One of my favorite things in life is serving my family a warm, healthy, satisfying supper at the end of a busy day. This Italian Baked Chicken and Pasta dish is one of my favorite recipes to do just that. Looking at my recipe for this today made me realize that I have been making this wonderful dish for ten years now. It’s a keeper.
During the last few years, we’ve been eating a lot fewer carbs in our house, so I know use Dreamfield Pasta, which I buy at Wal-Mart. It’s really easy on blood sugar and still really delish.
My family loves this dish because it’s loaded with flavorful chicken, cheese, and tomato sauce and topped with a crunch, cheesy topping. I love it because it’s ready start to finish in only 40 minutes with only 15 minutes prep time. Because it is baked in the oven for a half hour, the chicken and pasta don’t have to be fully cooked before assembling. This makes the prep time really short! My kind of weeknight meal!
- 2 C pasta (I use rotini or penne)
- 2 T olive oil
- 1-2 C cubed chicken breast (1-inch cubes)
- ½ C diced onion (about ½ a small onion)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 C shredded mozzarella
- ¼ C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or dried parsley)
- ½ t salt
- ¼ t freshly ground black pepper
- ½ C bread crumbs
- ½ C grated Parmesan
- 2 T butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. (The pasta will finish cooking in the oven in a bit).
- Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. (The chicken will finish cooking in the oven in a bit).
- Add the onions and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
- Put the chicken mixture into the bowl with the cooked pasta.
- Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Place the mixture in a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
- Dot the top with small bits of butter.
- Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Perfect salads to pair with this pasta…
Caesar Salad
Now this is my kind of meal! Quick, easy and Italian! This is definitely going on my must make list. Yum!
Thanks for reading and for your kind words. Hope you LOVE it.
Sounds like the perfect comfort family dinner meal.! Happy to be hosting this giveaway with you. Pinning and yumming!
Thanks so much!!! Yes, the giveaway is a blast!
Annie – I think you could turn this into a 2 pot meal – one for cooking the pasta itself and then one for browning the chicken and then baking the casserole!??
I’m always looking for something easy, flavorful and with as little clean-up as possible.
Blessings –
Yes, I think you’re right. And yes, I am always looking for quick and easy meals for my family, too.