Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Ultra rich and creamy, this irresitable chicken broccoli alfredo bake is the effortless dinner your meal rotation was missing. Prepared with homemade alfredo sauce, it’ll be the only dish on your table for a while.

Quick & Easy Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Casserole

With lots of broccoli and a simple alfredo sauce, this chicken broccoli alfredo bake will put all your baking dishes to good use once and for all. Freshly made or frozen for a later time, it’s an absolutely creamy dish that’ll make you reconsider the meaning of “healthy” food.

Made with your favorite short pasta and juicy, bite-sized chicken, the curly swirls are coated in a homemade sauce packed with cheese and heavy cream. If you’re out of chicken, use grilled turkey. It’s just as good without any extra fuss!

Topped with extra cheese and baked until golden and melty, you’ll be making this easy pasta bake on repeat. Sprinkled with red pepper flakes and a bit of parsley, it’ll quickly become your new favorite weeknight dinner.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Here are all the reasons why this dish deserves a spot in your meal rotation:

• Kids love it. My kid’s LOVE this dinner and I love that they will all three happily eat it!
• Freezer-friendly. Prepped ahead and frozen for a later time, this recipe will save you on a hectic weeknight when you have no time to cook but still need to put something on the table.
• Easy clean-up. Made in an oven-safe skillet, this dish goes from straight stove to oven. With pretty much one pan to clean, can you really complain about anything?
• Creamy. It’s got lots of cream and butter for an absolutely velvety sauce that everyone will love.
• Healthy. With lots of broccoli and grilled chicken, this is an easy, healthy weeknight dinner that’ll hit all the right spots.

What You’ll Need

If you’ve got chicken, pasta, broccoli, and heavy cream, you’re ready to get started. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.

For the Chicken and Pasta

• Chicken Breasts – Chicken thighs work too, just make sure they are boneless.
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Olive Oil – Any neutral oil will work!
• Butter – If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the rest of the recipe.
• Cavatappi Pasta – I like to use Cavatappi Pasta, but you can use any similar sized noodle. Penne or ziti are both good substitutes!
• Broccoli Florets – I prefer to use fresh broccoli, but frozen will work well in a pinch too.
• Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley – Feel free to use basil.

For the Sauce

We are going to use the recipe for my very favorite Homemade Alfredo Sauce, but you can also use a store-bought jarred alfredo if you prefer.

• Butter
• Heavy cream – You can use half & half instead. No sour cream, please.
• Garlic – Freshly minced garlic will give you the most flavor. Try not to use garlic that is in oil.
• Parmesan Cheese – Using freshly grated parmesan cheese is important! You don’t have to grate it yourself, but make sure to buy the kind in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. The grated parmesan cheese in the green can (that is not refrigerated) has preservatives that will thicken your Alfredo sauce too much.

How to Make Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Once you’ve tossed everything with the sauce, the oven does the rest of the work for you.

• Flatten the chicken. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken until it’s 1/2″ thick.
• Season it. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder on all sides. Set it aside.

• Cook the chicken. Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook it for 6-8 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

• Add the cream. In the same pan, melt the butter and add the heavy cream. Let it simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Add the parmesan. Add in the garlic, 1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir well and cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
• Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Add the broccoli as the pasta boils and let it simmer for 3 more minutes.

• Toss it. Drain the pasta and broccoli. Add them to the sauce pan. Chop the chicken and add to the skillet. Toss everything until it’s completely coated in sauce.

• Assemble it. Transfer the chicken broccoli alfredo to a 9×13″ baking pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of parmesan cheese on top.
• Bake it. Pop it into the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Tips for Success

This recipe is so versatile it lets you use turkey and green-bottle parmesan cheese if that’s all you’ve got on hand.

• Make it spicy. Adding red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste over the pasta or into the sauce will give this dish some heat.
• Use turkey. Grilled turkey is a great alternative to the chicken in this recipe.
• Use fresh parmesan. The kind that comes in a green bottle has lots of preservatives and will thicken the sauce too much. If possible, try to use fresh parmesan for best results. If you can’t, then adjust the sauce’s consistency with more heavy cream.
• Use an oven-safe skillet. This will allow you to move the pan from the stove and straight into the oven without needing to use any more dishes or pans.
• Swap the pasta. Use whatever short pasta type you have on hand. Penne, ziti, and fusilli are all great options.
• Alfredo sauce. If you prefer a creamier sauce, you can do this same recipe with my Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese.

What to Serve With This Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Already loaded with pasta and chicken, I like to keep the rest of the meal simple whenever I make this dish. That means no more carbs (except for occasional Dinner Rolls as a special treat) and no more chicken.

For veggie sides, I love my Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze, Air Fryer Green Beans, and Roasted Mushrooms. For soup ideas, try my Rosemary Ham and Bean Soup and Vegetable Soup. My Sausage and Kale Soup with White Beans is also a family-favorite.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

Once fully cooled, refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep it away from the heat and sunlight when its on the counter because chicken and creamy dishes spoil very easily.

To reheat it, sprinkle it with 1-2 teaspoons of milk and microwave it for 1-2 minutes or until warm. You can also heat it in a pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. For larger portions, pop it into the oven at 320 F for 12-15 minutes or until warm.

Can I Freeze This?

Absolutely! Assemble this dish as usual but don’t bake it. Let everything come down to room temperature and then transfer it to a baking dish. Wrap it with foil once and then in plastic wrap twice. Place it inside a freezer-friendly bag too to help prevent freezer burn.

Freeze it for up to 6 months. Move it into the fridge a night before serving so it has enough time to thaw. Bake it as usual and enjoy.

In A Rush?

Looking to save time? Here are a few tips to make this recipe in half the time:

• Rotisserie Chicken: Instead of cooking your own chicken, you can use already cooked chicken and just chop it up into bite size pieces. You can use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover shredded chicken you have on hand!
• Store Bought Alfredo: Instead of making your own homemade alfredo sauce, you can use a jar of store bought alfredo sauce. I am an alfredo snob and have tried many store bought alfredo sauces. While homemade is still my very favorite, if I am in a rush, Rao’s Alfredo is my favorite version you can buy.

More Easy Pasta Recipes

• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Chicken Pasta Salad
• Pasta Primavera
• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
• Shrimp Alfredo
• Cajun Shrimp Pasta

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