Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole is an easy baked pasta dish made with penne, marinara sauce, mozzarella and chicken. Perfect weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
Chicken Parmesan is traditionally made with breaded chicken breasts topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and then served over pasta. This casserole recipe is so simple to make, but tastes pretty close to the real thing!
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
This delicious casserole is made with penne. The noodles are covered with marinara sauce and several basic spices before adding a layer of mozzarella. Baked chicken is placed on top of the cheese and then layered with more marinara sauce and mozzarella and parmesan. Everything is baked together until hot and bubbly. It’s an easy way for the whole family to enjoy the delicious flavors of Chicken Parmesan.
What to serve with Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole?
Add a simple Lemon Caesar Salad and some Cheesy Breadsticks and you’ve got a complete meal. Don’t forget dessert! You can’t get much simpler than this Easy Cherry Chocolate Cake – only a few ingredients and everyone will love it.
Ingredients in Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Penne pasta – I usually use penne, but you can use any bite-sized pasta. Farfalle, mini shells, elbows, rotini…all of it works great! Cook the pasta according to package directions.
Marinara sauce – You will need 24 ounces of marinara sauce. You can make your own or use your favorite canned variety.
Italian seasoning – A tablespoon of Italian seasoning will add extra flavor and spice to the casserole.
Salt, pepper and garlic powder – A few basic spices add the right amount of flavor and help all of the flavors in the sauce to pop.
Mozzarella cheese – You will need 1 1/3 cups of shredded mozzarella for the casserole. Most of it will go in the middle of the casserole and the rest will be sprinkled on top.
Chicken breasts – You will need one pound of chicken breasts, baked and then diced into bite-sized squares.
Parmesan cheese – A little bit of grated Parmesan on top is the perfect touch. You can use the kind in a can, but you just can’t beat freshly grated Parmesan cheese!
Basil – A little bit of fresh basil sprinkled on top adds some color and flavor. You can use parsley as a substitute if you’d like.
How to make Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
The first step is to preheat the oven to 350° and lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook the pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to the package directions for al dente pasta.
Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
Pour ¾ of the jar of marinara sauce on the pasta. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir together until everything is well incorporated.
Assemble the Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish.
Layer 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and spread evenly.
Add the baked, cubed chicken on top of the mozzarella and spread evenly.
Cover the chicken with the remaining marinara sauce.
Spread the remaining ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese as well as the parmesan on top of the chicken.
Bake the casserole
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done and no longer pink inside.
Top with fresh basil and serve warm.
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta cooked al dente
- 24- ounce jar marinara sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ⅓ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 pound chicken breasts cut into cubes
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to the package directions for al dente pasta.
- Drain the pasta and add it to a large bowl.
- Pour ¾ of the jar of marinara sauce on the pasta. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir together until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the pasta into the prepared baking dish.
- Layer 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and spread evenly.
- Add the baked, cubed chicken on top of the mozzarella and spread evenly.
- Cover the chicken with the remaining marinara sauce.
- Spread the remaining ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese as well as the parmesan on top of the chicken.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done and no longer pink inside.
- Top with fresh basil and serve warm.
Nutrition
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The best way to bake chicken
Over the years, I’ve tried lots of methods for baking chicken and have finally figured out the best way to prevent the chicken from drying out. Here are a few tips to baking perfectly juicy and moist chicken every time!
–Brine the chicken first. You only have to brine the chicken for about 15 minutes for it to be effective, but you can brine it for up to 5-6 hours if you’d like. To brine the chicken, just place the chicken in a bowl filled with lukewarm water and a few tablespoons of salt. If you are brining for 15 minutes, just leave at room temperature, but if you want to brine the chicken longer than that, place the bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. Rinse off the chicken before baking. (You can skip the brining step and still bake some delicious chicken, but this step really does make a big difference. If you’ve never brined your chicken before, you’ve got to at least try it one time so you can see what it does!)
– Brush with butter, sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top and then bake in a single layer in a greased baking dish.
–Bake at a high heat for a shorter amount of time. I like to bake mine at 450° for about 18-20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°.
–Let the chicken rest. As soon as the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the oven and tent the pan with some foil. Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting the chicken. This is a key step in making sure that none of the juices escape!
Best marinara sauce?
We really love homemade marinara/spaghetti sauce, but if you’re short on time, there are many canned varieties that are amazing too. I’ve tried many different brands, but lately I have really been loving Rao’s marinara sauce. It’s a little pricier than some of the other brands, but it’s made with clean, simple ingredients – no added preservatives or coloring.
LOVE PASTA? SO DO WE! HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PASTA RECIPES:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
- Pasta Fagioli
- Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Easy Garlic Butter Pasta
- Sausage Pepper Pasta
- Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- Easy 4-Cheese Skillet Lasagna
- Mexican Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- Pasta Caprese
- Pizza Pasta Casserole
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole is an easy baked pasta dish made with penne, marinara sauce, mozzarella and chicken. Perfect weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
Gail says
Should the chicken be cooked or raw…a bit confusing.
Nellie says
The chicken needs to be cooked before adding to the casserole. You can cook it any way you’d like, but the post has a method for cooking chicken perfectly every time! Sometimes I just throw in shredded rotisserie chicken if I’m short on time!