This creamy chicken pasta bake is everything a midweek dinner should be. It has a creamy tomato sauce, golden bits of chicken and a cheese mix that melts into bubbling perfection!

If this is your sort of thing, you'll probably also get on well with my Rigatoni Fiorentina and my Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake.

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This recipe has the potential to become the only chicken pasta bake you'll ever want to make again. And I'm not saying that lightly. It's that good!

Do you know what the number one enemy of a pasta bake is? A poor sauce-to-pasta ratio.

That's why I tested this loads of times to make sure you're getting the amount of creamy sauce in every forkful. This is not a dry pasta bake; it's a proper saucy one and a joy to eat.

Why you'll love this creamy chicken pasta bake

The tomato and cream sauce is out-of-this-world good!
The "creamy" in the title lives up to the promise.
It feeds four generously with proper leftovers the next day.

What you'll need

Rigatoni - The ridges and the hollow middle are just brilliant for this sauce. Any short shape works though.

Olive oil - Just enough to stop the butter catching while the chicken browns.

Butter - For a bit of richness and better colour on the chicken.

Chicken breast - Cut into bite-size pieces so it cooks quickly, and you get a piece in every forkful.

Onion - Finely diced so it melts into the sauce.

Mushrooms - Chestnut mushrooms have more flavour than white ones, but use whatever you have on hand.

Garlic - Fresh, finely chopped is best here.

Tomato paste - Cook it out for a minute before any liquid goes in for more flavor.

Chicken stock - Low-sodium, so you can season the sauce yourself at the end. You can use some white wine here too if you'd like.

Tomato sauce (passata) - Sieved and smooth, which is exactly what you want here. It gives you the tomato half of this pink sauce pasta-style base.

Fresh basil - Torn and stirred through the sauce for a proper burst of flavor.

Half and half (single cream) - Enough to turn the sauce rosy without making it heavy.

Parmesan - Freshly grated is always best.

Spinach - Fresh, roughly torn, wilted straight into the sauce so it keeps its colour.

Fresh mozzarella - This is the bit that gives you the golden cheese bits on top, and the reason this doesn't look like every other pasta bake.

Pro tip

Tear the mozzarella a few minutes before you need it and leave it sitting on a piece of kitchen paper to remove the water.

How to make creamy chicken pasta bake

This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. The full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt it well and cook the rigatoni a couple of minutes short of al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a large, deep pan and brown the chicken, then lift it out and set it aside. Add the onion and the mushrooms to the same pan and cook until the mushrooms start to colour, then stir in the garlic for a minute before adding the tomato paste and letting it cook out until it darkens.

adding mushrooms to a chicken pasta bake

adding tomato paste to a chicken pasta bake

Pour in the chicken stock and the passata, add the torn basil, and let it simmer until it thickens slightly.

Stir in the cream and a third of the Parmesan, then add the spinach and let it wilt down into the sauce.

Return the chicken to the pan and season to taste.

Toss the drained pasta through the sauce, transfer everything to a baking dish, and scatter over the torn mozzarella and the rest of the Parmesan. Bake uncovered until bubbling and golden at the edges.

Substitutions and variations

Chicken thighs work great instead of breast. They stay juicier through the bake and have more flavour.
You can easily transform this into a creamy white chicken pasta bake. Just leave out the tomato paste and passata and increase the cream and stock.
For a bit of heat, add a good pinch of chilli flakes with the garlic.

Recipe tips and notes

The sauce will look quite thin when you turn off the heat. Don't worry, it's supposed to be like that. It will thicken in the oven, and the pasta will absorb some of it.
Take the chicken out once it's browned and only put it back at the end; if you leave it in the pot while you build the sauce, it may end up too dry.
Let your pasta bake sit for five minutes out of the oven before serving. It firms up just enough to hold together on the plate.

What to serve with chicken pasta bake

This is a complete meal in itself and doesn't require much on the side. However, you can serve it with a simple salad and maybe some garlic bread or your favorite crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Leftovers and storage

Like most pasta bakes, this one's best fresh out of the oven.
Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Since there's lots of sauce in the dish, it won't dry too much, but still, it might not be as creamy as the first day.
I like to reheat it in the microwave in short bursts. If you want to use the oven, cover with foil and reheat at 180C until piping hot.

More easy pasta recipes

If you've tried this creamy chicken pasta recipe, please rate it and leave a comment below! I'd love to hear how it turned out.

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