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:
Any shaped pasta should work: ziti, rigatoni and bow tie pasta are good options.
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 FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN CASSEROLE: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- penne pasta
- cooked chicken, shredded or diced
- Italian seasoning
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese
- marinara sauce
- chopped basil for garnish (optional)
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, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese and marinara sauce. Mix until combined.
- Spread the pasta in a 9x13 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.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese and marinara sauce.
- Mix until combined.
- Spread the pasta in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and cover with foil.
- Bake at 350 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.
Notes
- 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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: January 2016
Updated and republished: February 2022
Greg
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
Kel
So good!I just picked up some popcorn chicken at the Walmart Deli counter. Worked perfectly!
Lauren
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!
Cindy
Thanks for this recipe! I am making this for dinner tonight.
elizabeth boyd
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?
Brandie
You can either half all the ingredients and make a smaller casserole or get the additional pasta to make the full recipe.
Tacy Carlson
Made this for tonight's Bunco gathering. Everyone raved about it. First time making this but definitely not the last!
Misty
I made this, added a little more cheese, because my Family is crazy for cheese, but it is delicious! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Kim Smith
Hi Brandie! If I'm using cooked chicken, how many cups of chicken = 1 lb?
Jenna
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.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Jenna, that is correct amount of sauce. Hope you love it! 🙂
Alisha
Can it be frozen? If so, how to reheat?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
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. 🙂
Anna
nice
Brandie (The Country Cook)
Yay Shirley! So glad you found a recipe for your picky eater. That can certainly be quite the challenge.
Shirley
Will definitely make this again. Even my picky 9 year old grandson asked for seconds. So easy and delicious.
Brandie (The Country Cook)
So many wonderful flavors happening in this one y'all!
Melissa
Lord have mercy my family would love this Brandie!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Looks delicious and right up my alley! Can't wait to try this one out.