finally got my son to start eating Asparagus and he will love this pasta :-) Thank you for sharing at our ALL MY BLOGGY FRIENDS party !

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a delicious recipe! I love that you used orange pepper in this. It's one of my favorite sweeter peppers. Thanks for sharing at Marvelous Mondays. Pinned to my food and Marvelous Mondays boards!

    Julie @ This Gal Cooks

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am soooooooo going to try this. Thanks you for sharing this at the top blogger showcase for April 2013. Pinning this.
    Please send me a 125 by 125 button as you have won free advertising.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments make my day! Comment moderation is enabled, so if you don't see your comment right away, check back later after I approve it! :) Thanks so much for stopping by!