Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is super easy to make and produces a delicious meal the whole family will love. This creamy, cheesy casserole dish combines cooked chicken, pasta, and broccoli in a smooth, creamy cheese sauce and then bakes it to perfection. So simple but so good!
As far as comfort food goes, pasta dishes like Fettuccine Alfredo and Macaroni and Cheese are at the top of my list. There is something ultra comforting about a warm pasta dish coated in a luscious, creamy sauce. This Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is one of those comforting meals.
Super creamy, cheesy, and filled with chunks of chicken and broccoli, this pasta bake is a satisfying meal that the whole family will love. It’s also ready in under an hour, which makes it perfect for any night of the week.
The recipe starts with cooked chicken, so you can put those leftovers to good work here. I love re-purposing rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breasts in this dish. If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, no worries. In the time it takes to boil the pasta and whip up the cheese sauce, you can quickly pan-fry some chicken cutlets.
While they are some hands-on steps, they are easy to do and not time consuming. While the pasta and broccoli are boiling, you can whip up an easy homemade cheese sauce. Then combine everything, top with cheese and bake!
If you love cheesy casserole dishes, be sure to also check out my Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe (No canned soup) and Cheesy Beef & Noodle Casserole.
Why we love this recipe
- This dish is creamy, cheesy, and comforting.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser!
- If you have leftover chicken, you can re-purpose it in this dish.
- The ingredients are simple and you likely have most items on hand already!
- You can prepare this in advance and then just pop it in the oven when you get home.
- You can easily change things up to suit your own tastes or ingredients you have on hand. You can add veggies or swap out proteins, for example.
Ingredients in Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Chicken: cooked, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces or shredded. Leftover chicken is great but if you don’t have leftovers, 2 small chicken breasts will yield enough chicken to make this dish. The amount of chicken you use is easily adaptable too.
- Butter: melted butter is used to cook the onions and then to create a roux which will thicken the cream sauce.
- Veggies: A small onion and broccoli. You can add more veggies to this dish as well. Carrots, green beans, or bell peppers are just some other options. Feel free to make this your own and use the veggies your family loves.
- Flour: used to make a roux to thicken the cheese sauce.
- Milk: Whole milk or 2% is ideal as it will help create a creamier sauce, but you could use 1% or skim milk.
- Chicken broth: homemade or store-bought.
- Cheese: Parmesan and shredded cheddar or mozzarella.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Pasta: Rigatoni or similar (e.g. fusilli, penne rigata, etc)
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 8×13 baking dish.
- Cook pasta and broccoli until al dente. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked al dente, add the broccoli. Drain the pasta and broccoli and set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce. Meanwhile, in a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until softened. Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir to coat them. Cook for 1 minute and then add the milk and broth to the saucepan and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or mozzarella, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Assemble. To the baking dish, add the pasta, broccoli, cooked chicken, and sauce. Stir to ensure everything is coated in the sauce and then sprinkle the pasta with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake in the oven 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Storing and reheating leftovers
Once cooled completely, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
To reheat leftovers, you can place them in a baking dish, cover them with aluminum foil, and bake them at 350F until heated through. You will likely need to add a little milk, broth, or water to the leftovers to re-hydrate them before reheating.
FAQs
While this casserole is best when made and served immediately, you can make it in advance. You can do all of the preparation and assembly of the casserole a day ahead and save the baking for the next day.
To do this, once the assembled dish is cooled, wrap it well with plastic wrap and then store it in the fridge. When you are ready to bake it, allow about 30 minutes for it to sit on the counter before popping it in the oven. You can bake it straight from the fridge, however, because it will be cold, you will need to increase the baking time. Ensure you are using a baking dish that can withstand the temperature change from cold to hot. For instances like this, I prefer using a disposable aluminum pan.
Yes, you can. Since cream is thicker than milk, you can reduce the flour in the recipe.
Yes, you can use frozen broccoli instead of fresh.
Looking for more easy weeknight dinner ideas? Check out:
Cheesy Beef & Noodle Casserole
Easy Stove Top Ground Beef and Noodles
Easy Beef Bolognese with Creamy Polenta
Baked Pesto Salmon
Creamy Pesto Pasta
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
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Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken cooked, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (approximately 2 small chicken breasts)
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese + more for serving
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz rigatoni pasta uncooked, or similar (e.g. fusilli)
- 1 medium broccoli or 2 small broccoli heads, chopped into small florets
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 8×13 baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked al dente, add the broccoli. Drain the pasta and broccoli and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Saute until softened.
- Sprinkle the onions with the flour and stir to coat them. Cook for 1 minute and then add the milk and broth to the saucepan and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or mozzarella, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- To the baking dish, add the pasta, broccoli, cooked chicken, and sauce. Stir to ensure everything is coated in the sauce and then sprinkle the pasta with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
