Creamy Baked Chicken Alfredo Casserole (Printable Version)

Rich and creamy baked pasta with tender chicken, silky Alfredo sauce, and gooey mozzarella cheese.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or ziti pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 cups heavy cream
06 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Cheese Topping

10 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
03 - Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Add Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir continuously until cheese melts and sauce achieves smooth consistency.
05 - Add cooked chicken and drained pasta to the Alfredo sauce. Mix thoroughly to ensure even coating of all ingredients.
06 - Transfer mixture into prepared baking dish. Distribute shredded mozzarella evenly across the top.
07 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until mozzarella is bubbling and golden brown on top.
08 - Allow casserole to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It turns simple pantry staples into a meal that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • The creamy Alfredo sauce clings to every piece of pasta, and the mozzarella on top gets those irresistible crispy edges.
  • You can assemble it ahead and bake it when you need it, making weeknight chaos so much easier.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully and somehow taste even richer the next day.
02 -
  • Don't overcook the pasta in the boiling stage, it continues to cook in the oven and mushy pasta ruins the whole texture.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts into the sauce without clumping, pre-shredded varieties have coatings that make the sauce grainy.
  • Let the casserole rest for those 5 minutes, it firms up just enough to slice cleanly and keeps the sauce from running all over the plate.
03 -
  • Use a mix of mozzarella and provolone on top for extra flavor and a deeper golden color.
  • Toss the cooked pasta with a little butter before adding it to the sauce, it keeps the noodles from sticking together.
  • If the sauce looks too thick, thin it with a splash of pasta water or milk before baking.
  • Let the garlic cook just until fragrant, burned garlic turns bitter and there's no coming back from that.
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