Chicken Parmesan Casserole (+Video)
Chicken Parmesan Casserole is a super delicious weeknight meal made with pasta, marinara, chicken and cheese. An easy family favorite!
A FLAVORFUL PASTA CASSEROLE
This delicious Chicken Parmesan Casserole is the perfect family-friendly meal that everyone will love and it also freezes beautifully! You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe. It is already cooked and makes this a quick and easy meal!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
You could actually just serve this as a plated pasta dish. Top each plate with the cooked pasta, then top that with your cooked chicken then drizzle some warm marinara sauce on top. However, I like what baking does to it (since it really melds all the flavors together) and get a delicious gooey cheese on top too!
I think this is easiest with store-bought rotisserie chicken meat. You can also use pulled chicken meat that you can purchase at places like Costco. Alternatively you could purchase frozen popcorn chicken. Allow it to defrost slightly before cooking with the rest of the casserole dish.
I think the best budget marinara sauce is Bertolli or Ragu. If I’m looking to spend a little more money then Rao’s Roasted Garlic sauce is my choice.
The basil is completely optional. You could sprinkle the top of the casserole with dried parsley or dried basil if you prefer.
Yes. Prepare casserole as written. Cover dish very well to prevent freezer burn. When ready to cook. Remove any plastic wrap and over with aluminum foil. Add about 10 minutes onto the cooking time below.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- penne pasta – you can use any similar sized pasta like rotini, ziti, rigatoni or bow tie pasta. I’m not a fan of the pasta that is precooked in the bags. I think they have a funny taste so I personally wouldn’t use it.
- cooked chicken, shredded or diced – you can boil up some chicken breasts or just buy a cooked rotisserie chicken and cut it up to use.
- Italian seasoning – this is going to add a kick of flavor but if you don’t have any, you can skip it.
- shredded mozzarella cheese – you can use pre-shredded cheese or you can buy a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself.
- shredded Parmesan cheese – if you don’t like Parmesan cheese, just use more mozzarella cheese.
- marinara sauce – use your favorite store brand. I really love Rao’s roasted garlic sauce but sometimes it can be expensive so I’ll purchase what is on sale.
- chopped basil – this is just for garnishing at the end. It is optional. You can leave it off or even sprinkle the top with some dried parsley.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PARMESAN CASSEROLE:
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse and drain the pasta in a colander.
- In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, cooked chicken, Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese and marinara sauce. Mix until combined.
- Spread the pasta in a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Cover with foil. Bake at 350F degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and uncover and top with remaining cheeses.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.
- Garnish with chopped basil if desired.
Serve with a side salad and garlic bread.
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Originally published: January 2016
Updated and republished: February 2022
Chicken Parmesan Casserole (+Video)
Ingredients
- 16 ounce box penne pasta
- 1 pound cooked chicken (shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided use
- 1 ½ jars (32 ounce) spaghetti or marinara sauce (48 ounces total of sauce will be used)
- chopped basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse and drain the pasta in a colander.
- In a large bowl combine cooked pasta, cooked chicken, Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese and marinara sauce.
- Mix until combined.
- Spread the pasta in a 9×13-inch casserole dish and cover with foil.
- Bake at 350F degrees for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and uncover and top with remaining cheeses.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.
- Garnish with chopped basil, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe. It is already cooked and makes this a quick and easy meal!
- You could also pick up pre-cooked popcorn chicken nuggets from the deli section of your grocery store. The breaded chicken would be the most similar to a traditional Chicken Parmesan.
- Use more or less of the cheeses depending on your preference.
- You can use both jars of spaghetti sauce instead of just one and a half. It will just take this a bit more saucy.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to make it! If I use frozen breaded chicken nuggets, should I still cook them completely first or will they get heated up enough during the baking time of the casserole?
I would cook them a bit first. If you have an air fryer, pop them in there for a few minutes. They don’t have to be fully cooked though. But they wouldn’t cook fully if you put them into the casserole frozen 🙂
Hello, I have been looking for recipes I can put together here, refrigerate a couple hours, drive an hour to my daughters house then bake there rather than baking here and reheating. This looks exactly right for my needs since everything harmful is already cooked. Since you say to add 10 minutes to cook time if frozen, I am going to assume I should add maybe 5 minutes to the cook time since mine will be refrigerated, not room temperature. Does this sound right to you? I think my grandkids will love this.
Greg
So good!I just picked up some popcorn chicken at the Walmart Deli counter. Worked perfectly!
LOVE this. I made it with gluten free ziti and rotisserie chicken – CRAZY easy but so good. And approved by my 3 and 5 year olds. This will become a staple in our house!
Thanks for this recipe! I am making this for dinner tonight.
Recipe calls for 16 oz uncooked pasta? So not 16 oz if it converted into a measuring cup, right? I know pasta doubles in size, so i dont want to put too much. I have 1/2 box of a 16 oz penne pasta. So 8 oz. Should i get another 8 oz?
You can either half all the ingredients and make a smaller casserole or get the additional pasta to make the full recipe.
Made this for tonight’s Bunco gathering. Everyone raved about it. First time making this but definitely not the last!
I made this, added a little more cheese, because my Family is crazy for cheese, but it is delicious! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Hi Brandie! If I’m using cooked chicken, how many cups of chicken = 1 lb?
Just to be clear, when it says use 1 1/2 32 ounce jars of marinara sauce, does that mean I use 48 ounces total of marinara sauce? Maybe I’m overthinking this, but that seems like a lot of sauce.
Hi Jenna, that is correct amount of sauce. Hope you love it! 🙂
Can it be frozen? If so, how to reheat?
Hi Alisha! It can be frozen. You may need to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time since you’ll be cooking from frozen. 🙂
nice
Yay Shirley! So glad you found a recipe for your picky eater. That can certainly be quite the challenge.
Will definitely make this again. Even my picky 9 year old grandson asked for seconds. So easy and delicious.
So many wonderful flavors happening in this one y'all!
Lord have mercy my family would love this Brandie!
Looks delicious and right up my alley! Can't wait to try this one out.