Chicken Alfredo Bake combines four heavily seasoned chicken breasts, one pound of penne, a cream-cheese Parmesan sauce, and a melted mozzarella finish in a 9x13-inch dish. The stovetop stages build flavor before the casserole receives only a short final bake. The verified recipe serves eight and records 15 minutes of preparation, 15 minutes of cooking, 30 minutes total, and 770 calories per serving.
Chicken Alfredo Bake Ingredients
Chicken: 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into bite-sized pieces; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 1 tablespoon onion powder; 2 tablespoons garlic powder; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter.
Alfredo Sauce: ½ cup butter; 3 cups milk; 8 oz cream cheese (1 brick); 1 tablespoon garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or ¼ teaspoon each dried oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley); ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated.
Pasta Bake: 1 lb penne pasta (or pasta of choice); 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded.
Garnish (Optional): Parmesan cheese; Fresh basil; Fresh parsley.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Orzo Tuscan Chicken Bake.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo Bake
- Prepare Chicken: Cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a large bowl. Add the oregano, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Cook Chicken: In a large skillet or frying pan, melt the butter and olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook Pasta: While the chicken is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain once cooked.
- Prepare Alfredo Sauce: In the same pan, melt the butter, milk, and cream cheese over medium heat. Stir or whisk until evenly melted. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and bring to a light simmer. Cook for about 5-8 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Combine Ingredients: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and add the cooked pasta. Stir gently to combine.
- Bake Dish: Pour the mixture into a 9” x 13” baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 350°F until cheese melts, about 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Top with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and parsley as desired. Serve and enjoy!
For storage details after serving, the USDA leftovers and food safety guidance.
Why the Order Matters
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cube four boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat them with one tablespoon each dried oregano, dried basil, and onion powder, two tablespoons garlic powder, one tablespoon salt, and one teaspoon black pepper. Melt two tablespoons butter with one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the chicken for 6–8 minutes until cooked through; remove it. Meanwhile, boil one pound penne in salted water according to its package until al dente and drain. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt one-half cup butter with three cups milk and one 8-ounce brick cream cheese, whisking until even. Add one tablespoon minced garlic, one teaspoon garlic powder, one teaspoon Italian seasoning, one-quarter teaspoon salt, and one-quarter teaspoon pepper. Stir smooth, add two cups grated Parmesan, bring to a light simmer, and cook 5–8 minutes until thickening. Return chicken, fold in pasta, transfer everything to a 9x13 dish, top with two cups mozzarella, and bake 5–10 minutes until melted. Add only the optional Parmesan, basil, and parsley garnish.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Ground Beef Stroganoff.
Critical Visual and Timing Cues
Chicken cubes should be similar in size so all pieces cook during the same 6–8 minute window. The unusually generous chicken seasoning is part of the source and must not be reduced silently. Cook penne only to al dente because it absorbs sauce and receives more oven heat. For the sauce, melt butter, milk, and cream cheese gently and whisk until the brick leaves no large lumps before adding seasonings. A light simmer, not an aggressive boil, thickens the dairy mixture for 5–8 minutes. The sauce can remain slightly loose because pasta continues to take it up. Stop the 5–10 minute bake once mozzarella is fully melted; the casserole is not meant to spend enough time in the oven to dry out.
Serving and Storage
Divide the casserole into eight servings while hot and creamy. Optional grated Parmesan, fresh basil, and fresh parsley may be added after baking, but they do not replace the measured Parmesan in the sauce or mozzarella on top. Let the dish stand briefly if a cleaner scoop is wanted, while remembering that Alfredo sauce naturally tightens as it cools. Refrigerate leftovers promptly because the bake contains cooked chicken, milk, cream cheese, butter, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Reheat covered or with gentle heat so the pasta warms without splitting the sauce. The source estimates 770 calories per serving and provides no numeric carbohydrate, fat, or protein values.
Practical Kitchen Notes
Keep the two chicken fats distinct from the sauce butter: chicken uses one tablespoon olive oil and two tablespoons butter, while Alfredo uses another one-half cup butter. Garlic also appears in three forms and roles: two tablespoons garlic powder on chicken, one tablespoon minced garlic in sauce, and one teaspoon garlic powder in sauce. Italian seasoning may be one teaspoon of a blend or one-quarter teaspoon each dried oregano, rosemary, basil, and parsley. Milk is exactly three cups and cream cheese is one 8-ounce brick. Do not add broccoli, mushrooms, jarred Alfredo, stock, or another pasta unless deliberately departing from the verified source.
Details Worth Preserving
Use the same broad skillet for chicken and sauce so the seasoned fond remains available without duplicating cookware. Remove the chicken before the dairy enters, preventing it from overcooking during sauce reduction. Start pasta water early enough for chicken and pasta to finish near one another, but follow the package rather than inventing a boiling duration. Drain without rinsing so sauce adheres. Fold gently after returning chicken to preserve the bite-size cubes. Spread the mixture evenly in the 9x13 dish before mozzarella so all eight servings receive topping. The official 15-minute cook field coexists with explicit 6–8 minute chicken, 5–8 minute sauce, and 5–10 minute bake stages that can overlap; preserve every recorded timing rather than recalculating the official total.
Recorded Recipe Tips
Conclusion
Chicken Alfredo Bake makes 8 servings in 30 recorded minutes, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time. Preserve every listed quantity and instruction for the intended result.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How many servings does Chicken Alfredo Bake make?
It makes 8 servings and serves 8.
- → How long does Chicken Alfredo Bake take?
The recipe records 15 minutes of preparation, 15 minutes of cooking, and 30 minutes total, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time.
- → When is the chicken fully cooked for Chicken Alfredo Bake?
Sauté the bite-size seasoned pieces over medium-high heat for about 6–8 minutes, until cooked through, then remove them while making the sauce.
- → How long should Chicken Alfredo Bake stay in the oven?
Bake the assembled 9x13-inch dish at 350°F for 5–10 minutes, only until the mozzarella is melted.