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Thisdump-and-bake chicken parmesan casserole is a one-dish dinner that’s healthy, easy to prepare, and incredibly family-friendly. Just combine the raw ingredients in a pan and pop it in the oven — no prep work necessary!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for Parmesan Chicken Casserole
- How to Make Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Serving Suggestions
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe
A chicken parmesan casserole recipe that’s easy, healthy, and kid-friendly! What’s not to love?! The lightened-up dish is a perfect example of a simple and nutritious supper that brings the family together — even on busy evenings — and keeps you out of the kitchen with very little prep work.
Instead of breading and frying cutlets in a skillet, this version takes advantage of my favorite dump-and-bake method to eliminate tedious prep work. There’s no need to boil the pasta in advance or use pre-cooked chicken. Instead, all of the ingredients mingle, share seasonings, and cook together in one big pan.
You get the familiar flavors of marinara sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese in the pan, along with crispy Panko breadcrumbs for a satisfying crunch on top. Pair it with a side salad and garlic bread for a flavorful and hearty dinner that the whole family will love!
Ingredients for Parmesan Chicken Casserole
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy chicken parmesan casserole with pasta. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Penne pasta: this is the brand that I use, which has a suggested time of 11-12 minutes on the box. You can substitute with another short pasta shape, such as rigatoni, elbows, bowtie (farfalle), or rotini. You may need to increase or decrease the total baking time for your casserole if you choose a different pasta.
- Marinara sauce: pick a high-quality jar of sauce that you love, since this lends a lot of flavor to the dish. You can even use homemade marinara!
- Water: extra liquid for the pasta to absorb as it cooks in the oven.
- Salt and pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Chicken: I typically use boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer the dark meat. No need to cook it first — just dice it into bite-sized pieces.
- Mozzarella cheese: or sub with an Italian cheese blend for even more flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: gives the dish its name! This cheese also adds bold, salty flavor to the top of the casserole.
- Panko breadcrumbs: a crunchy, golden brown topping for the casserole, which mimics the crispy breading on a traditional fried chicken parm recipe.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Busy weeknights don’t get much easier than a dump and bake chicken parm casserole for dinner! I’ve included complete cooking instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Stir together all of the raw ingredients.
- Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes.
- Stir the pasta mixture, and sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs on top.
- Return to the oven uncovered for 10-15 more minutes, until the pasta is tender, the chicken is cooked through, and the topping is golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if you like!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the healthy chicken parmesan casserole with any of these easy sides:
- Garlic Bread,Breadsticks, or No-Knead Focaccia Bread
- Green Side Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette,Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette,Wedge Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing,Caesar Salad, or our favoriteHouse Salad with Candied Pecans
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted BroccoliorBroccoli and Cheese
- Roasted AsparagusorSauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter,Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Sauteed ZucchiniorRoasted Yellow Squash
- Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
- Fennel Salad with Apples and Creamy Cider Dressing
- Balsamic Roasted Root Vegetables
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead:You can assemble the casserole a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking.The pasta will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need todecrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy pasta.
- Storage:This casserole is best enjoyed immediately from the oven.Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.The pasta will dry out a bit as it sits.
- I do not recommend freezing this casserolebecause pasta has a tendency to get gummy and mushy when thawed.
Baked Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe Variations
- Don’t have penne pasta? You can substitute with other similar short pasta shapes such asrotini, rigatoni, or elbows.Just pick a pasta that has a similar cooking time as the penne (about 11-12 minutes recommended on the package) — otherwise you’ll need to adjust the casserole’s baking time in the oven.
- Stir in some veggies.If your kids like peas, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, or frozen broccoli, stir that into the dish as well! If you’re using a larger vegetable with a longer cooking time (like broccoli), you may want to steam the vegetables first before adding to the dish. For something small like frozen peas, you can just add them (still frozen) straight to the baking dish towards the end of the cooking time.
- Add more flavor to the dish by replacing some of the water with red wine.
- Jazz up the casserole with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or sundried tomatoes.
- Use chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken thighs as a sub for the chicken breast.
Tips for the Best Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe
- Dice the chicken into small, bite-size pieces before adding it to the dish. It will cook faster this way, and it will be easier to eat without cutting.
- I find that it’s easiest to cut the chicken with sharp kitchen shears.
- Use Panko bread crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. They give the topping a delicious, crispy texture that’s similar to the fried coating on traditional chicken parmesan!
- Pick a high-quality, flavorful marinara sauce. A delicious sauce will yield a delicious meal. I likeRao’s brand, but any similar variety will work.
- Total cooking time will varydepending on the type of pan that you use, your brand of pasta, and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be al dente and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbakethe casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil for a bright, colorful finishing touch.
More Chicken Parmesan Recipes to Try
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
38 minutes mins
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
1 hour hr
Healthy Chicken Parmesan {Dump-and-Bake}
40 minutes mins
And if you’re looking for even more dump-and-bake recipes, you’ll find them all here!
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
4.79 from 28 votes
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 40 minutes minutes
Total: 50 minutes minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 421 kcal
Thiseasy one-dish dinner is healthy, easy to prepare, and incredibly family-friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta
- 3 cups marinara sauce (about 1 24-ounce jar)
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ lbs. raw chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1-2 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Optional: fresh chopped herbs such as basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F.Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In the prepared baking dish (or in a separate large bowl), stir together uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, salt, pepper, and raw chicken. Tips: See my suggestions below if you'd like to add even more flavor to the dish (like red wine, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, or crushed red pepper flakes).
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Make sure that your dish is covered tightly so that none of the moisture escapes (the pasta needs to absorb the liquid as it cooks). Bake the covered dish for 30 minutes.
Uncover and give the pasta a good stir. At this point the pasta will still be firm and there will still be quite a bit of liquid in the dish. That’s fine!
Spread mozzarella over the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes (or until cheese is melted, top is golden brown, pasta is tender, and chicken is cooked through).
Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired. Serve!
Notes
- Dice the chicken into small, bite-size pieces before adding it to the dish. It will cook faster this way, and it will be easier to eat without cutting.
- I find that it’s easiest to cut the chicken with sharp kitchen shears.
- Use Panko bread crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. They give the topping a delicious, crispy texture that’s similar to the fried coating on traditional chicken parmesan!
- Pick a high-quality, flavorful marinara sauce. A delicious sauce will yield a delicious meal. I likeRao’s brand, but any similar variety will work.
- Total cooking time will varydepending on the type of pan that you use, your brand of pasta, and your individual oven. Glass or ceramic baking dishes will take longer than metal pans, for instance. To know when your casserole is done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be al dente and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbakethe casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil for a bright, colorful finishing touch.
- Don’t have penne pasta? You can substitute with other similar short pasta shapes such asrotini, rigatoni, or elbows.Just pick a pasta that has a similar cooking time as the penne (about 11-12 minutes recommended on the package) — otherwise you’ll need to adjust the casserole’s baking time in the oven.
- Use chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken thighs as a sub for the chicken breast.
- Add more flavor to the dish by replacing some of the water with red wine.
- Stir in some veggies.If your kids like peas, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, or frozen broccoli, stir that into the dish as well! If you’re using a larger vegetable with a longer cooking time (like broccoli), you may want to steam the vegetables first before adding to the dish. For something small like frozen peas, you can just add them (still frozen) straight to the baking dish towards the end of the cooking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the casseroleCalories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 33gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 1116mgPotassium: 779mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 545IUVitamin C: 7.4mgCalcium: 224mgIron: 2.4mg
Keyword: chicken parmesan casserole, chicken parmesan casserole with pasta, healthy chicken parmesan, parmesan chicken casserole
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Blair Lonergan
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This post was originally published in November, 2015. The photos were updated in June, 2023.
