Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta is deconstructed chicken parmesan made with chicken tenders, pasta, sauce, and lots of cheese. It’s one of those chicken pasta recipes that is easy, fast, and delicious!

Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta in a rectangle baking dish. The dish is covered with melted mozzarella cheese.

Kyle and I agree about lots of things. Paint colors. Home decor. The insanity that will be our garden this year.

Sometimes I wonder if he’s really just yes-ing me to death. But either way, it makes for an easy marriage so I don’t complain.

Making it a little easier is our agreement on the fact that chicken parmesan may just be the most perfect meal on earth. It was always, always, always my birthday meal of choice growing up.

So you could imagine how completely smitten I was the first time I heard him order this off a menu at dinner back in our early dating days. And it should be no surprise how much we both loved this chicken parmesan pasta bake.

It’s a deconstructed version of our favorite meal, is quick to throw together, and it will continue to make the rounds on our menu for ages to come – I’m quite sure of it.

Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta in a rectangle baking dish. The dish is covered with melted mozzarella cheese and chopped fresh basil leaves. There is a spoon in the dish and some of the pasta has been served, leaving a space to see inside the pasta.

Ingredients

Here’s the basic shopping list for this meal. Be sure to check out the full list below in the green recipe card.

  • canned fire-roasted tomatoes
  • olive oil
  • fresh garlic
  • dried oregano
  • crushed red pepper flakes – you can skip this to make it less spicy
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • water
  • low-sodium chicken broth
  • dry pasta shapes like rotini, ziti, penne, or cavatappi
  • Parmesan cheese
  • cooked chicken tenders, store-bought or homemade
  • mozzarella cheese
  • fresh basil

How to Make Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This chicken pasta is sooo simple to make! Here’s a quick snapshot of how to make this recipe. Be sure to check out the full recipe below in the green recipe card!

STEP 1: You’ll boil the pasta in a quick homemade tomato sauce, just like this one-pot creamy sausage pasta which is always a major winner around here!

STEP 2: Toss in lots of mozzarella cheese and the cooked chicken tenders.

STEP 3: Top with more mozzarella cheese – it IS chicken parm, after all!

STEP 4: Bake until bubbly and delicious!!

What to Serve with This Chicken Pasta Recipe

Just like most Italian pasta recipes, finding side dishes is super easy to do. There’s always an option for a salad: house, Caesar, or maybe even a Greek salad.

And garlicky bread is basically a requirement, right? This Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread is a phenomenal addition to any meal, especially this chicken parm pasta.

My Homemade Garlic Knots are forever a fan favorite and we make them at least once a month to go with meals like this one.

And while less cheesy, though no less delicious, this Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread is a savory monkey bread that everyone goes nuts over every single time I make it.

How could you possibly go wrong with this baked chicken parmesan pasta with loads of sides options?!

Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Baked Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Baked chicken parmesan pasta is just like making deconstructed chicken parmesan! It's made with chicken tenders, pasta, sauce, and lots of cheese, all in one pot. And it's easy, cheap, and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 (28-oz) can whole peeled fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • ⅛ to ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, depending on your heat/spicy level preference
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 12 oz pasta shapes (rotini, ziti, penne, etc)
  • 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
  • 1 lb cooked chicken tenders, chopped into bite-sized pieces (store-bought or homemade)
  • 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 475° F.
  2. Puree the tomatoes and their juices in a food processor until finely pureed.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato puree, water, broth, and pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, covered and stirring often, until the pasta is cooked through 15 to 18 minutes.
  5. Stir ¾ cup of the Parmesan and the chicken into the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a 13×9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup Parmesan over the top. 
  6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle the chopped basil over the top of the dish before serving.

Notes

If you want to make this a completely one-pot meal, be sure to use a skillet that is oven-safe to at least 475° F to cook the pasta and sauce on the stove top. Cast iron, enameled cast iron, or stainless cookware would be perfect for this. Then, in Step 5, skip transferring the mixture to a baking dish and proceed with the recipe in the skillet.

adapted from Pasta Revolution by America's Test Kitchen, via Pink Parsley

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Leave a Comment

  • Tracey
    April 15, 2013 at 11:39 AM

    This is one of our favorite quick and easy weeknight meals! Love that you tried it with whole wheat pasta, I haven’t done that yet.

  • April 16, 2013 at 4:32 PM

    Chicken parm in a pasta bake?! Yes, please! Love it!

  • Erica
    April 23, 2013 at 11:17 AM

    I made this and if was so good, and easy to make. It was even better the next day!

    • taraliptak
      April 23, 2013 at 2:58 PM

      I agree – definitely better the next day!