Cheesy Chicken Pasta Casserole is cooked chicken and short pasta stirred into a creamy tomato sauce with mozzarella and Parmesan, then topped with more cheese and baked until golden and bubbly. It uses leftover or rotisserie chicken, serves 6 and is on the table in 40 minutes. Below it, you’ll find four other popular chicken and pasta casseroles, so you can pick the one you’re in the mood for.
How to make it: Boil the pasta and save a little of the water. Make a quick sauce of butter, onion, garlic, flour, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and milk, melt in the cheese, thin it with pasta water, and fold in the chicken. Stir it all together in a 9×13 dish, top with cheese and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses cooked chicken: rotisserie or leftover grilled chicken goes straight in.
- Two cheeses: mozzarella and Parmesan melt into the sauce and brown on top.
- Any short pasta: farfalle, penne or elbows all work.
- 40 minutes: 20 minutes of prep and 20 in the oven.
Ingredient Notes
Cooked chicken: Three cups of chopped chicken breast. Rotisserie or grilled chicken is best.
Short pasta: Twelve ounces of farfalle, penne, elbows or another short shape.
The sauce: Butter, onion and garlic, a little flour and tomato paste, a can of drained diced tomatoes and 2 cups of whole milk. Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes season it.
Cheese: Two cups of shredded mozzarella and three-quarters of a cup of shredded Parmesan, most stirred into the sauce and the rest on top.
Fresh parsley: A quarter cup in the sauce and more to finish. Up to a quarter cup of fresh basil can replace the Italian seasoning.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped; rotisserie or grilled
- 12 ounces short pasta (farfalle, penne or elbows)
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Pasta Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
3. Start the sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 3 to 5 minutes, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then sprinkle in the flour, add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
4. Simmer. Add the diced tomatoes and slowly stir in the milk. Add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until the sauce starts to thicken.
5. Add cheese and chicken. Stir in the parsley, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan until melted, then whisk in the reserved pasta water until the sauce is smooth. Fold in the chicken.
6. Combine. Put the pasta in the baking dish, pour the chicken and sauce over it and stir well. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
7. Bake. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. Serve right away, topped with more parsley.
Which Chicken and Pasta Casserole Should You Make?
Chicken and pasta casseroles come in a few main styles. The recipe above is the cheesy tomato-cream bake. Here’s how it compares with four other favorites.
| Style | What’s in it | Oven |
|---|---|---|
| Cheesy tomato-cream bake (this recipe) | Cooked chicken, short pasta, tomato and milk sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan | 400°F, 20 minutes |
| Chicken Alfredo casserole | Penne, pan-cooked chicken, Parmesan cream sauce, mozzarella | 375°F, 10 to 20 minutes, then broil |
| Tuscan dump-and-bake | Uncooked penne, raw diced chicken, cream, broth, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes | 400°F, covered 50 minutes, then cheese |
| Chicken spaghetti | Spaghetti, cooked chicken, cream of mushroom soup, sharp cheddar, pimentos | 350°F, 45 minutes |
| Cheddar white-sauce bake | Pasta, pan-cooked chicken, milk sauce with cheddar and Parmesan | 400°F, 25 minutes |
Boiled pasta stays al dente. In every style that boils the pasta first, cook it only to al dente and don’t overcook it.
No-boil option. The Tuscan version skips the pot: uncooked pasta and raw diced chicken bake right in the cream and broth, covered, with a stir halfway. Keep an eye on it so the chicken doesn’t dry out.
Keep the sauce loose. The reserved pasta water in this recipe thins the cheese sauce until it is smooth.
Tips for Success
How do I get a browned top?
After baking, switch the oven to broil for 3 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese browns in spots.
Can I use a different pasta?
Yes. Any short pasta works: farfalle, penne, elbows, bowties or shells.
Variations
- Alfredo: make a sauce of butter, garlic, flour, 3 cups milk, 1 cup heavy cream and 5 ounces of Parmesan, toss it with 1 pound of al dente penne, and layer it with pan-cooked chicken and 6 ounces of mozzarella. Bake at 375°F for 10 to 20 minutes, broil 3 to 4 minutes and cool 5.
- Tuscan dump-and-bake: stir 1 1/2 pounds of diced raw chicken breast, 10 ounces of uncooked penne, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a 9×13. Bake covered at 400°F for 30 minutes, stir, bake 20 more, then add Parmesan and mozzarella for 5 minutes. Orzo works too: 2 cups with 2 cups of broth.
- Chicken spaghetti: mix 2 cups cooked chicken with 3 cups of broken spaghetti cooked al dente, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 3 cups sharp cheddar, green pepper, onion and pimentos, and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Fresh herbs: use up to 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil instead of the Italian seasoning.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Cream sauces don’t freeze well, so the sauce may look a little different after thawing. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator and reheat until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with a green salad and garlic bread or cheesy Texas toast. For more chicken and pasta, try the chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake, creamy crockpot chicken spaghetti, stovetop Italian chicken pasta or chicken bacon spinach penne. For a pasta-free chicken bake, there’s million dollar chicken casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I make with chicken and pasta easily?
This cheesy bake, an Alfredo casserole, a no-boil Tuscan dump-and-bake, or chicken spaghetti. All four are in the table above.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Rotisserie or grilled chicken breast is the best choice here; chop it into bite-size pieces.
Do I have to boil the pasta first?
For this recipe, yes, just to package directions. The Tuscan dump-and-bake style bakes uncooked pasta right in the liquid instead.
What is a million dollar chicken casserole?
A different, pasta-free casserole built on cream cheese and cottage cheese with a buttery cracker topping. Our million dollar chicken casserole has the full recipe.
Final Notes
Set the pasta water aside before you drain, so it’s ready to smooth out the sauce. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Cheesy Chicken Pasta Casserole
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Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast chopped; rotisserie or grilled
- 12 ounces short pasta farfalle, penne or elbows
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes drained
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded, divided
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 3 to 5 minutes, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then sprinkle in the flour, add the tomato paste and stir well. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the diced tomatoes and slowly stir in the milk. Add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Stir in the parsley, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan until melted, then whisk in the reserved pasta water until the sauce is smooth. Fold in the chicken.
- Put the pasta in the baking dish, pour the chicken and sauce over it and stir well. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly and the center reaches 165°F. Serve right away, topped with more parsley.
