Chicken Parm Casserole is an easy, classic Italian dinner that turns boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a delicious meal. This chicken parm bake is full of chicken tenders, marinara sauce, and melty mozzarella. It's ready in just about an hour, making it the perfect dinner for any day of the week!
Quick Look: Chicken Parm Casserole
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 55 minutes
- 🍲 Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 264 calories per serving
- 🍂 Flavor Profile: A slightly tangy tomato sauce mixed with crispy chicken
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy — A perfect Italian-style dinner
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I love making chicken parmesan. Combining chicken, pasta, marinara, and loads of mozzarella cheese guarantees the ultimate Italian-inspired dish in just a few easy steps. It only uses one pan or casserole dish, meaning easy cleanup and an even easier time cooking. It's the perfect family-friendly dinner. You can pair it with a simple Grinder Salad Recipe and garlic bread and my Copycat Olive Garden Salad Recipe for a meal the whole family will love!
If you love this recipe, make sure to check out my Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan recipe. It is loaded with Italian seasoning, tomato sauce and golden-brown chicken. It's versatile and easy to make for picky eaters.
This incredibly easy baked chicken parmesan casserole recipe combines tender grilled chicken strips, jarred sauce, and plenty of melty mozzarella to create a semi-homemade meal with minimal prep and maximum flavor. It's one of my favorite gluten free pasta recipes, and I know you'll feel the same!
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Why You'll Love This Chicken Parm Casserole Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Like my Tuscan Chicken Thighs, this recipe uses simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store. Even the gluten-free items are commonplace these days.
- Convenient: This chicken pasta takes only one hour. It's quick for any weeknight and can be made extra special so it becomes an intimate dinner.
- Great for Meal Prep: This freezer-friendly meal is full of spaghetti, cheese, and chicken. It's ideal for double batches so you can save extra for future use.
Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Chicken Breasts: I used Springer Mountain Farms grilled chicken strips to make this recipe super easy and convenient. I love this company because they never use antibiotics or hormones, never add animal by-products to their feed, and are certified humane.
- Pasta: You can use any noodles you prefer. I prefer penne but any shape will work great.
- Cheese: Keep it simple with one cup grated parmesan cheese or go extra cheesy by adding more in.
Variations
- Chicken: You can use ground beef or Italian sausage in place of chicken for a meat sauce pasta bake. You can also use diced rotisserie chicken if you like.
- Pasta Sauce: I like to use jarred sauce to make this a quicker, easier meal, but you can use homemade pasta sauce if you prefer. Also, any of your favorite red pasta sauces will work well.
- Pasta: Any short, textured pasta will work for this recipe. Use your favorite or whatever you happen to have on hand.
- Add Veggies: Try adding veggies like mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, or spinach for more flavor and texture. For a veggie-packed version, you can mix and match them, too.
- Lasagna Flavor: Top the pasta with a layer of ricotta and parmesan before adding the chicken and cheese to create a lasagna vibe.
- Spicy: Try adding red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Dairy Free: Use high-quality vegan mozzarella and parmesan alternatives for a dish that's free of both gluten and dairy.
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"This is the ultimate comfort meal — everything I love about chicken parm baked into one cozy dish. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or sharing with friends!"
- Lora
How to make Chicken Parm Casserole
Step 1. Mix the uncooked pasta, sauce, water, and seasonings in a bowl until well combined.
Step 2. Pour the mixture into a prepared 9x13 baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 425°F until the pasta is al dente.
Step 3. Remove the dish from the oven, stir, and add more sauce if it's too dry. Then, top with the chicken strips, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs.
Step 4. Bake uncovered until the cheese is melty and the breadcrumbs are golden. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Adjust Cook Times: Cooking times vary by pasta type. If your pasta isn't tender after 30 minutes, cook it for five more minutes and check again, repeating until it reaches your desired tenderness.
- Stir Well: All pasta brands absorb liquid differently. Give your pasta a good stir after initially baking it to see if it's tender. Add more pasta sauce if it's too dry.
- Use Cooking Spray: Although initially watery, your pasta mixture will become thick as it cooks. To avoid sticking, spray your baking dish with cooking spray.
- White Casserole Dish: I used a light baking dish for this recipe. If your dish is dark, check the pasta bake for doneness about 5 minutes early to avoid burning.
Chicken Parm Casserole FAQ's
Gluten-free pasta is made without traditional wheat, which contains gluten. Instead, the noodles are made with corn, rice, or even potato flour.
Perfectly cooked pasta will be al dente. Al dente means it is tender but still firm.
They are made from gluten-free bread the same way traditional ones are made! Just check the box or bread for proper allergy markings.
Absolutely! Feel free to use traditional ingredients if you don't have a gluten sensitivity.
It's easy to reheat this casserole, so feel free to make it up to 48 hours in advance. Bake covered at 350 until heated through and the cheese has melted again on top.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Chicken Parm Casserole
Video
Ingredients
- 1 box gluten-free pasta
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 28 ounce pasta sauce
- 3 ½ cups water
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 10 oz Springer Mountain Farms grilled chicken strips
- 1 tsp basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Mix the Italian seasoning, basil, and salt in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl or a casserole dish, mix the dry pasta, pasta sauce, water, and seasonings until well combined. If using a bowl, pour everything into the casserole dish once mixed.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish form the oven and stir the pasta mixture, adding more sauce if it's too dry.
- Top the pasta mixture with chicken strips, mozzarella cheese, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese, in that order.
- Bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melty and the breadcrumbs are golden.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container or covered in the original dish.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Defrost before reheating.
- Bake covered at 350 until heated through, or microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals.
- Cooking times vary from pasta to pasta. If your pasta isn't tender after 30 minutes, cook it for five more minutes and check again, repeating until it reaches your desired tenderness.
- All pasta brands absorb liquid differently. Give your pasta a good stir after initially baking it to see if it's tender. Add more pasta sauce if it's not wet enough for you.
- If your grocery store doesn't carry gluten-free pasta and breadcrumbs, you can easily find them on Amazon.
- Although initially watery, your pasta mixture will become thick as it cooks. To avoid sticking, spray your baking dish with cooking spray.
- I used a light baking dish for this recipe. If your dish is dark, check the pasta bake for doneness about 5 minutes early to avoid burning.
Swathi says
Chicken parm casserole looks delicious. I have made it as my family dinner, they loved it.
Jaleah says
This parm casserole is amazing! Such a great recipe.
Claudia says
Just made this chicken parm casserole—cheesy, comforting, and everyone loved it! 🍗🧀✨
Krystle says
Obsessed with the bread crumb topping. SO much easier than making chicken parm.
Liz says
SO yummy! We love chicken parmesan and this casserole did not disappoint.
Jean says
Such a flavorful recipe. We (family of 5) downed it in one night.
Nicole Kendrick says
Thank you, Jean! Enjoy!
Lora says
This is the ultimate comfort meal—everything I love about chicken parm baked into one cozy dish. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or sharing with friends!
Jet says
This gives so much flavor with so little effort! The gluten-free pasta held up perfectly, and the cheesy top was a hit with my whole family. Definitely going into our weeknight rotation.
Maggie says
My family loved this! Will be making again!!
Dawn says
Your printed recipe doesn’t say when to add pasta sauce.
Nicole Kendrick says
Thank you for catching that. I have just updated it!
Deb says
Loved this recipe. I must admit, I veganized it, and it was sooooo good, it will be a regular meal for us.
NKendrick says
Love that you did that!
Juyali says
So easy and delicious. I loved that I was able to put dinner on the table in less than an hour and I had all ingredients at home. Crispy, melty cheese, and rich sauce. Yum!
Anonymous says
This was delicious and I cant wait for leftovers all week!
Swathi says
I have tried this chicken parmsean casserole, my family loved it.
Adriana says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!