Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

Loaded with protein and incredible cozy flavors, this Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake is sure to be a dinner winner!

This Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake is a recipe that I've made more times than I can count! In the south, a gift of a homemade goodie says I love you and care about you! I love giving this ready-made, pop-in-the-oven chicken bake as a congratulations on your new home gift, a congratulations on the new baby gift or a I'm sorry for your loss gesture.

With its irresistible combination of tender chicken, pasta, and gooey sour cream and cheese, this dinner is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Whether you're preparing a comfort food meal for the family or hosting a get-together, this dish will surely leave everyone with happy bellies and asking for seconds...and the recipe!

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

• Seasoned Cooked Chicken
• Sour Cream
• Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
• Colby Jack and Cheddar Cheeses
• Pasta (I use Al Dente Carba Nada Pasta)
• Butter
• Butter Crackers

Tools You’ll Need

• Large and Small Mixing Bowls
• Medium Stockpot
• Spatula
• 13"x9" Baking Dish

Why You’ll like this Recipe

• It's a one dish wonder everyone will love!
• You can make it ahead of time!
• It makes for a great homemade goodie gift!
• It's super easy to make with simple ingredients!
• It's quintessential comfort food!

How to Make this Recipe

1. Cook pasta per package directions in boiling salted water and drain.

2. To a large mixing bowl, add sour cream, condensed cream of chicken soup, both cheeses and chicken. Fold until well combined.

3. Add the drained pasta, and fold again until well combined.

4. Pour the mixture into a 13"x9" baking dish and spread evenly.

5. In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and crackers until it resembles a crumble. Evenly distribute the crumble on top of the chicken mixture.

6. Bake 28-30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling at the edges and the crackers are slightly browned.

Tips and Substitutions

• I use a low-carbohydrate, high protein pasta in my recipe, but 10oz of most pasta/noodles varieties would work. This recipe is excellent with regular pasta, egg noodles or amish egg noodles.
• Regular or light sour cream both work in this dish.
• If you don't like using cream of chicken soup from a can, here is how you can make it from scratch (make sure to double the ingredients below because this recipe calls for 2 cans):
  • Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in ⅓ cup all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in ⅓ cup milk and ⅓ cup chicken broth until well combined. Season with ¼ teaspoon onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and creamy.
• Rotisserie, leftover or homemade chicken all work in this dish. If your chicken isn't pre-seasoned, consider adding garlic, salt and/or flaky poultry seasoning to the chicken mixture.
• In this recipe's video, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I cooked in the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours in chicken broth with 1-2 teaspoons each poultry seasoning and garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt.

Storage

• After the casserole has cooled completely, store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days.
• Freeze leftover casserole in an air-tight, freezer-safe container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to heating up.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can this recipe be made ahead of time?
  • Yes! You can make the filling ahead of time, cover tightly and refrigerate until you're ready to bake it. Don't add the cracker/butter mixture topping until you're ready to bake it.
• Can this recipe be made ahead of time and frozen to make at a later date?
  • Absolutely. Again, make the filling only, cover tightly and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before baking. Add the cracker/butter mixture topping when you're ready to bake it.
• What's an alternative pasta I can use in this dish?
  • I've made this and had success using regular pasta, egg noodles and amish egg noodles. While it might work just fine, I haven't tried it with alternative pastas like chickpea, bean, lentil or rice pasta.
• What size pan would I use if I halved this recipe?
  • If you want to bake half now and save the other half for later or give to a friend, divide the filling and topping into 2 9"x9" pans. The bake time will adjust to 20-25 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling at the edges.
• Is this recipe gluten-free?
  • No, there is gluten in the pasta, crackers and soup. However, you could experiment with using gluten-free alternatives.

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