Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake

This chicken broccoli pasta bake is creamy, cozy and healthy at the same time. Made with light cream cheese and nutritious broccoli, this is the perfect casserole to hide veggies in. Bonus — it’s super easy to make on a busy weeknight.

Chicken broccoli pasta bake may not sound like a very exciting dinner proposition, but you’ll be surprised at how delicious and satisfying it is.

Made with tender chicken, fresh broccoli and light cream cheese and just a bit of grated mozzarella instead of being smothered in cheddar, this is a healthy chicken and broccoli pasta bake that can easily become a family favourite.

Many chicken and broccoli pasta casseroles out there use ready-made Alfredo sauce or canned chicken soup. Not this one, though.

This is a chicken pasta bake made from scratch with wholesome ingredients so you can feed your family a nutritious meal at the end of a long day.

If you want to incorporate more broccoli in your cooking, why not try my delicious broccoli soup with feta or this easy stir fry with chicken and broccoli?

Why you’ll love this easy chicken broccoli pasta bake

• Easy to make — You start this cheesy chicken broccoli pasta bake on the stovetop and then transfer it to the oven — the entire process takes 40 minutes for a speedy dinner.
• Skinny but extra flavourful — Even though it’s not smothered in cheese, this pasta bake is super flavourful from the sauteeing the chicken with leek and garlic.
• Super-versatile — You can easily make this pasta bake your own by adding other veggies such as mushrooms, bell peppers or asparagus.

What goes into this chicken and broccoli pasta casserole?

Pasta — Any type of short pasta would do here — I usually make this pasta bake with fussili, but penne or rigatoni are also perfect.

Broccoli — It’s best to buy a fresh broccoli head and cut it into florets. You can also make this pasta bake with frozen broccoli.

Chicken — Chicken breast is lean and tender and just perfect in this casserole. If you’re not too worried about calories and want more flavour, use boneless chicken thighs instead.

Leek — Sauteeing the chicken with leek instead of onion infuses this pasta bake with so much flavour.

Garlic — Add as much garlic as you want — I like to use at least two fat cloves.

Chicken stock — Shop-bought or homemade chicken stock both work in this recipe.

Cream cheese — I used light Philadelphia cream cheese. If you don’t necessarily want to make this pasta bake skinny, you can use full-fat cream cheese instead.

Grated mozzarella — Reduced-fat grated mozzarella can be difficult to find, but since you don’t need too much, you can use full-fat mozzarella here.

How to make chicken broccoli pasta bake

Bring a large pot of pasta to a boil, salt it generously and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. Add the broccoli florets to the pasta water for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or a Dutch oven and add the diced chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and slightly golden.

Add the leek and garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Add the chicken stock, deglaze the pan, add the cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Turn off the heat.

Transfer the cooked pasta and broccoli to the pan and toss with the sauce.

Stir in half of the grated mozzarella and adjust the seasoning.

Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Allow the pasta dish to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Leftovers and storage

• This chicken broccoli pasta bake tastes best fresh out of the oven. However, if you have any leftovers, they’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or the preheated oven. The pasta bake may be a bit dry when reheated.
• You can prepare this dish as instructed up until the baking step and freeze it for later. Make sure you allow the food to cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake it from frozen for 40-50 minutes at 180°C (350°F.

Recipe notes and tips

• You can deglaze the pot with some white wine before adding the stock.
• If you’re not too concerned about the calories and fat, you can increase the amount of cheese you use.
• Use a mix of grated mozzarella and grated cheddar for an extra cheesy pasta bake.

If you liked this chicken broccoli pasta bake, you might also like some of my other easy pasta recipes with chicken:

• Sundried Tomatoes Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Peri-Peri Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
• Easy Creamy Spicy Chicken Pasta
• Easy Chicken Pesto Pasta

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