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 necessary!
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If you love the ease of dump-and-bake dinners, be sure to try this dump-and-bake shrimp alfredo, this pasta alfredo chicken pasta, this chicken pasta casserole, this chicken divan casserole, a pan of dump-and-bake healthy General Tso chicken, honey soy chicken, and this dump-and-bake chicken taco casserole, too!
Hi, I just made this for dinner and it’s delicious! So easy to prepare, no pots to wash, my 6 y/o loves it and it’s WW friendly! I followed the recipe exactly except I seasoned everything with my own Italian favorites…
– Karen
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.
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- 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.
- Don’t have penne pasta? You can substitute with other similar short pasta shapes such as rotini, 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.
- Pick a high-quality, flavorful marinara sauce. A delicious sauce will yield a delicious meal. I like Rao’s brand, but any similar variety will work. Or, use pomodoro sauce for a slightly different taste.
- 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!
- Total cooking time will vary depending 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.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the healthy chicken parmesan casserole with garlic bread, no-knead cast iron focaccia, roasted broccoli, roasted yellow squash, or a green side salad with red wine vinegar salad dressing. It’s one of those great meals that the whole family can agree on!
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 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.
- I do not recommend freezing this casserole because pasta has a tendency to get gummy and mushy when thawed.
I just made this for dinner and it turned out perfect. The extra liquid I observed after the first half hour of cooking had disappeared after I added the cheese and bread crumbs. Such an easy meal to put together … And delicious too!
– Deb
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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 cheese or Italian cheese blend
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Optional garnish: fresh chopped herbs such as fresh basil or fresh parsley
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
- Total cooking time will vary depending 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 overcook the pasta or it will become mushy.
- Add more flavor to the dish by replacing some of the water with red wine.
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Nutrition
Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe Variations
- 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 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or sundried tomatoes.
- Use chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken thighs as a sub for the boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- If you’d like to start with cooked chicken (such as shredded rotisserie chicken) rather than raw meat, that works too. You’ll need about 3-4 cups of cooked, shredded or diced chicken.
- For a similar dish with slightly different flavors, try this dump-and-bake chicken pot pie pasta.
More Chicken Parmesan Recipes
Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe
38 minutes mins
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
1 hour hr
Healthy Chicken Parmesan
27 minutes mins
This post was originally published in November, 2015. It was updated in September, 2024.
Oh my goodness this looks amazing!! And so easy. Plus, I think my kids would actually eat this too!
Awesome! I hope they love it, Christine!!
I made this tonight for dinner. I made a couple of changes based on the reviews and what I had on had. I heated the water before I added it to the sauce and noodles. I also added half a container of chive and onion cream cheese and frozen basil cubes. The chicken and pasta were done at 35 minutes. It turned out really yummy! Thank you!
Sounds great, Stefanie! Thanks for letting us know, and I’m glad that you enjoyed it!!
I made this for dinner and work lunches for the week. Super easy to make! Followed the directions and just added a few more spices, and it was delicious. Cook times were good for me. Used thinly sliced chicken. Turned out great, very delicious! Thanks.
Thanks for letting me know, Jessie! I’m glad that you liked it! 🙂
I made this last night and loved that neither the pasta or raw meat needed to be cooked separately in advance. When I first took the dish out after the 30 minutes, there was still a lot of liquid and I was a little worried. But after I added the cheese and breadcrumbs and put it back in the oven uncovered for 10 minutes, all of the excess liquid had absorbed. I used turkey cutlets as the meat, so they were nice and thin and cooked thoroughly. I will definitely make this again and give the recipe to my college student daughter. Thank you!
That’s so great! Thanks for letting me know, Diana! 🙂
I just made this for dinner and it turned out perfect. The extra liquid I observed after the first half hour of cooking had disappeared after I added the cheese and bread crumbs. Such an easy meal to put together … And delicious too!
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback, Deb!!
Made the recipe exactly as it was written, except I added onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. I measured all of the seasonings with my heart, so I couldn’t really say how much, but it is absolutely something we will make again and again. My kids (7 and 3) loved it and any time we can make something that pleases them both, it’s a big win for us! Thanks so much for sharing this!!!
That’s always the biggest praise — when the little ones will eat it, too! 🙂 Thanks, Aaron!
You did Not make it exactly as written. You added numerous ingredients and didn’t measure. Altering a recipe is fine, but please don’t claim to follow it exactly. Some of us look for a comment from someone who DID cook it exactly to see how it turned out.
We’d love to know how it goes if you try it out, Jeanne. We hope you enjoy!
Anyone know if this works with gluten free pasta???
Hi, Kristine! I haven’t tested it myself, but I know readers have had good luck with GF pasta in other similar dump-and-bake recipes. You’ll just need to keep an eye on the pasta towards the end of the baking time because it might require a shorter or longer time in the oven (depending on the brand/shape/type of pasta).
First of all, this casserole made the house smell *divine*. I needed something quick, simple and delicious, and this worked perfectly.
I cut the recipe in half and used provolone slices instead of grated mots, because that’s all I had. Still. Delicious. I let it set ten minutes after it came out of the oven, my husband and I circling like a pair of vultures around the kitchen island as we waited. It was delicious. Neither of us loves Italian food, but we tore this up!
You’re a genius, Blaire.
Also, to anyone making this who is iffy about the flavor, iiiit’s probably your pasta sauce. Choose a more robust sauce next time and I promise it’ll knock your socks all the way off.
Thanks so much, Nessa! I’m glad that you loved the meal as much as we do! I totally agree — the sauce makes the dish (since that’s the major flavor component), so it’s key to pick one that you like. 🙂
“Iffy about the flavor” comment:If you don’t like Italian food,obviously you and your family have a strange palette,why would you offer your uneducated opinion about Italian food.The sauce as described is perfect.
Sir, not liking Italian food does not make one “strange”.
True, but making and Italian dish when you don’t care for Italian food is odd.
Hi, I just made this for dinner and it’s delicious! So easy to prepare, no pots to wash, my 6y/o loves it and it’s WW friendly! I followed the recipe exactly except I seasoned everything with my own Italian favorites.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I look forward to trying out your other “dump and bake” recipes!
Fondly, Karen
Hi, Karen! I’m so glad that you and your little one enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
This was really good! I read the other reviews adding garlic powder and oregano, baked according to the directions and it was perfect. Will definitely be making again and trying your other recipes. This was so simple and quick to put together! I really like recipes which are easy to make.
Awesome! So glad that you enjoyed it, Annette!
Made this tonight. I added a little bit of Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the pasta mixture. Baked for the 30mins covered I was worried because there was still quite a bit of liquid. But I followed the rest of the instructions and it came out perfect. It was delicious although next time I would probably decrease bread crumbs a little as they seemed a bit much. Thanks
Great, Kristen! Thanks so much for the feedback!
I just found your site today and made this recipe tonight. I made some small changes: cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and seasoned them (salt, pepper, oregano) before adding to the pasta and used crushed garlic croutons instead of bread crumbs. I also used regular pasta instead of whole wheat – yes, I know the whole wheat pasta makes it healthier, but my husband absolutely will not eat it (I’ve tried blind taste tests – he can tell the difference). For anyone who has the same problem, I used 14 oz of pasta and 20 oz of water, plus about 25 oz of sauce. I also mixed a little basil paste into the cheese, and used shredded rather than grated parm. The casserole turned out really well – I’m sure it would have been fabulous without these changes, too. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi, Mia! Awesome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, and I appreciate your tips for the different modifications. Sounds great!
This was delicious, and quite filling! It did cost me 10 freestyle smartpoints, but that’s to be expected with a pasta dish, and since my breakfast and lunch points are so small, it really doesn’t hurt. I love how it comes together quickly. I think I got this together and in the oven in about 5 minutes or less. Perfect busy night meal, or when you just don’t feel like cooking, without the compromise of eating fast food. I did use Barilla Protein Plus for the pasta, just because we like it better. That may or may not effect the Freestyle points. So keep that in mind if you’re a Weight Watcher. Calculate it with your ingredients. But seriously, Blair, this dish is as delicious as it looks! Love it love it! I will be making this again and again. Since it’s so fast to put together, I’m thinking I might make a couple of them and freeze them for later.
Hi, Christine! Thanks so much for your note! I’m glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can this be made and frozen for later use?
Hi, Ann! Yes, I think it would work well as a freezer meal. I would freeze it BEFORE baking, and then when you’re ready to cook it, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. 🙂
saw this Monday on pinterest ordered ingredients and made it for dinner Monday night! I did add some extra seasoning per my taste. Cooked 15 minutes more after I added the cheese and bread crumbs to allow the chicken to fully cooked. Family LOVED it. Shared the recipe with all of my coworkers and friends. Thanks for such a quick and delicious recipe! Look forward to cooking more of your recipes!
Yay! I’m so glad that your family loved it!
Hi Blair!
I think this will be the next one of your recipes I will try. Just wondering if you can substitute the water with chicken broth. Would this make the dish more flavorful or better in any way? I’ve seen in a few of your other red sauce based dishes that you use stock instead of water so I was just curious what the difference is. I will definitely let you know if I end up making this and how it turns out!
Hi, Alyssa! Yes, you can definitely use the chicken broth if you’d like to add a little bit more flavor to the dish. Totally up to you — it will be delicious either way! 🙂
Does is matter what shape pasta you use? Will it still bake correctly?
Hi, Bailey! The shape doesn’t matter as much as the cooking time. The penne pasta that I used has a cooking time of about 11 minutes (called for on the box). If you use a different shape pasta, just make sure that the instructions on the box call for 11-12 minutes, too. Otherwise, you’ll just need to adjust the amount of time that your casserole is in the oven. 🙂
Thank you, Blair! Made this for dinner last night. Just as quick and easy as the title states. Added zucchini and crushed red pepper. The hubby loved it, which made me very happy as he is picky. Also, there was enough for two lunches for each of us left over. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes!
Thanks, Jane! 🙂
I made this last night I made two changes I used spaghetti sauce instead of what you used and added a can of Italian tomatoes. It was very very very tasty I will be making it again. Were having leftovers tonight.
Thanks so much.
Thanks, Jill!!!
Hubby loved it! I used previously frozen homemade sauce that I forgot had italian sausage in it, so that was a pleasant addition! I halved the recipe since it’s just the two of us. I used rotini, which has the similar cooking time Blair has mentioned. The next time I make it, I will add a little more sauce, or serve some on the side, as I like my pasta a little saucier. This one is definitley a keeper!
Wonderful! Thank you — I’m so glad to hear that it was a hit! 🙂 I bet that added Italian sausage was delicious!
I made this tonight and the family really liked it. I had slightly frozen chicken, so I cut the pieces very small. The pasta was cooked perfectly. From prep to the table in less than an hour. Great recipe!
Thank you, Sandy!
I made this last night and it is just as easy as the recipe seems. The only complaints I had was that in my opinion, the noodles were slightly gummy, so next time i make it (and there will certainly be a next time), I may pre cook the noodles JUST A SMIDGE. Also, since there’s no other seasonings, which i think you could also add if you wanted to, make sure you don’t skimp on the marinara sauce. Get the REALLY GOOD marinara sauce!