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A 10-minute crowd-pleaser, this dump-and-bake chicken Alfredo pasta casserole is an easy, cheesy, comfort food dinner for your busiest weeknights — and you don’t even have to boil the pasta! Serve the simple Chicken Alfredo Bake with a side of broccoli, a crisp green salad, garlic bread or a crusty baguette. With a jar of Alfredo sauce and a rotisserie chicken, it’s one of the quickest meals you’ll ever prep!
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Casserole | 1-Minute Video
Family dinners don’t get much easier than a dump-and-bake version of a cheesy Chicken Alfredo Casserole! With just one dish and about 10 minutes of prep, you can stir together a simple, hearty, satisfying meal — and let the oven do the rest of the work! You don’t even have to boil the pasta or prep any ingredients, and the noodles come out tender and perfect every time!
Where Does Pasta Alfredo Come From?
Apparently the well loved fettuccine Alfredo pasta dish originates from Rome, where a man named Alfredo created a dish consisting of fettuccine, butter and parmesan for his pregnant wife. Over the years, the Americanized version of this sauce became richer and creamier — and is now often paired with meat.
Whether or not this story is true, no one can deny how comforting and incredibly delicious alfredo pasta truly is! And while a made-from-scratch version of the classic Italian dish will always be best, sometimes we’re short on time or we just don’t feel like cooking. When you need a home-cooked meal on the table with minimal effort, this easy baked chicken pasta casserole comes to the rescue! Best of all, it’s made in one dish from start to finish, so you don’t even have many dishes to wash at the end.
Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo Pasta
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for the easiest chicken alfredo recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Rotini pasta: If you can’t find rotini, another short pasta will work. Try penne, ziti or medium shells for nice substitutes.
- Alfredo sauce: I keep it simple with a jar of store-bought sauce, but you can certainly use your own homemade Alfredo with heavy cream if you prefer. You’ll need a total of about 2 ½ cups, which is approximately one very large 22-ounce jar, or 1 ½ 15-ounce jars.
- Chicken stock: adds flavor to the pasta and sauce as the ingredients cook together in the pan. Chicken broth is a perfectly fine substitute if you don’t have stock on hand.
- Cooked chicken: I use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for convenience, but you can also cook your own chicken at home if you prefer. You will need about 1 lb. of raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) to equal about 2 cups of cooked, shredded meat.
- Garlic: mince or press a garlic clove, or use a bottled version of pre-minced garlic for a shortcut.
- Mozzarella: for a melty, gooey, cheesy topping. You can substitute with any good melting cheese that you prefer. An Italian blend that includes a combination of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses is also really nice.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Casserole
Start by preheating your oven, because there’s very little prep work necessary for this creamy Chicken Alfredo Casserole!
- In a large baking dish (or in a separate bowl if it’s easier), toss together the uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken, and garlic.
- Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake in a 425°F oven for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the dish and give the pasta a stir. At this point, the noodles should be al dente and most of the liquid should be absorbed. If it’s still too firm, then re-cover the dish and continue baking until the pasta is tender, but with a firm bite.
- Sprinkle mozzarella on top, and return the dish to the oven.
- Bake for about 8-10 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pasta is tender.
- Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese or fresh parsley (or other herbs), if desired. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
What to Serve with Chicken Alfredo Pasta
This hearty casserole is delicious when paired with a Caesar salad or a simple green salad dressed in Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette. Steamed broccoli, roasted asparagus, 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas, and Sauteed Zucchini are all great vegetables to serve with Chicken Alfredo, too. You might like to round out the meal with slices of garlic bread, crusty French baguette, or homemade focaccia bread.
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 to decrease 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, so you may need to stir in some additional Alfredo sauce or stock when you reheat the dish. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
I do not recommend freezing this casserole because pasta has a tendency to get gummy and mushy when thawed. That said, I know that other readers have frozen leftovers without issue.
Recipe Variations — Chicken Alfredo Bake
- Don’t have rotini? You can substitute with other similar short pasta shapes such as penne, ziti, elbows or medium shells. Just pick a pasta that has a similar cooking time as rotini (about 7-8 minutes recommended on the package) — otherwise you’ll need to adjust the casserole’s baking time in the oven.
- Cooking for a Smaller Family: Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square pan. Check the pasta after 30 minutes, as it may be done slightly sooner than the larger pan.
- Add vegetables to the Chicken Alfredo for a complete meal. You can stir frozen peas or fresh spinach into the dish at the end (right before you add the cheese), or include broccoli at the start. If using frozen broccoli, just thaw it and stir it right into the dish. If using fresh broccoli florets, you might need to par-boil or steam them first so that they’re a little bit tender when you add them to the casserole.
- Use homemade Alfredo sauce instead of a jar of store-bought sauce.
- Add herbs to the Alfredo casserole for even more flavor. Good options include fresh or dried parsley, basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary. An Italian seasoning blend would also be fine, since it combines a lot of these spices in one convenient package.
Tips for the Best Chicken Alfredo Casserole Recipe
- Pick a high-quality, flavorful Alfredo sauce (or make your own). With only 6 ingredients in the casserole, each individual ingredient is very important! A delicious sauce will yield a delicious meal. I like Rao’s brand if you can find it, but any similar variety (like Prego) will work.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use 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 tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbake the casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish the casserole with fresh herbs like basil or parsley for a bright, fresh touch. A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese is also delicious!
More Dump-and-Bake Casserole Recipes to Try
- Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
- Dump- and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Stuffing Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken and Mushroom Casserole
- 5-Ingredient Dump-and-Bake Beefaroni
Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole
Equipment
- 4 Quart Baking Dish (I love this stunning Le Creuset option that comes with a lid)
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
- 22 oz jar Alfredo sauce (about 1 very large 22-ounce jar or 1 ½ 15-ounce jars) (approximately 2 ½ cups total)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (or other diced cooked chicken)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (or Italian blend cheese)
- Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs (such as basil, oregano, and parsley for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- In a large baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken stock, chicken and garlic. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover; give the pasta a good stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but with a tender bite). I have had good luck with the 30-minute cook time; however, some readers have noted that it required about 10 or 15 minutes longer. If it’s still too hard after 30 minutes, just cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 8-10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Pick a high-quality, flavorful Alfredo sauce (or make your own). With only 6 ingredients in the casserole, each individual ingredient is very important! A delicious sauce will yield a delicious meal. I like Rao’s brand, but any similar variety will work.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use 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 tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbake the casserole or the pasta will become mushy.
- Garnish the casserole with fresh herbs like basil or parsley for a bright, fresh touch. A sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese is also delicious!
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in February, 2016. The images and text were updated in February, 2021.
Oh boy….. I accidentally mixed in all the cheese BEFORE baking it…. Here’s to hoping it still turns out…. Yikes! If you read this in the next 30 minutes give me some hope!! 🙂
I think it will be fine, Lori! 🙂
hi! can i cut the recipe in half and use a smaller baking dish? as long as i halve everything it should work right? would the bake time still be the same? thanks!
Absolutely! I’ve done that many times. 🙂 Cut every ingredient in half and bake in an 8-inch square dish. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same. Enjoy!
I made this for my husband and extremely picky daughter. Everyone loved it. I added 10 mins after the initial 30 and it was perfect. We will be adding this to our regular rotation.
Wonderful! Thanks, Kim — I’m so glad to hear that your family enjoyed it! 🙂
I wouldn’t make this again.. 30 minutes is nowhere near enough time. Noodles are still brittle. Total time in the oven for me was 1 hour.
I can definately make a way better chicken alfredo from scratch in half the time including tha sauce..
This dish was more a kin to a frozen dinner. Threw it out. I made a poor decision to try and take a shortcut that ultimately took longer and turned out terrible.
I totally screwed up the recipe and it still turned out okay. Forgot to cover it, so I ended up stirring it about 10 minutes before it was done cooking. I used up all my mozarella on another recipe, so I put a bunch of Parmesan cheese on it before I served it. I also put in 4 cups of chicken, cuz I couldn’t save the chicken for later. I served this at a women’s retreat and everyone loved it.
That’s great, Barb! Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
I’m so dumb, I totally put raw chicken in with the pasta since I usually bake my chicken anyways in my Alfredo.
It’s okay, Harley! If the chicken was diced into small pieces, it should be totally fine. 🙂
Can I use frozen diced rotisserie chicken? Defrosted, of course.
Absolutely! 🙂
Can you sub chicken broth for the chicken stock?
Absolutely! Enjoy, Laura!
Made this tonight after my kids had requested “that yummy white chicken pasta from Costco”. My errands ran long and I didn’t make it to Costco today, so my search for a similar recipe sent me here. I’m thrilled to have found this! All five kids at my dinner table loved this! What an easy-peasy and super delicious recipe! I followed as Directed, but accidentally started mixing the cheese in instead of topping (was multitasking and helping my son with homework). Also mixed in some finely chopped broccoli and zucchini (half a head and half a zucchini). I have a feeling this will become be a weekly staple! Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful! There’s nothing better than an easy dinner that all of the kids can agree on! 🙂
Can I use marinara sauce instead of Alfredo sauce?
Yes! 🙂
Great dish and easy to make. I love it!
Thanks, Tonya!
Cannthis be cooked one day, put in fridge and reheated?
Hey, Maggie! Yes, you can definitely do that. Like any other pasta casserole, I don’t think that the texture of the pasta is quite as good when it’s reheated…but it will work.
What a wonderful casserole! I did add one more jar of Alfredo. This dish was the bomb! Thank you so much!!!!
Thanks, Jennifer! 🙂
My kids love this. I use two 15 ounce jars of Alfredo sauce (I was in the middle of making it when I realized I had the wrong size jars of Alfredo and just used two) and two chicken breasts. I have added broccoli and I think it is an improvement but my son disagrees. The kids would eat it every week.
Sounds great, Georgia! Thank you!
WOW! Absolutely delicious! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Thanks, Karen!
The first time I made this I decided it needed a bit more flavor/ zing. Second time I added a can of Hunts diced tomatoes with sweet onion along with bite size broccoli and oh my it was delicious.
Thank you for the recipe !!
SW
Your changes sound delicious! Thanks, Sandi!
Hi there. Just wanted to say I tried this recipe last night and it was so good and so easy! Barely any cleanup, too.
I haven’t been feeling well from some medicine side effects and needed something easy and something that I could use up a rotisserie chicken on so it wouldn’t go to waste. So I searched chicken and pasta casserole and this site came up…
I didn’t have any fresh herbs on hand so I added half a tsp of Mrs Dash garlic n herb.
I cut the recipe in half for just my husband and I and we have enough for leftovers tonight.
Broccoli goes really good with it.
That’s wonderful, Kristin! Thanks for your note, and I hope that you’re feeling better soon!
Hey, Taylor! I’m not sure what went wrong, either. It shouldn’t be watery if the noodles are cooked through, because the pasta absorbs liquid as it bakes. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to see what may have gone wrong. 🙁
What if I do not have any broth on hand?
I would substitute with water. It won’t have quite as much flavor, but it will still work!
Absolutely delicious! A huge hit at my table.i found a recipe for homemade Alfredo sauce and used that with a couple of tweaks for the fussy ones at my house. It’s being added to my collection and I’m excited to check out your other Dump and Bake recipes.
That’s awesome, Cathy! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note and let me know! 🙂
Hi, Blair–
Wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe last week and it was so good and easy. I used penne pasta and the mozzarella I used was smoked so gave a really nice taste. I keep a bag of Wegmans frozen cooked chicken strips on hand and they were perfect in this. We got 8 meals out of it (two people for 4 meals each)! My husband really liked this! These “Dump and Bake” meals are great–I love being able to put everything in one pan and throw it in the oven and then having time to do other things. Thanks for another goodie!
That’s wonderful, Norma! Thank you so much for letting me know. I agree — Dump-and-Bake dinners rock! 🙂
I am so excited to make this tomorrow ! I am making lasagna too – and that recipe calls for the oven to be at 375.. I really need to have them
in the oven together.. do you think this would be ok to cook at 375? I know there’s probably no way to know for sure until I try it.. I just thought you might have a suggestion. Thank you so much for this recipe.. really appreciate it!
Hi, Shannon! This should work in the 375 degree F oven — you’ll just need to increase the baking time to make sure that the pasta is tender. 🙂
Such an easy recipe. Family loved it!
I added some fresh basil and will add broccoli next time.
Thanks for the recipe, Blair!
Perfect! Thanks for leaving a kind note, Barry!
Can Penne Noodles or Shell Noodles be used?
Hi, Chris! Absolutely! You may just need to adjust the baking time slightly, depending on the size/shape of the pasta that you use. Keep an eye on it and pull it out as soon as the pasta is tender. You don’t want it to be overcooked and mushy. 🙂
i’m unable to eat broccoli. can you please recommend other veggies? also can i cook myown chicken for this/ if so how many breast should i sue/ thank you
Hi, Joanne! You can add any veggies that you like — stir in frozen peas towards the end (since they don’t need long to cook), or use frozen or canned cut green beans, for instance. The total amount of chicken that you need for two cups will depend on the size of your chicken breast, but two chicken breasts will be plenty. Enjoy!
Did you mean a 16oz jar of sauce ? Because my store doesn’t make a 22 oz jar. I got two small ones but just checking first
Hi, Megan! No, there’s a larger “family size” jar that’s 22 ounces. No worries if you can’t find it at your store — just use a little less than two of the smaller jars, as you mentioned. Enjoy!