Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Filled with juicy chicken, broccoli and a cheesy alfredo sauce, this Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is a great comfort food meal!
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Sometimes you just need a good pasta bake. Whenever I’m craving a pasta bake, I normally reach for a box of ziti and a jar of pasta sauce. Add some crumbled Italian sausage, and you’ve got a classic comfort food meal in the works.
For this Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake, I went in a different direction. I left the pasta sauce in the pantry, and I made an easy alfredo sauce instead. (You could certainly use jarred alfredo sauce to save time here! I do recommend this homemade version though.) And instead of Italian sausage, I opted for chicken. Chicken, broccoli, creamy alfredo sauce. Delicious!
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Speaking of pasta bakes, I remember when a certain pasta company used to sell a “pasta bake meal kit.” This was some 20+ years ago now, and my younger self was just learning how to cook. I remember picking up that box and thinking “Woah. I can make baked ziti at home!” About 6 months later, they quit making those meal kits. I was devastated. How would I make baked ziti now!?
My younger self then learned a very important lesson – you don’t need a boxed meal kit to make a pasta bake. We do enjoy baked pasta in our house. It’s easy to adjust the flavors. It’s tasty. And leftover pasta bake tastes delicious! (Pro tip – save some of the pasta water when you cook the pasta. Use that water when reheating leftovers in a skillet!)
This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is hearty comfort food at its best! The combination of chunks of chicken, broccoli and pasta all mixed with a homemade alfredo sauce is absolutely delicious. And we haven’t even mentioned the cheese yet! A couple of generous handfuls of shredded mozzarella along with grated Parmesan really adds a lot to this recipe.
It is important to note that the individual components of this pasta bake all get cooked (or at least partially cooked) before the whole thing goes into the oven. The pasta gets boiled (save some of that pasta water for reheating leftovers!). The chicken gets browned in a skillet. (The chicken isn’t fully cooked at this stage. If you fully cook the cubed chicken breast, it will end up overcooked after it bakes.) And the broccoli gets blanched – i.e. dropped in boiling water for 2 minutes.
Once all of those elements go into a large casserole dish, you’re well on your way to a delicious comfort food dinner! I used that 15-20 minutes while the pasta was baking to clean dishes and get the kitchen back to normal. Since there are only a couple of us here in our house, we ended up with a delicious dinner and awesome leftovers for a couple of nights, too. Win! I hope you enjoy this Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake as much as we did!
Did you make this Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
- 2 medium heads broccoli
- 16 oz. penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Spray a 9”x13” casserole dish with nonstick spray; set dish aside.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Quarter each of the heads of broccoli to create 8 large pieces of broccoli. Once pot is boiling, add broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Remove broccoli and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
- Using the same pot of water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large, deep skillet and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add cubed chicken breasts. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken and set aside. (Note: chicken will not be fully cooked at this stage.)
- Using the same skillet, add butter, onions and garlic; stir until well combined. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.
- Add flour, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper; stir until well combined. Continue cooking, stirring often, for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add milk and chicken stock; stir until well combined. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add half-and-half along with the cubed chicken and broccoli (from above). Once mixture returns to a boil, remove skillet from heat and transfer mixture into the prepared casserole dish.
- Add cooked pasta to dish and stir until well combined.
- Top dish with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
Looking for more pasta bake recipes? Check out these other tasty options, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu and vegetable stock i love pasta sooooooooo much i never had cheesy chicken and broccoli pasta bake before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I haven’t made this recipe with tofu, Ramya, but I think it would work quite well. This is an easy pasta bake recipe that lends itself to substitutions. I hope you enjoy it!
I typically roast broccoli, cause that’s how my husband likes it. But I also like the idea of using it IN dishes like this one.
You know, we roast broccoli here, too….a lot. It’s one of our go-to side dishes. However, broccoli also works well in pasta bakes. Give it a try sometime!
This sounds like powerful comfort food, David! And what a classic pairing of ingredients! It’s a cold, rainy day where I live, and I wish I were pulling a baking dish full of this casserole out of the oven just about now!
This really is a classic comfort food pasta bake. I opted for a creamy sauce rather than a traditional red sauce here, but both would be delicious. Stay warm (and dry) my friend!
This Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is giving me all the cozy comfort food vibes! I love how you’ve taken a classic dish and elevated it with homemade alfredo sauce and tender chunks of chicken and broccoli. Your reminiscing about the discontinued pasta bake meal kit brings back memories of my own kitchen adventures as a beginner cook. But as you rightly pointed out, homemade is always better! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe – it’s definitely going on my menu for the week!
The alfredo sauce combined with the chicken and broccoli just screams comfort food! Honestly, whenever pasta is involved, it’s probably going to be a yummy comfort food meal, right? Homemade is always better…always! Thanks, Raymund!
Delicious! If my youngest could pick something to eat everyday, it would be this! Chicken, pasta and broc with cheese!
Haha – that’s true! This is the kind of recipe that the whole family would love. 🙂 Thanks, Michelle!
I love broccoli. This looks like a comforting dish for a cool night. Autumn is almost starting to feel autumnal here so it’s out with the salads and in with the casseroles/bakes soo. I might have to use rice here rather than pasta!
Ah, this would be a great casserole for Autumn. You’re heading into the opposite season from us, but we’re always still in the mood for good comfort food! And I do think rice would work in this recipe. Next time…next time… Enjoy!!
I love baked pasta, too. And while chicken is not a common ingredient for pasta in Italy, I personally do love it. And the addition of broccoli and a lot of cheese makes it only better! 🙂
Exactly! This isn’t an authentic Italian recipe by any means, but it is definitely a delicious comfort food meal. So much yummy flavor in this one…thanks, Ben!
I made this and we really enjoyed it. To save washing a saute pan I put the cubed raw chicken in the baking dish in the oven for a few minutes whilst I was making the cheese sauce. The added baking time for the whole dish was sufficient for that size of chicken cube. Next time I would add some sun dried tomatoes.
Hey Carol! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe – and that’s a great tip about using the baking dish for the chicken. I’m all about doing less dishes! 🙂