Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

A casserole dish filled with creamy pesto chicken parmesan pasta, broccoli florets, and melted cheese, garnished with chopped herbs. A serving spoon is in the dish, and part of a plate of food is visible beside it.

5 from 11 votes

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

Chicken And Broccoli Pasta Bake is healthy comfort food at its finest. Made without canned soup, this is a great weeknight dinner or lunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 618kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Ingredients

10 oz uncooked rotini pasta or penne or ziti
3 cups broccoli florets (one large crown)
2 ½ cups cooked chicken meat shredded or chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion diced
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese plus more for the top
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper freshly ground

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Add 10 oz of rotini pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions (for me it was 7 minutes). Add broccoli florets 3 minutes before the end of pasta cooking time (I added mine after 4 minutes).
Drain pasta and broccoli on a colander, then transfer back to the now empty pot and cover with a lid. Set aside.
Place butter and olive oil to a large skillet. Add diced onion and cook stirring often, until softened. Then add minced garlic and cook another minute.
Now stir in the flour and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. Then pour in 1 cup of chicken broth.
Cook on low heat whisking with a metal whisk until the sauce is mostly smooth and thickened. Then add the additional cup of broth, ½ cup of milk and ½ cup of heavy cream.
Cook, whisking often until bubbly. Now turn off the heat and stir in cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese (or mozzarella) and parmesan. Stir until all the cheese is melted.
Add cooked chicken together with cooked and reserved pasta and broccoli. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
Stir with a spatula until the sauce coats all the pasta, then transfer to a casserole dish.
Sprinkle with more monterey jack or mozzarella cheese (about ½ cup), if desired.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until you see some golden edges on top.
Serve immediately with a green salad.

Notes

½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup milk can be swapped for 1 full cup of half and half or light cream.

Rotisserie chicken works very well in this recipe but you can use any leftover chicken meat (baked, grilled, boiled).

I like to use rotini in this casserole but any short pasta will do: penne, ziti, farafelle, shells, whatever you like.

This bake can be made up to 48 hours ahead of baking time. Just assemble the casserole, cover with plastic film and refrigerate until ready to bake. Cold casserole will take more time to bake - up to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly with golden edges on top.

Nutrition