Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

Satisfy your cravings for comfort food with this creamy, cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or a slow weekend meal, it’s a family-friendly dish that’s quick, easy and loaded with flavour. This recipe comes together almost completely in one pan if you have an oven-safe frying pan so you won’t have a pile of dishes after dinner. Additionally, any leftovers keep well in the fridge or freezer and reheat beautifully. You can even store the assembled dish in the freezer, ready for a busy day when you just don’t have time to start a meal from scratch. With tender chicken thighs, broccoli, and a rich, cheesy sauce, it’s sure to be a hit with everyone at the table!

Can you make Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake ahead of time?

Follow the Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake recipe through step 7. Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight, then bake for 20–30 minutes until heated through and golden.

Is Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake suitable for leftovers?

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight to reheat. Reheats exceptionally well and stays super creamy.

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake

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4.8 from 5 reviews

This warming and satisfying Chicken and Broccoli Pasta bake is the ideal easy and nutritious family meal for busy weeknights.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) farfalle or shell pasta
• 2 cups (150 g) broccoli or broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
• 2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 80 g (23/4 oz) butter, unsalted
• 4 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour (or you can use gluten-free flour)
• 4 cups (1 litre) milk
• 1 cup (250 ml) water
• 2 tsp chicken stock (bouillon) powder
• ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan
• ½ cup (75 g) freshly grated mozzarella
• ¼ cup (15 g) panko breadcrumbs
• Olive oil spray

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced).
2. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, less 2 minutes. About 2 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the broccoli to the same pot (see note 1). Drain and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic and spring onion. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the chicken, paprika, salt, pepper and thyme sprigs. Increase the heat to medium–high and cook for 6–8 minutes until the chicken is browned all over.
4. Add the butter. Once melted, mix in the flour to form a paste.
5. Pour in 2 cups (500 ml) of the milk, stirring to incorporate it completely into the chicken, then add the remaining milk, the water and the chicken stock powder.
6. Cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes OR until the sauce has thickened. Depending on the pan you are using, it may take up to 15 minutes. The sauce should be able to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Stir through the parmesan and remove the thyme sprigs.
7. Stir through the cooked pasta and broccoli or broccolini. Top with the mozzarella and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Spray with olive oil spray.
8. Transfer to an oven-safe dish if needed. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. If the top is still not golden after this time, set the oven to grill (broil), and grill the top for 3–5 minutes (stay nice and close by to avoid the top burning, because this process will happen quickly).

Notes

Note 1 – I used farfalle (bowtie) pasta, which has a 10-minute total cooking time on the packet instructions. I cooked the pasta for 6 minutes, added the broccoli to the same pot and cooked the pasta and broccoli for an additional 2 minutes (8 minutes in total) before draining, which is 2 minutes LESS than the packet instructions. This is important, as the pasta will continue to cook as it bakes.

MAKE AHEAD

Follow the recipe through step 7. Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight, then bake for 20–30 minutes until heated through and golden.

LEFTOVERS

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight to reheat. Reheats exceptionally well and stays super creamy.

• Author: Nicole
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Category: Pasta
• Method: bake
• Cuisine: Italian