Penne with Chicken and Asparagus

Okay, so I posted this recipe but I wanted to let you all know that I added sauted mushrooms to the mix and it came out even better. Also for those of you wanting a sauce type of pasta dish this is not for you. It is very lite and any of the broth mixture gets sucked up into the pasta while you have it sit for 5 minutes. If it is too bland just add more galic powder and salt and pepper.

Yeah! A meal that both the parents and the kids (ages 3 & 5) will eat! I added a can (drained)artichoke hearts when the asparagus was steaming. I didn't have any chicken broth so I threw in a cube of chicken bouillon to 1.5 cups of water. When the pasta is mixed in the penne drank up all of the broth - so there was really no sauce. I offered crushed red peppers on the side for the adults and plenty of parmesan for the kiddos! And everyone was happy!

THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER!!! I loved this dish. I did alter it ( I am sure it great the way it was posted, but I wanted something creamier). After I cooked the chicken ( I marinated it in italian dressing before cooking) I cooked the asparagus in 1 c broth, minced garlic, salt and pepper but only for like 3 minutes because I wanted it pretty crispy. Then I sprained out the asparagus, leaving broth in the sauce pan and added 3 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and about 1/4 cup milk. I whisked this until smooth then added the chicken and asparagus then coated it. Then I added the pasta and topped with more parmesan cheese. I seriously had 3 helpings of it and want to eat more. I am going to try it the original way next time, but for a wintery comfort food it was AMAZING (if I do say so myself)!

Not bad! I used whole wheat pasta and also added some broccoli, some red peppers and the mushrooms. Definitely needs 3-4 cloves of fresh sauteed garlic (not just powder.)

This pasta recipe is simply wonderful. I made only a few changes, I used Mrs Dash seasoning on the chicken and added two tablespoons of butter to the finished asparagus and chicken. I highly recommend this simple and elegant dish.

This was a nice change from all the creamy pasta dishes. I did use 3 chicken breast and only 12 oz penne pasta. It turned out perfect for a quick summertime meal that doesn't make you feel like you packed on 10 lbs over dinner.:) Thanks Laurel B!

With some modifications, this was exactly the dish my tastebuds were waiting for. I read through many reviews before deciding on my cooking game plan. I wasn't going for "light", I was going for delicious. I added fresh broccoli in addition to the asparagus (yay veggies!). Instead of cubing the chicken I sliced the breasts in half so they'd be thin. I sauteed the salted and peppered chicken with onion and plenty of freshly minced garlic cloves in olive oil. I also used a lot more chicken broth (didn't use low sodium)- at least a cup. I also took the plunge and added Philadelphia cream cheese (quite a bit). Next time I will add even more broth and cream cheese so it has more sauce. One reviewer recommended added a splash of milk as well and I think I will try that next time. The creamy sauce is great, and I love having tons of asparagus and broccoli in with the chicken and pasta. This also froze and reheated well. It's good stuff, enjoy!

A little bland. I added sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts when I cooked the chicken to zest it up. Also added a bit of italian seasoning to the chicken broth when I steamed the asparagus. Next time I may make it with a bit more of a cream sauce at the end.

This was ok. The consistancy was a little weird and the chicken didn't really have a good flavor. It needed to be marinated in something a head of time that would have comlimented the asparagus. I haven't thought of anything yet.... maybe when I do I will try it again.

Easy and simple recipe with delicious results. I've never included asperagus with pasta before so this was a first and I was pleasantly suprised. We used whole-wheat pasta and followed the rest of the directions as written. It came out great.

This was tasty. I sauteed onions and garlic first and then added the chicken for more flavor. And I used frozen broccoli florets instead of asparagus since I didn't have any fresh veggies. My kids put mozzarella cheese on top and everybody loved it!

This was delicious! I sautéed fresh mushrooms along with the garlic, and then tossed in a bit of feta cheese along with the parmesan. Both hubby and I loved the flavor! I think this dish would do well with shrimp in place of chicken for a change too. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

This was Delicious!!!! I didn't give five starts only because made a few changes. I used Cream of Chicken because I didn't have broth. I used chicken tenderloins since they cook faster. I added salt and pepper, wrapped them in foil (to keep the steam in) and ran them in the oven. Steamed the asparagus as suggested and combined all ingredients. This is my first review. I had to share how much I enjoyed this meal. Thanks Laurel B.

I really liked how light this dish was...I did make a few changes after reading other reviews - added about a TBS of Italian seasoning to the chicken. After removing the chicken from pan I sauteed some mushrooms & onions & added 2 additional garlic cloves in same pan, added an extra 1/4 cup chicken broth (as others suggested) plus about 1/3 cup white wine to the mushrooms & onions...let this reduce for about 5 min before adding the asparagus. I liked the idea of letting the pasta sit for about 5 min after adding everything - really allowed the flavor to soak into the pasta. Thanks for the great recipe...my husband loved it & the leftovers were wonderful - so be sure to make extra!

I have prepared this several times. We thought it was a little bland at first but added the juice of 1/2 lemon which was all it needed. DELICIOUS!!!

Made this last week. It was good, but nothing about it WOW'd me. Just seemed to be missing something.

Following some of the reviews, I added more garlic, salt and pepper. In addition, I added about 4 TB. of lite Italian dressing towards the end of the stovetop cooking. This added a lot of flavor. The kids put some mozzarella cheese on theirs, and we all enjoyed it. Thanks for the great recipe!

This is an absolutely good enough recipe. One of a myriad of these types of pasta dishes available. I always mess with them a little. I used more chicken to up the protein ratio with minimal impact on the fat amount, sauteed a mix or Portabella and Shitake mushrooms, onion, and extra garlic with the asparagus BEFORE adding the broth (2/3 can low sodium). As pointed out by author and others...this is a "lite" recipe. Since it's not "saucy", perhaps Penne isn't the best pasta for it? BTW, this is the REAL Casey. AR has me referring to a husband (I'm a single guy) and no picture...not my review, this is.

Loved this, made the chicken ahead of time to save time. Used bowtie pasta. The oldest child protested upon seeing it, tasted it and ended up asking for seconds. Success!

This was really quite good. Light and flavorful. I did alter slightly based on other reviews, I felt it needed a bit more excitement. I sautéed 3 garlic cloves instead of 1, half a white onion, and half a red bell pepper for color. Added this sauteed mixture back in at time of adding asparagus. I also used about 3/4 C of the chicken broth and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Delish! My boyfriend LOVED it!

I loved this recipe! I made a few minor changes. I added sun dried tomatoes which I blanched when boiling the noodles (just threw them in the water for the last five min or so). I then sliced them and sauteed them with the chicken. We love garlic, so I used all fresh garlic instead of garlic salt, and increased it quite a bit. I did three cloves with the chicken and two more cloves with the asparagus. I also threw in some mushrooms with the chicken and sauteed them for the last two minutes or so. I decreased the oil to drizzling one tablespoon instead of two at the end, and it was still great. I was very happy with this recipe and it will definately make a regular appearance at our table. For any of you counting Weight Watcher points, the recipe made the way I made it is 6 points per cup.

One of our favorites with these revisions. Omit nearly all of oil;just spray with Pam, cook chicken,set aside. Stir-fry asparaqus with diced red bell pepper, few green onions and garlic til crisp tender. Mix veggies with chicken,add a small amount of the broth, toss with refrigerated fettichini that has been cooked al'dente. I also use 2-4-tbs. of lite Italian dressing and we like the reduced fat mozzeralla cheese.....good spring time recipe.

Maybe it's our non stick pan but cooking the chicken took a lot longer then we expected.

This version is good, but I like to add an additional 1/4 C. of olive oil to the pan after sauteing the chicken, then add 1/4 C. of flour. Cook one minute, then prepare as usual, adding an additional 2 C. of stock. This makes a nice creamy sauce, otherwise it's very dry. I also add 2 t. of dried marjoram for great flavor.

Used this recipe and substituted fresh spinach. I did not have asparagus. It turned out great. Thanks.

I used shallot and garlic and it was fast, easy, and "yummy-ier" I also used thigh meat as well- added a depth of flavour.

Like the previous reviewers stated, this is a very light recipe. But I also live in AZ and recipies like this a perfect in the summer when you want a meal but it's too hot to eat something really heavy. I also made a couple of modifications. I used a 1 1/4 cup of chicken broth and I also tossed in half a bag of sundried tomatoes and let those simmer with the asparagus and it gave the dish a very subtle tomoato flavor. My 2.5 year old liked this dish (although he could have done without the asparagus). Nonetheless, I this recipie is a keeper.

It was so good! My picky eater teenage daughter said that this is a definite make again dish! Mine did not come out dry. If it was dry you could always add more broth or olive oil. I used boneless, skinless thighs, I think they are juicier than breasts and my family prefers dark meat. Only thing I did different was I cut up the chicken ahead of time and seasoned it with the salt, pepper and garlic powder before cooking it instead of seasoning it while cooking. Will DEFINITELY make this again! Thanks for posting Laurel!

This is an easy recipe that can be done after work! I added a red pepper to the asparagus and it was wonderful with it! Will make it again!

Delicious! I made this recipe just as written other than adding 1 teaspoon of thyme and thickening the sauce a little with a teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with water. The whole family loved it!

Amazing recipe. This is healthy and delicious. My family loved it from my 5 year old to my very picky husband. Plan on having no left overs. By far one of my most loved and used recipes I have found.

Easy, tasty, great!

It looked good, but was very bland. Definitely would not make it again.

Was a good dish, added fresh mushrooms and diced tomatoes to it and it came out wonderfully. Might end up doubling the tomatoes next time though since we liked the taste combination so much.

This turned out to be very disappointing. I used the exact ingredients listed and followed all directions carefully. My plate looked exactly like the one in the picture! However, the result was a flavorless, dry pasta dish. Perhaps a light cream or broth sauce would help it. It was missing the taste of herbs and spices.

very simple and very good! I used 3 garlic bulbs chopped instead of garlic powder. Even my husband (meat and potato guy) liked it.

OMG it was very good my daughter who is a pasta lover will enjoy this dish wooooooo LOVED IT!

Loved this recipe. Was slightly worried when making this because I've never made a "sauceless" pasta before but turned out super well.

I've made this as written (4*) but the second time I prepared it I added sauteed mushrooms, red pepper flakes and an extra bit of chicken broth - delicious!

This is a great recipe, although I did dock it up a little bit. I Added baby bella mushroom, extra garlic, and a light Alfredo sauce. Only because with the original recipe, the noodles tend to suck up all the liquid that was added. It turned out delicious!

This recipe is now on my regular rotation. It became one of my husband's favorites and it is so easy!

I had some asparagus that needed to be used, so I thought I would try this recipe. I used seasoned salt and added mushrooms. I, also, used whole wheat penne. It was great! I can't wait until I get more asparagus at the farmer's market to make this again. I may try adding spinach and peas next time.

This was really good. I added a cup of onion that I had already had chopped in the fridge before I cooked the chicken. Seasoned it with Paula Deans House Seasoning, then just added everything else. Oh I did add 3 ladles of the pasta water, a tablespoon of chicken bouillon then finished with the cheese and a couple of splashes of cream. Yummy! Sorry didn't mean to change it so drastically.

A pretty basic OO/garlic/parm pasta recipe. Even with adding more veggies (red onion, brocolli, & canned diced tomatoes), more fresh garlic, red pepper flakes and more parmesan, it needed more flavor.

The worse thing I can say about this is that there isn't any quanity, regarding how much, salt, pepper & garlic powder. The best thing I have to say is thank goodness I had a left over pork chop from last night.

I didn't use chicken broth, just wine ;) I also added some cream (or milk) to make it creamy. Awesome dinner !!!!

Easy to make and delicious.

Probably could be a 4 with a few tweaks to the recipe. It was a little dry for me so I will try adding a little sherry and may some cream cheese to sauce it up a little next time.

Good and easy recipe but cook the asparagus on its own makes t taste better+ dont use to much olive oil

The worse thing I can say about this is that there isn't any quanity, regarding how much, salt, pepper & garlic powder. The best thing I have to say is thank goodness I had a left over pork chop from last night.

i loved this recipe. my husband doesnt like white creamy sauces so this was a great alternative. i added more chicken broth and a few tbls of italian dressing once the pasta and chicken were mixed together. i also steamed broccoli instead of asparagus. made for great leftovers today too!

Love the simplicity & versatility of this recipe. Added mushrooms, spinach & sun dried tomatoes. Doubled the garlic & added chili pepper flakes.

This dish is pretty good for a light supper. Adding mushrooms or broccoli helps to make it more interesting, but it needs more of a sauce to really add more flavor.

My family loves this recipe! I have made it with penne and angel hair pasta, both have turned out well. The only thing I do different is use a good white wine instead of chicken broth, add some crushed red pepper for spice, and double the cheese using freshly grated. Be generous with the garlic and you will not have a bland dish! Thank you Laurel for a delish dish that is easy and quick to fix for the work week!

I made this exactly as the recipe stated but I found it dry and it tasted like 4 ingredients were just dumped together (chicken, asparagus, pasta, and Parmesan cheese) without any sort of sauce or complimenting flavors. I love cooking and experimenting, this was a fail. I'd save the ingredients for a better recipe!

This recipe is excellent! I have added canned tomatoes, the kind with onoins and stuff and when i have time i will add chopped fresh romas. that is the only change i make . thanks for the great recipe.

Great recipe!! Thanks for sharing!!

This was super easy and a great dinner. I have been suffereing from gastritis which is very painful and leaves me with a very hard diet. I can't eat a lot of things. This recipe was perfect. It doesn't have a whole lot of flavor but it has the natural flavors of the pasta, chicken and asparagus. I added mushrooms and a little more chicken broth. I just loved it and the husband ate it to. Thank you!!!

Great recipe, my husband loved it!!!

Made this for dinner tonight. We liked it a lot, including our two very finicky granddaughters. I used broccoli instead of asparagus and added some red and green peppper for color and added flavor. Will definitely make again and again. Thanks for sharing, Laurel B!

I've made this twice and like it enough to make again. But it is a little on the bland side and I will add to it next time, probably some artichokes and more Parmesan cheese.

Tasty!!! I made this tonight for the family. Everyone loved it. Yes it doesn't have much sauce but it does have tons of flavor. I added mushrooms because I had some that needed to be used and four cloves of garlic instead of garlic powder. Easy and wonderful and light!

Pretty bland.

I really enjoyed this. I, too, made a change or two as I went along. I broke my salt shaker and salt was everywhere! So I had no choice but to continue on without salt. After reading the reviews and hearing that it was somewhat bland, I decided to try to compensate that and the lack of salt by using seasoned salt. I also increased the broth to about 3/4 C knowing that the noodles would be soaking up most of what I started with. The only other changes I made was using slightly less penne and I used about a cup of cheese and added it into the pan with the mixture and then sprinkled some on top after serving. My produce department did not have thin asparagus so I had to use thick stalks. I def think the thin would have gone smoother... had to let it steam a lot longer to get it softened up enough. Definitely a recipe you can play with a bit and takes no time at all once you've done it.

I have made this twice, the first time I made it as directed. The second time I switched the garlic powder for garlic salt instead. I used three cloves of garlic, I also used linguini the second time only because thats what I had in the house at the time. I liked it much better the second time.

It was a great dinner. My husband really loved it!

Great meal!

good way to use up left over asparagus, and the rest of the ingredients are things I always have on hand! easy and healthy!

This is OK as a base recipe, I guess, but as one reviewer noted if prepared as presented the dish is a lesson in blandness! I know the goal is to create a light, fresh, spring-friendly dish, but garlic powder is the only real flavor and everything feels terribly uninspired. I have since made this two separate ways that I thought really improved the dish dramatically. Modified Recipe 1: marinate the chicken in white wine (dry and citrus-y is best) and chicken broth, with copious amounts of minced fresh garlic (to replace all of the garlic powder) and pepper to taste. You need only marinate for ~30 minutes. Then, prep as instructed; in this case, I used the marinade to steam the asparagus with delicious results, but fresh chicken broth would also be good if you want to minimize the wine flavor. After combining the chicken and asparagus in the skillet, I added a tablespoon of butter and fresh thyme. The butter helped to add a bit more substance to the sauce while keeping it light, as well as extracting the flavor from the thyme to add an extra dimension. Also, I added a few halved cherry tomatoes and just heated them through before serving; added some much-needed color and a pleasant alternate texture. The second way I made it, I didn't have wine on hand, so I prepared as in the original recipe, except I added dried dill and a couple of tsps of lemon juice to the asparagus as it cooked. The lemon and dill make the dish taste really bright! I also added the tbsp butter.

Very good, simple recipe. I used shrimp instead of chicken. I also added mushrooms and onions in with the shrimp, and added a splash more broth in with the asparagus. I added some Old Bay seasoning for extra flavor. Will be making again.

I know this was trying to be healthy, but I thought it was pretty blah.

try using a bit more broth. while the flavors were good it came out a bit on the dry side

This pasta recipe is simply wonderful. So light but taste so great. Adding this to my weekly meals. It would also be great as a side dish without the chicken.

Delicious and versatile! I usually make a recipe shortly after it’s saved to the recipe box but this one went missing for a couple of years. Finally got around to making it and it was a terrific meal. The leftovers are equally as good. Only changes were I upped the chicken stock to one cup and added 4 oz. of fresh chopped button mushrooms in step 3. I seasoned the dish with Penzy’s ® Mural of Flavor seasoning. Blend includes shallots, onion, garlic, lemon peel, citric acid, chives and orange peel.

This is a good basic recipe but it needs more seasoning. I browned the chicken with EVOO that had garlic and herbs in it. I also used several teaspoons minced garlic. I cooked the chicken about halfway and then added the broth and other ingrediants instead of taking the chicken out. I also used about 1 cup of chicken broth instead and added basil and more cheese.

Amazing ! Nice and light, and fresh ! I love the taste of this recipe !! Definitely will make it again :) I did add plenty of pepper and garlic powder for taste, soo yummy! I added just a few pinches of salt, not too much. As well only 1 tablespoon of oil at the end of the recipe. YUM!

I made this for dinner tonight and my girlfriend and I both loved it. I did make a few changes, only for personal taste. Used vegetable pasta, omitted garlic powder for more fresh garlic, and added some cayenne for a little kick. Will be making this recipe again.

This is a fast, tasty pasta dish perfect for spring when you want lighter meals. I followed other reviewer's suggestions and added a bit more chicken broth. I also added extra herbs/spices (basil and oregeno, but I suspect that tarragon would be good too) and a few squeezes of lemon juice which complimented the asparagus very well. Thanks for a nice recipe!

Delish! Followed the recipe and added extra spices, pepper, red pepper flakes, extra garlic, and italian seasoning. Just top it with parmesan cheese and its perfection

Very tasty! I didn't have any chicken, so i used smoked salmon instead. I also added red and green peppers and a tsp. of red pepper flakes for a kick:). This only took me 20 mins. from start to finish...definitely will make this over and over again!

Light and delicious! Tweaked the recipe by adding 4 cups of broth and 1/4 cup cream cheese to add more sauce (could have been thickened up a bit more, but I didn't want to ruin it by experimenting more), as well as throwing in mushrooms and bacon. We thoroughly enjoyed this recipe for dinner.

Awesome!!!!!!!! Light and very tasty. Two year old LOVED it and picky hubby had seconds. I followed the recipe exactly (or so I thought) my asparagus turned out a little more sauteed than steamed but tasted wonderful.

Yummmmmmyyyyyyyy! We all love it! We are all pasta lovers, and this was a great dress up for us, not to busy, and just right! Quick and easy! I used pre-cooked seasoned chicken.

Excellent recipe. My pregnant wife loved it. I only added red pepper flakes and oregano and used some bay leaves. Will make it again... a lot.

I used a 20 oz. can of chicken and also added in some peas since I knew my 2 year old wouldn't eat the asparagus -- both were great! I also had to add an extra half cup of broth and about a quarter cup of milk in order to have remotely enough sauce to even cover all that pasta. I too added extra garlic (used jarred minced garlic), pepper, and seasoned salt. In the end I mixed about 1/4 cup of parmesan, as the recipe calls for, in the entire dish, but also added a romano/parmesan blend on top of each individual serving. Yum!

This is a great recipe. If you love to cook, then you are creative in your own way and each recipe is a suggestion on which you can create your own taste. I love that this recipe is light and simple. If you feel like you want to create something from it, you can add lemon juice, zest and cream, or red pepper flakes, or Cajun seasoning and crawfish (minus the chicken), or just veggies. Good job Laurel!

Simple and delicious! Make it!

Overall a very good and flavorful dish, I made this for two people so I only used 4oz of pasta, 2 chicken breast cutlets and still used a whole bundle of asparagus and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to give it a little more "sauce" rather then reducing the "sauce". Even with the reduced pasta most of the sauce was still absorbed so to give it more flavor I added sun dried tomatoes and it added a depth of flavor that would have been missing otherwise.

Great basic recipe. I would advise to season the chicken to the upmost and the asparagus as well. I added in some crushed red pepper for a little kick. After I have mixed everything together I had a little bit of sauce and the consistency was watery. Solution (some of which I borrow from another user but the rest I made my own): 1/4 cup of Chicken broth, 1/4 cup of cream cheese, and about a tablespoon of chicken gravy mix, salt, pepper, and garlic pepper over medium heat on the skillet. I stirred until it was blended and creamy. I poured the cream sauce over the mixture and mixed it in and it came out great. Its not a lot of sauce but its just enough to keep the flavor in. Oh and I also added in about a half cup of Parmesan for more cheesiness.

As a new chef and college student, I was looking for a quick, easy, healthy, and inexpensive recipe. This was perfect! I left the cheese out because I'm not a big cheese fan, and used half the amount of oil and 1.5 times the amount of chicken stock to make the "sauce" (with generous amounts of garlic powder and pepper) and it was very good. Thank you for helping this budding chef build her recipe book!

What a wonderful dish!! Easy and tasty!

Yummy!! I added broccoli and mushrooms too for a heartier version. Kids even ate it up!

?????????? It’s delicious!! It’s perfectly light and flavorful as it is. Sauce would ruin it. I probably used more garlic and parmesan for personal preference, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing. ????????

Great light meal

It just looks yummy

This dish was simple and easy to make. The only thing missing was that I think it could have used a little more chicken broth. It was slightly dry with not a lot of flavor. Overall a good dish.

Great dish! After reading the reviews I marinated the chicken in Italian dressing for about an hour, I added sautéed red pepper & a little diced onion & I increased the garlic. Superb! The whole family loved it.

I thought this dish was exceptional. It came together quickly, the ingredients are simple, and it was delicious. I used shells (thought I had a box of penne and discovered too late I did not) and I thought it grabbed up the sauce nicely. I used a bit more chicken broth (about a cup for one chicken breast) and let it reduce down a bit... when I added the cheese it thickened up. I also followed one reviewers suggestion and added mushrooms. I will be making this again!

Made this to a T and it was just OK. Bland. This is a dry pasta dish and not for people who like a little sauce. It needs to be eaten immediately, for it gets drier as it sits. Not good for company.