Chicken and Broccoli Lentil Pasta

Nutrition Snapshot

• About 46 grams of protein in one plate, from lentil pasta and chicken together.
• Lentil pasta and broccoli bring about 10 grams of fiber, about four times what a plate of regular pasta gives.
• The trade-off: Parmesan makes this a moderately salty dinner. The card shows the amount, and the notes show how to lower it.

Pasta made from lentil flour, tossed with thin slices of seasoned, seared chicken breast and frozen broccoli browned in the same pan. Garlic, lemon, olive oil, and a handful of grated Parmesan finish it. It looks and eats like a weeknight pasta, and it is on the table in 25 minutes.

A quarter of the recipe is a full plate.

Why This Pasta Is Great for Losing Fat Without Losing Muscle

When weight comes off, some of it is muscle unless the protein intake is high enough to prevent it. Losing muscle while losing weight is the reason people feel weaker as the number drops. It is also the reason weight comes back, because muscle burns calories around the clock, and less of it means the same food adds more weight later.

The fix is more protein while eating less, which is harder than it sounds, because most filling foods are carbohydrate. This plate solves that by making the pasta itself a protein food. Lentil pasta carries about twice the protein of wheat pasta, so the pasta and the chicken together reach about 46 grams, which protects muscle on a day of eating less.

Full for the Calories

Protein and fiber are the two things that make a meal filling for its calories, and this plate is high in both. A large plate of this pasta ends the meal and holds until the next morning. Why that matters more than counting calories, and how to build other meals the same way, is in Energy Density: Eating More Food for Fewer Calories.

Why Lentil Pasta

Pasta made from red or green lentil flour has become a supermarket staple in the last few years, next to the chickpea kind. Both cook like regular pasta, taste mild, and hold a sauce. Lentil pasta has a little more protein than chickpea pasta and a firmer bite. A two-ounce serving carries about 13 grams of protein, against 7 in wheat pasta, and more fiber.

It overcooks faster than wheat pasta. Drain it a minute before the package says, and it stays firm when the chicken and broccoli are tossed in.

Cook the Chicken So It Stays Moist

Chicken breast turns dry when it is cooked whole for too long. Slice it thin across the grain before cooking, season it, and sear the slices in a hot pan for about three minutes a side. They cook through fast and stay juicy. Thawed frozen breast works as well as fresh, patted dry first so it browns.

Chicken and Broccoli Lentil Pasta

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Lentil pasta tossed with thin-sliced seared chicken breast, frozen broccoli browned in the pan, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and Parmesan. A weeknight pasta with about 45 grams of protein a plate.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 plate

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Calories: 475

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 8 ounces lentil pasta (red or green lentil penne or rotini)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, thawed if frozen, sliced thin across the grain
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon for the pasta water
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bag (16 ounces) frozen broccoli florets
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• red pepper flakes to taste

Equipment

• large pot
• Large skillet
• Colander

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt. Cook the lentil pasta 1 minute less than the package says, then drain, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
2. Pat the chicken slices dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken in a single layer, about 3 minutes a side, until browned and cooked through. Move to a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the frozen broccoli to the skillet. Cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then stir and cook until hot and browned in spots, about 5 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
4. Return the chicken and add the drained pasta, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a splash of the pasta water. Toss over the heat for 1 minute so everything is coated.
5. Take off the heat, toss with the Parmesan, and add red pepper flakes to taste. Serve a quarter of the pan a plate.

Nutrition

Calories: 475kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 46gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3.3gSodium: 562mgPotassium: 1044mgFiber: 9.6gSugar: 3gCalcium: 184mgIron: 5.2mgMagnesium: 84mgPhosphorus: 528mgCholine: 167mg

Notes

Lower-sodium version: skip the salt on the chicken and use 1/4 cup Parmesan, which cuts the sodium by about a third; the lemon does the rest. Lentil pasta overcooks quickly, so drain it early. Chickpea pasta works the same way with slightly less protein. Leftovers keep 4 days and are good cold as a lunch salad with more lemon.

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Gluten Free

Lentil pasta is made from lentil flour and is naturally free of gluten, which is one more reason to use it. Chicken, broccoli, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and Parmesan are also naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, choose a lentil pasta labeled gluten-free, since a few brands are made on lines shared with wheat pasta, and check the grated Parmesan for anti-caking starch.

People who avoid gluten by preference can use any lentil pasta.

Go deeper

• Energy Density: Eating More Food for Fewer Calories (food.nutriscape.net)
• Managing Weight (nutriscape.net)
• Weight Management (supplement-sciences)