Marinate chicken thighs with lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried parsley, oregano, salt, black pepper, and olive oil.
Sear the marinated chicken in a hot pan until nicely colored on both sides, then finish cooking in an oven or air fryer until done; let rest and slice or chop as desired.
Blanch the rapini (or broccoli) in salted boiling water for about a minute, then drain and gently crush or roughly chop.
Mince garlic cloves and grate Pecorino Romano.
Reserve some pasta water and allow it to cool slightly, then combine the reserved water with the grated Pecorino using an immersion blender to create a creamy sauce.
In the same pan used for the chicken, sauté the minced garlic with red pepper flakes and black pepper until fragrant.
Add the blanched rapini, the al dente pasta, and butter to the pan.
Pour in the creamy Pecorino sauce and toss everything together until well combined and glossy; add more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Top with additional grated Pecorino Romano and serve.
