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This Dump-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 involved. Busy weeknights never tasted so good!
You guys!!! This Chicken Parmesan Casserole recipe is the dinnertime trifecta: easy, healthy, and kid-friendly!!!
The lightened-up dish is a perfect example of a simple and healthy supper that brings the family together — even on busy evenings — and keeps you out of the kitchen with very little 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.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Casserole:
I keep this Chicken Parmesan Casserole healthy because, unlike a traditional Chicken Parmesan recipe, this dish is baked and not fried. It also includes just enough cheese to taste good, without going overboard on the fat and calories. Let’s get right to it…
First, stir together the sauce. You can do this right in your baking dish, or you can mix the ingredients in a separate bowl. You’ll need 1 box of penne pasta (wholegrain is fine if you can find it), 3 cups of marinara sauce, 3 cups of water, and salt.
Next, stir in the uncooked chicken breast. I buy the pre-diced chicken for a shortcut, but you can purchase regular boneless, skinless chicken breasts and just dice them on your own at home. Whatever you prefer!
The raw chicken is combined with the uncooked pasta mixture…
and then transferred to a large baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake in a 425-degree F oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven, take off the foil cover, and give the pasta a 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!
It’s time to add the toppings…
Sprinkle the top of the casserole with grated reduced-fat mozzarella cheese,
Add a layer of Panko breadcrumbs (whole wheat Panko is great if you can find it), and then finish with Parmesan cheese.
The dish goes back in the oven for about 10 more minutes (uncovered), or until the pasta is tender, the sauce has thickened, the chicken is cooked through, and the topping is crispy and golden brown. Perfection!
COOK’S TIPS — SKINNY CHICKEN PARMESAN CASSEROLE:
- 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.
- Definitely use Panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. It gives the topping a delicious, crispy texture that’s similar to the fried coating on traditional Chicken Parmesan!
- Use wholegrain penne and whole wheat Panko, if possible, for some added fiber and nutritional value. If you’re like me and you can’t find these wholegrain products in your local grocery store, that’s fine too!
- Stir in some veggies! If your kids like peas, zucchini, 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.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil for a bright burst of flavor!
What to serve with Chicken Parmesan Casserole:
Since this one dish meal includes veggies (in the tomato sauce), lean protein, fat and carbs, I think that it’s perfect on its own! That said, if you’d like to get a few more veggies or sides onto the table, try these:
- A simple green salad with Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 3-Ingredient Breadsticks
- Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
- 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas
You might also like these dump-and-bake casseroles:
- 5-Ingredient Dump-and-Bake Beefaroni
- Dump-and-Bake Italian Sausage with Rice
- Dump-and-Bake Wagon Wheel Pasta Casserole
- Dump-and-Bake Pasta Puttanesca
- Dump-and-Bake Chicken Spaghetti
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta (can use whole grain pasta, if preferred)
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ lbs. raw chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella
- 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 degrees F. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In the prepared baking dish (or in a separate large bowl), stir together uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, salt and raw chicken. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. You want to 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).
- Allow the pasta to rest for 5-10 minutes before garnishing with herbs and serving.
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.
- Definitely use Panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs. It gives the topping a delicious, crispy texture that's similar to the fried coating on traditional Chicken Parmesan!
- Use wholegrain penne and whole wheat Panko, if possible, for some added fiber and nutritional value. If you're like me and you can't find these wholegrain products in your local grocery store, that's fine too!
- Stir in some veggies! If your kids like peas, zucchini, 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.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil for a bright burst of flavor!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November, 2015. It was updated in January, 2019.
My family loves this. I do add some extra Italian Seasoning and a bit more oregano. Just that makes it really flavorful!
Thanks, Kim!
Sounds amazing! Can you use chickpea or lentil pasta instead?
Hi Lauren! We haven’t tested it but recommend sticking with regular or whole grain pasta if possible as chickpea and lentil varieties can tend to become a bit mushy when baked.
This sounds wonderful and it’s on the menu for this week. It’s just me and husband, so I want to make this into 2 or 3 smaller freezer meals. Should I freeze them before or after cooking? I’ve never frozen a recipe using uncooked chicken. Thank you in advance for the advise.