Martha Stewart Greek Chicken Pasta Recipe

Martha Stewart’s Greek Chicken Pasta is made with fusilli, boneless chicken breast strips, low-sodium chicken broth, fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill, all cooked together in one skillet in about 25 minutes. The pasta cooks directly in the broth, which means the starch builds a silky sauce that clings to every noodle without any draining or extra pots.

I keep coming back to this Martha Stewart chicken recipe because it is one of those chicken dishes where everything goes into one pan and dinner is done before I even think about what side to make. This one-pan chicken pasta is one of Martha Stewart’s best chicken recipes for a quick chicken breast dinner, and the lemon and dill give it a bright, Greek-inspired flavor that never gets old.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• One-Pot Pasta
• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Pasta Carbonara

Why You Will Love This Greek Chicken Pasta:

• Truly one pan: The pasta, broth, chicken, and seasoning all go in the same skillet. No boiling water separately, no draining. I rinse one pan when it is over and that is the whole cleanup.
• The broth becomes the sauce: Cooking the fusilli directly in the broth releases starch that thickens into a silky coating. You end up with a creamy sauce without adding any cream or cheese.
• 25 minutes, start to finish: Nine minutes for the pasta to cook in the broth, three more once the chicken goes in, and you are plating. I have made this on nights when I got home late and still had dinner on the table before 7.

Greek Chicken Pasta Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 pound fusilli
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and more zest for serving
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch strips
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for serving

How To Make Martha Stewart Greek Chicken Pasta

1. Cook the pasta in broth: Combine the chicken broth, fusilli, olive oil, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 cup of water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 minutes.
2. Add the chicken: Season the chicken strips generously with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet. Continue to cook, stirring and pressing the chicken into the broth to submerge it, until the pasta is al dente and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
3. Finish and serve: Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped dill. Serve immediately, topped with more lemon zest, extra dill, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Recipe Tips

• Use a straight-sided skillet: Martha says to use a straight-sided skillet, sometimes called a saute pan. I tried this in a regular deep pot once and the pasta did not cook evenly because the liquid did not evaporate at the right rate. The wide, shallow shape matters.
• Cut the chicken strips evenly: Martha says to cut each breast into 1/2-inch-thick strips about 2 1/2 inches long. If the pieces are uneven, some will overcook while others stay raw. Take the extra minute to cut them the same size.
• Do not walk away from the pan: This recipe needs near-constant stirring to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom and to make sure everything cooks evenly. I stir with one hand and hold my phone in the other. It goes fast.
• Do not use chicken thighs: Martha specifically warns against swapping in thigh meat. Thighs need longer cooking to become tender, and in this recipe the chicken only cooks for about 3 minutes. Breasts are the right call here.

What Goes Well With This Greek Chicken Pasta

This pasta is a full meal on its own, but if I have people over I will throw together a quick caesar salad and slice up some olive and cheese bread. The salty olives in the bread go so well with the lemon and dill in the pasta.

If I want a starter while the pasta cooks, a plate of grilled pepper bruschetta takes five minutes and keeps everyone out of the kitchen. Honestly though, most nights I just make the pasta and nothing else. It does not need a side.

How To Store Leftovers

Store the pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The broth sauce thickens a lot as it cools because the starch sets, so the leftovers will look much drier than the original dish. That is normal. I would not freeze this because the fusilli gets mushy once thawed and the dill loses all its freshness.

To reheat, I warm it in a saucepan over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen the sauce back up. Stir it gently until the pasta is heated through and the sauce is silky again. If I am being lazy, I eat it cold with a squeeze of extra lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil, and it honestly works as a cold pasta salad.

FAQs

• Can I use a different pasta shape? Martha suggests fusilli, but I have also used cavatappi and rotini and both work well. Any short, spiraled pasta that holds sauce is a good pick. I would avoid long noodles like spaghetti because they do not cook evenly in a single skillet.
• Can I use rotisserie chicken instead? Martha mentions this as a variation. Use 2 to 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken and stir it in during the last minute just to warm through. It shaves off a few more minutes and I do this on nights when I really cannot be bothered.
• Why does Martha say not to use chicken thighs? Thigh meat needs more time to cook and become tender. In this recipe, the chicken is only in the pan for about 3 minutes. Breast meat cooks through in that time, but thighs would still be tough. I learned this the hard way.
• Can I add feta cheese? Martha suggests topping each bowl with a tablespoon or two of crumbled feta to push the Greek flavor even further. I do this every time. The salty, creamy feta melting into the hot pasta is worth the extra step.

More Dinner Recipes:

• One-Pan Pasta
• Chicken Marsala
• One-Pot Penne With Zucchini And Parmesan

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 480
• Total Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 95mg
• Sodium: 850mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 50g
• Protein: 42g