Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake (No Boil, No Canned Soup)

This creamy chicken broccoli pasta bake is done without boiling and all from scratch - no canned soup needed! Just 10 minutes of prep, then the oven does the rest, and you can make it even easier with leftover chicken. Get ready for delicious comfort food made from scratch!

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 704kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoon butter divided
1 lb chicken thigh filets cut in bite-size pieces; or other bone-less cut of chicken, or leftover/rotisserie chicken
2 teaspoon paprika powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ lb dry penne pasta uncooked
½ lb broccoli cut in bite-sized pieces, stem peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed, but in one piece
2 tablespoon chopped parsley optional
1 cup shredded cheese divided
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese divided
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C)
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add in the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
2 Tbsp butter
Add the chicken to the pan and season with paprika powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to spread out the seasonings. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until the chicken has nice color. It does not have to be cooked all the way through at this stage as it will finish cooking in the oven.
1 lb chicken thigh filets, 2 tsp paprika powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp salt
Bring out a casserole dish that measures about 9x13 inches (23x33 cm). Grease with 1 tablespoon of butter.
2 Tbsp butter
Place the uncooked pasta in the greased casserole dish. Follow with the cooked chicken, including any leftover fat from frying. Then add chopped broccoli, parsley and half of both the shredded neutral cheese and the shredded parmesan. Mix as well as possible.
½ lb dry penne pasta, ½ lb broccoli, 2 garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 1 cup shredded cheese
Top with the remaining cheese, then pour over the cream and milk. Make sure all pieces of pasta are completely submerged.
1 cup shredded cheese, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Place in middle of the oven and cook for about 1 hour, until the pasta is cooked through. Check often toward the end, and cover with aluminium foil if it starts to get too much color. Then bring out, and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

This recipe was updated after re-testing 2026-08-04 to make it even more delicious. If you tried and loved the original recipe, just use 1 teaspoon each of paprika powder and onion powder, and 2 cups of milk.

To avoid the sauce curdling, you need to choose the right ingredients. If the sauce curdles this is generally due to using low-fat dairy and/or pre-shredded cheese with added anti-caking agents. You need to use full-fat cream, milk, and shred your own cheese or make sure it is 100% cheese.

Use frozen broccoli at your own risk. Frozen broccoli tends to release a lot of liquid, which can make the casserole watery. It's still going to be "fine", but the texture might not be as nice. So I recommend using fresh broccoli for this recipe.

Make sure all the pasta is well submerged. Any pieces sticking out will not cook.

Lower the temperature if your oven runs hot. You need to strike a balance between the pasta getting done, and the casserole not drying out. If your oven tends to run hot, bake at 325°F (175°C) instead.

Make sure it doesn't burn. If it does get too much color, tent with foil for the remaining bake time.

Allow to rest before serving. It can be a bit watery when coming out of the oven, just let it sit for 10 minutes and it will firm up and become super creamy and nice.

Prep ahead! You can prep it fully 1-2 days before and just stick it in the oven an hour before you want to have dinner. Either bring to room temperature first, or add 10-20 minutes to the cook time.

Make it ahead of time! This casserole is even better the next day or the day after - and they hold up well in the freezer as well.

What to Do with Leftovers

Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Reheat the whole casserole in the oven: Place covered in the middle of the oven and bake at 325°F (175°C) for 20-30 minutes or until it reaches 165°F (74°C) in the center.

Reheat individual servings in the microwave: Reheat in 30-second increments. Add a splash of milk or cream if it starts to look dry.

Nutrition