Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet
I love one-pot meals, especially when they’re as creamy, cheesy, hearty and delicious as this Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet. The name may be a mouthful (I tried too hard to cram everything in there), but the flavors are amazing. I particularly love the sharp cheddar with the sweetness of the carrots and corn – SO good. Once you chop up the broccoli and carrots, your prep work is pretty much done and everything cooks in the same pan, even the pasta! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
You will need cooked chicken breast for this recipe, but you can use any kind (I used grilled chicken, but shredded or chopped rotisserie or pretty much anything else will work – great for using up leftovers). Don’t forget to check out my Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken post- the perfect way to make shredded chicken for this recipe! I know the expression “a watched pot never boils,” but you are going to have to keep a close eye on the pan while you’re waiting for it to simmer – the old wives are wrong, it really will boil whether you’re looking or not and for this recipe you don’t want it to reach that point! If there’s anything I love almost as much as tasty food, it’s not having to wash a lot of dishes, so if you feel the same way, you’re going to love this skillet meal.
Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked wheat pasta
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder, I used Coleman’s
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into ¼” rounds (about 4.5 oz)
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels
- 8 oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced or chopped into bite size pieces (mine was grilled)
- 4 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (I used Cabot Seriously Sharp – pick one with lots of flavor!)
Instructions
- Place the dry pasta in a large saute pan or deep skillet and pour in the water and milk. Stir in the salt and mustard powder and top with the broccoli, carrots and corn. Turn the heat on to medium and stay by the stove, stirring occasionally and watching closely for the contents to begin to simmer. *Pan should remain uncovered. Make sure you don’t wander away, you do not want the contents to boil and spill over or for the milk to get overheated and separate* When you see the liquid start to simmer, reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the mixture on low, stirring every couple minutes, for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Add the cooked chicken pieces and stir in until well combined and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Cover the pan with a lid for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and then stir until well combined and cheesy. Serve warm.
Notes
8 per (1 generous cup) serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
This looks tasty!!
You don’t put food directly in the sun when taking pictures. Shade is better. The sun pointing directly on the food makes the picture look washed out and it’s just terrible lighting anyway.
I had trouble with this one, I think mostly b/c I’m cooking on a new stove, but I couldn’t seem to get it to simmer! I also couldn’t tell when it was done – it still looked kind of soupy by the time it had been warming for 20 minutes.
However, I took it off the stove at that point and it tasted great! I guess my point is, trust the directions, even if it still looks too wet – it probably isn’t once the chicken and cheese go into the mix.
Great flavor, I think the mustard really makes it! Thanks EB!
Could I use all frozen veggies?
It might be a little watery, but you can certainly try it! I haven’t done it that way, so I can’t say for sure. It would probably work fine. Let me know!
Elizabeth, did you end up trying to use frozen veggies instead? If so, how did it turn out?
I haven’t made this yet, but I was perplexed by the photo comment. The picture does not look washed out at all. It looks nice, and the food looks really good. I don’t understand making a negative, unkind comment. Yes, critique the recipe constructively, if need be. But no need for rudeness.
Thanks Jennifer, I really appreciate that. Photography is not my strength so it’s something I’m already self conscious about and working on. I have a lot to learn, but I’ve also come a long way from my earliest shots! Haha. I just love coming up with these recipes and sharing them and I am doing the best I can with the parts that don’t come naturally to me. Thanks for the love and support! 🙂
I think your pictures always look awesome and your recipes have helped me so much on my weight watchers journey!!!
Thank you Pam! 🙂
This was delicious, loved it 🙂
I’m so glad!
To reply to another comment, I used frozen veggies and it worked out just fine!
Lisa, did you thaw/cook the frozen veggies first? Or just add them directly to the pan from frozen?
Oh, good god…Who cares if the picture is in the sun or not??!! It’s the recipe that counts! Someone needs to find a life!!
Is there any reason I shouldn’t sub the full fat cheese for light? Thanks!!!
I think the full fat cheese adds flavor, but you can certainly swap it out if you prefer to use reduced fat cheese!
This was soooooo good!
I have made this recipe a few times now and my husband and I love it! Delicious and easy to make 🙂
I LOVE THIS DISH!!! I have made it several times now and I love it! Lately I’ve been wanting to make a bunch of freezer meals (my second baby is coming soon) and I keep thinking about this dish. I’m wondering how you think this would turn out if I made it as directed, froze, and then thawed and reheated in the oven?
Do you use 1 cup of pasta? What kind of pasta and how many cups of chicken do you use?
Hi Katie, the quantities of ingredients are listed in the recipe! I measured both of those ingredients by weight in ounces for accuracy and I do not have the measurements in cups. I hope you enjoy!
Am I the only one who things just one cup of pasta that also is filled w/veggies and chicken is not enough food for the points? I mean, this looks AMAZING but the portions just seem so small to me… I think my 6 year old can eat double that.
OK, so I made this for the second time. The first time it came out a bit soupy, but this time it was perfect and really delicious! I think the problem was that I used all frozen veggies the first time, and it made more of a difference than I realized. Fresh for the win!
To the person commenting on the photo – its the pinterest feature that causes the picture to become very washed out when you hover your mouse over it. In some outdated browsers, the picture stays washed out and does not go back to its original full color. The photo looks perfect, and I’ll let you know how the recipe goes – making it in a few minutes! 🙂
This is a quick go to for my family! This recipe easily doubles for leftovers, and I honestly always cheat with frozen mixed veggies. With two little kiddos at home, it is the quickest way. Minced garlic and dried onion swap out well for the dry mustard- many times I don’t have it in hand. My whole family loves this, and clean up is a breeze!
So delicious!!!! One of the best recipes I have tried. Very easy and tasty.
Can this recipe be doubled?