Chicken with Broccoli and Ziti. It is a popular dish served in many restaurants and diners where I live on Long Island. The only thing is I think they make it with too much oil.
The Aglio e Olio translates to Garlic and Oil. So Aglio e Olio is a base for many Italian dishes without tomato sauce.
My version is LOW CALORIE, only 260 calories per serving or 6 Weight Watcher Points!
I grill the chicken first instead of sautéing it in oil. I DO NOT sauté the broccoli in oil either, but I boil it with the pasta. The one small amount of oil and the pasta/broccoli water flavors and coats the pasta just enough to keep it moist.
It is really good and light tasting made this way.
Mini ziti is just my personal preference because with the mini pastas it seems like you are getting more pasta per serving!
For this dish I like the pasta to be smooth rather than pasta with the lines or “ridges” which soak up more sauce. The garlic and oil sauce spreads over smooth pasta better, so in my opinion you need less oil!
Use your own favorite pasta shape and adjust the cooking time for the pasta you are using.
I first published this recipe on May 27, 2014 and updated it to my new format on April 27, 2022.
See more pictures in the slideshow below.
Enjoy!
Grilled Chicken Aglio e Olio with Broccoli and Mini Ziti ~ Low Calorie
Equipment
- Grill Pan Counter-top or Stove-top
Ingredients
- ½ pound chicken breasts cut into small chunks
- 2 quarts water
- 3 teaspoons salt divided
- 1/2 pound ziti or pasta of your choice
- 2 cups broccoli fresh, cut up
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta/broccoli water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 2 teaspoons Romano cheese grated, or Parmesan
Instructions
- Use a non-stick cooking spray on a grill pan. Grill the chicken chunks until seared and cooked through. Set aside.
- In a large pan, put in the water and two and one-half teaspoons of the salt. Bring it to a rapid boil.
- Add the pasta. Cook it for as long as it says on your package directions, or according to whether you like your pasta “al dente” or soft. However, during the last five minutes of your cooking time add the broccoli and finish cooking it together with the pasta.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving one-half cup of the pasta/broccoli water.
- In a large skillet or use the same pan you cooked the pasta in, sauté over medium high heat the oil, garlic, black pepper and parsley together for a few minutes over low heat until the garlic is golden brown.
- Add the cooked chicken chunks, pasta, broccoli, and remaining one-half teaspoon of salt and sauté this all together for a few minutes.
- Stir in the reserved pasta/broccoli water and heat that all together for a minute.
- Sprinkle with the grated Romano or Parmesan cheese before serving.
Great! A compliment from a fellow blogger means so much to me! Thanks for taking the time to look around!
This is fabulous! Love how you place the nutrition value at the end of your recipe. Wonderful blog Angie. Glad to have found you this evening.