This Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake is an easy dump-and-bake dinner that's ready to eat in less than 90 minutes. But don't worry - you'll only be actually cooking for 10 minutes! Loaded with broccoli, chicken and cheese this is comfort food at its best - with a healthier twist.
Super Easy, Super Cheesy!
This recipe is full of all my favorite things: pasta, cheese, chicken, broccoli... and it's one of those recipes that just SO easy to make. Or how about 10 minutes of prep, and then dump it all in a casserole dish and let it cook itself.
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Why you will love this recipe
- It's easy with limited prep before it cooks itself
- A hands off dump and bake recipe - you don't even need to cook pasta
- Creamy, cheesy comfort food for an indulgent dish the whole family will love
- A healthier twist from adding lots of broccoli
- No processed ingredients - we make this entirely from scratch
- Great for using up leftover chicken - just use your leftovers instead of the pan fried chicken
- Perfect to prep ahead - you can prep it 2-3 days ahead, store it uncooked in the fridge, and then just cook it when you're ready
- Perfect to make ahead - it's even more delicious the next day, which makes it a perfect potluck dish
What you need to make it
- Chicken thigh filets have more flavor than chicken breast, but you can use any cut of chicken without bones
- Leftover chicken like shredded chicken can also be used - you can use the same seasoning anyway unless it's already heavily seasoned
- Parmesan cheese can be swapped for similar flavorful types of cheese, like Grana Padano
- Shredded cheese: use a mild cheese that melts well, for example mozzarella
- Fresh parsley can be swapped for frozen parsley
- Butter can be swapped for olive oil or another type of oil
- Penne pasta: you can use any short type of pasta, like fusilli or rigatoni
Pasta + Chicken + Broccoli
- Grease a baking dish with butter
- Add in the uncooked pasta
- Add the pan-seared chicken seasoned with the spices
- Add the broccoli - both the stem and broccoli florets
Season Well
- Add parsley
- Add garlic cloves
- Add half of the shredded cheese
- And add half of the Parmesan cheese
Lots of Cheese!
- Mix it all as well as you can
- Make sure everything is level and there are no pieces of pasta sticking up
- Add the rest of the shredded cheese
- Add the rest of the Parmesan cheese
Add the Creamy Stuff
- Pour over cream
- Follow with milk
- Make sure all pieces of pasta are submerged
- Bake in the middle of the oven at 390°F (200°C) for about 1 hour, until the pasta is al dente. Cover with aluminum foil if it starts to get too much color. Then bring it out, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Tips & tricks
- Use leftover chicken to make it even easier
- Use whatever cheese you want, but for the best result go for one flavorful and one that melts really well. For me - this means parmesan & mozzarella.
- Make sure the pasta is fully submerged in the liquid so it cooks well.
- Allow to rest before serving for the juices to settle - otherwise it can come out a bit runny
- Prep it the day or even 2-3 days before - and when you're ready to cook, just stick it in the oven and have dinner ready in about an hour. If cooking from refrigerated, add 10-20 minutes to the cook time.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months
More Easy Chicken Bake Recipes
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