Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake without Cream Soup
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake is made with chunks of chicken, your favorite pasta, broccoli all wrapped up in a creamy Alfredo sauce. Make this cheesy casserole ahead of time and pop in the oven before dinner.
Servings 6 to 8 Servings
Calories 762kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounce pasta bow tie / penne / rotini
- 1 large head broccoli cut into medium florets
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 to 14 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs (cut into bite size cubes)
- 2 tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
- 2 large garlic chopped
- 1 and ½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 and ½ cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt or as required
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 and ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions. Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for the last two minutes of cooking the pasta. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.
- Pre heat oven to 375°F and have a standard rectangular baking pan ready.
- Heat olive in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add chicken in a single layer, cook for about 2 minutes, turn over and continue cooking for an additional couple of minutes (if using small pan, then cook chicken in two batches). Transfer chicken to a plate (chicken might not be fully cooked at this point).
- Reduce heat to medium, add butter and chopped garlic. Cook, stirring for about two minutes, until garlic begins to turn golden and then stir in all purpose flour. Cook for one to two minutes, stirring constantly, until the raw smell goes off.
- Stir in milk, heavy cream, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid comes to a gentle boil. Stir in chicken, ½ cup mozzarella and parmesan. Stir for about 1 minute, until cheese is melted and sauce looks smooth. Remove from heat.
- Assemble and Bake - Stir in cooked pasta and broccoli, transfer to the baking pan, spread evenly and sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella on top.
- Bake for about 15 minutes and then turn on broil mode continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes for the top to get some color (do not let it get darker, just a few brown spots is good).
Notes
Use any short pasta shape : Penne, bow tie, ziti or Rigatoni can be used.
Broil for the last couple of minutes. This gives a slightly charred look to the cheese and is more of presentation purposes.
Can I make baked pasta ahead of time? Absolutely! After pasta is tossed with the sauce, let cool completely. Assemble as instructed, cover well with foil, refrigerate and bake when you want to serve (add an additional 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time).
Use leftover rotisserie chicken instead – Use about 3 cups of chopped leftover rotisserie chicken instead. Stir chicken along with pasta and broccoli along with sauce.
Do not overcook pasta – Cook pasta only until al dente.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 762kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 94g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 374mg | Sodium: 593mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 4mg