This chicken Alfredo bake is penne pasta tossed with cooked chicken and a creamy sauce, then topped with cheese and baked to perfection. A comfort food classic that’s perfect for feeding a crowd!
My family enjoys a good hearty pasta dish such as chicken parmesan pasta, seafood pasta, and this ultra creamy and decadent chicken alfredo. No one can resist all that gooey melted cheese!
Fettuccine Alfredo is a a classic dish for good reason – everyone adores that combination of tender noodles in a creamy sauce! This chicken Alfredo bake is a hearty dinner option that is sure to impress your family and friends.
How do you make chicken alfredo bake?
This recipe starts with a homemade cream sauce, which can be made in minutes with a little butter, flour, milk, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and heavy cream. I typically make my sauce while I’m waiting for the pasta to cook. After the pasta and sauce are ready, they’re tossed together with cooked cubed chicken, then everything goes into a baking dish. The finishing touch is a generous amount of shredded cheese. Bake your pasta dish until the cheese is melted and browned, then add a sprinkling of parsley and enjoy!
Tips for chicken alfredo bake
- You can use any kind of cooked chicken. This recipe works great with roasted chicken, shredded chicken made in the slow cooker, or even with a store bought rotisserie chicken.
- Feel free to use your favorite short pasta such as rigatoni, fusilli or farfalle.
- This recipe works best with freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated with anti-caking agents and will not melt as smoothly as if you grate the cheese yourself.
- The Alfredo sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. If you’re short on time, you can also use a high quality refrigerated Alfredo pasta sauce from the grocery store.
Chicken alfredo variations
This chicken Alfredo bake is a real crowd pleaser as-is, but you can also add other flavors to suit your taste.
- Shrimp: Try adding 3/4 cup cooked shrimp, or you can replace all of the chicken with shrimp for a seafood version of this dish.
- Vegetables: You can add vegetables like spinach, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, or fresh diced tomatoes.
- Cheese: For a different flavor, try using some pecorino romano or asiago cheese instead of the parmesan.
- Meat: The salty and savory flavors of bacon and prosciutto are excellent in this Alfredo bake.
- Herbs: You can use other herbs instead of parsley such as chives, thyme or fresh basil.
- Stuffed Pasta: Try using cheese ravioli or tortellini instead of penne for an extra dose of cheesy flavor.
Can you make baked pasta in advance?
This pasta bake can be made in advance and refrigerated. It will be good up to three days in the refrigerator. To reheat it simply cover the pasta in aluminum foil and bake it at 350 degrees F until the pasta reaches 165 degrees F. It will take about 45 minutes to reheat it in the oven.
This chicken Alfredo bake takes a classic dish and turns it into a cheesy masterpiece that is sure to delight. There is nothing like delicious, creamy Alfredo covered in bubbly cheese straight out of the oven!
More great pasta recipes
Chicken Alfredo Bake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta cooked in salted water according to package directions
- 3 cups diced cooked chicken
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided use
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk and cream, then simmer, whisking constantly, until sauce has just thickened.
- Add the parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella to the milk mixture, along with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir until cheese has melted.
- Place the pasta and chicken in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the top, and toss to coat evenly.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan, and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese has just started to brown.
- Sprinkle parsley over the top, then serve.
This was DELISH! So glad I tried it. Easy and yummy! Will be adding this to the rotation of my family’s favorites. Thank you for sharing!
If you used a stuffed pasta, would you cook it first according to package directions or place it in the mix raw? Thank you.
Do you mean like ravioli or tortellini when you say stuffed pasta?
Really good. I doubled the whipping cream, added more chicken and garlic salt. Tastes amazing
I’d like to make some individual freezer portions of this recipe. Any idea if that would be possible? Hints?
Add cinnamon to the sauce about a tablespoon. Recipe is great but trust me.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times for friends and family and they love it! My family always looks forward to chicken Alfredo and my kids request it at least once a week. I often use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to speed up the process or leftover cooked chicken. Super easy to make and tastes so yummy!
What if I only have a half cup of heavy cream?
It should be ok you’ll just want to add extra milk to make up the difference.
If I doubled the recipe, would cooking time be doubled?
The cooking time should be similar, maybe just add about 10 minutes.
If I want to prepare it in advance do I bake it, cool it, the refrigerate? Or combine ingredients and then put it in fridge?
You’d refrigerate unbaked, then bake right before serving.
I adore this recipe and have made it at least a couple dozen times, both as directed and with modifications! I want to share my favorite way, as I think others would enjoy it as well! I sub half the milk for chicken broth, half the mozzarella for cheddar, and I add finely chopped sautéed carrots and steamed broccoli. The carrots really add to the flavor and this makes it a whole meal in one dish, with a bit less dairy.:)
Can this recipe be made in a crock pot? It would be a great potluck dish.
I’m not sure how it would hold up in the crock pot because there’s so much dairy which can separate in the crock pot!