Fettuccini Alfredo + Chicken = an American-Italian favorite.
Fettuccini Alfredo is an Italian classic. Chicken Alfredo is a popular American take on this classic. We make it fairly often because it’s popular with our teenager. To get the rich, creamy, garlicky goodness of alfredo without spending the whole time in the front of the stove, though, I invented this. I know there are lots of versions of this all over the internet because it is such a popular dish, but we’re pretty happy with our version. We even made sure to incorporate our own Italian Seasoning, but you can always use store bought…(we think you’ll like ours, though).
The ease of making it ahead of time.
This is the typical story of a casserole, right? I love cooking, but I find it frustrating to do it when guests have already arrived…unless, of course, that’s the plan because we’ll all be cooking together. When you have people coming who aren’t expecting to chop and stir, you want it done when they get there. Usually, that would mean leaving Alfredo off the menu. By turning it into basically an adult mac’n’cheese, we can pop it in the oven before people arrive, chat for a bit, and it’s done when we want it. Easy!
It’s easy for a large crowd, too.
Our teenager is on the cross country team. The night before a race, the parents take turns to make a large dinner to ‘carb load’ them. When it’s our turn, we like to make a traditional lasagna, this bake, and then options for vegan and gluten-free runners.
We need to triple both the lasagna and this recipe to make sure they all get enough to eat! It’s really easy to double or triple this and put it in a larger baking dish – just allow an extra 10-15 minutes for each additional amount you make. (So tripling it would take 50 minutes to an hour in the oven.) You also might need to cover it for the first 20 minutes when making a larger amount so you don’t burn the topping.
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Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Description
Chicken Alfredo gets a casserole re-do for easy prep and to make the most of time with friends – it’s in the oven by the time they arrive.
Ingredients
1 pound rotini, rotelle, fusilli, or macaroni; cooked as directed
Sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
10 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Once you get the water heating for the pasta, start in on preparing the remaining ingredients. A little trick: at the same time you add the pasta to the boiling water, start the oven preheating to 350°F.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. Stir while the butter is melting, that will keep it from burning and help it to melt faster.
- Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent and lightly browned.
- Add the chicken, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt. Continue to sauté until the chicken is browned on all sides and just cooked through.
- Turn the heat down to simmer and stir in the milk and heavy cream. Heat just until starting to steam; don’t let it boil or it will scald.
- Slowly add a handful of the mozzarella at a time, stirring to melt it completely after each addition. Repeat until all the mozzarella is used.
- Add the Parmesan and stir, making sure it’s all melted in as well.
- Add the broccoli and simmer for just another minute or two to heat it through. Remove from the heat.
- When the pasta is cooked and drained, put it in a casserole pan, pour the sauce over it, then mix well.
- Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning, and then sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and cheese sauce is bubbling.
Notes
It’s really easy to double or triple this and put it in a larger baking dish – just allow an extra 10-15 minutes for each additional amount you make. (So tripling it would take 50 minutes an hour in the oven.) You also might need to cover it for the first 20 minutes when making a larger amount so you don’t burn the topping.
Keywords: pasta, chicken, casserole, main dish