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
“Absolutely love this recipe. I have made it twice now and love being able to eat the leftovers for lunch. It’s delicious.” Share PrintIngredients
- 500 g (1 lb) farfalle (bow tie) or shell pasta
- 150 g (5½ oz) 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) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 80 g (2¾ oz) butter, unsalted
- 4 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour (or you can use gluten-free flour)
- 1 litre (4 cups) milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) water
- 2 tsp chicken stock
- 50 g (½ cup) freshly grated parmesan
- 75 g (½ cup) freshly grated mozzarella
- 15 g (¼ cup) panko breadcrumbs
- Olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (180°C/350°F fan-forced).
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the butter. Once melted, mix in the flour to form a paste.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stir through the cooked pasta and broccoli or broccolini. Top with the mozzarella and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Spray with olive oil spray.
- 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).
Nutrition information
Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
Ella says:
Another delicious family friendly recipe.
I had no issues with it being too runny, and I did use all the water and milk, but added all slowly bit by bit so maybe that’s why.
Clean plates all round!
Nicole says:
Hi Ella, so glad this worked out well for you! Don’t you just love clean plates at the end of the meal! 🙌🏻 Thanks for sharing and for the rating. Nic x
Gemma says:
Family favourite this one!! So delicious! For someone reason I couldn’t tick the 5th star!! ⭐️ 5 stars in our fam!
Nicole says:
Hi Gemma, so thrilled that you love this. I hope you don’t mind, but I ticked the 5th star for you as you couldn’t do it at your end … I am always so thrilled to share people’s happy experiences! Nic x
Crystal says:
Any tips on how to modify the recipe if replacing pasta with rice for a gluten-free option?
Nicole says:
Hi Crystal, I can’t advise you without testing unfortunately. However, I do have this incredible Cheesy Chicken and Broccolini Rice, which you might like! Nic x
Victoria O says:
Delicious!! I left out the water because there was no room in my pan but it turned out great still. Definitely will be making this one again! Thanks Nicole!
Nicole says:
Great to hear, Victoria! Nic x
Paula Colbourne says:
I added pancetta as well, left the water out,
it really was a delicious recipe, thank you
Nicole says:
So glad you enjoyed it, Paula. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the rating! Nic x
Karis Howard says:
Absolutely love this recipe. I have made it twice now and love being able to eat the leftovers for lunch. It’s delicious. I don’t add the 4th cup of milk, only because my pan isn’t big enough, but I add less pasta. By undercooking the pasta I find that by the time it comes out of the oven, the pasta has soaked up a lot of the sauce and it’s not as runny. Perfection 👌🏼
lindabelcaro says:
Super delicious and we all loved it. Super easy recipe to follow and it came out perfect!
108063653913530304657 says:
I also found this one was way too runny! I modified the recipe by adding more flour but it still wasn’t as thick as I’d hoped. Delicious though.
112088419052086985207 says:
I made this tonight. I decided not to add the cup of water as it seemed very thin with 4 cups of milk. It turned out perfectly and was delicious!
bridgetbrasser says:
Hey Nic!
Just wondering if the quantities for the flour are correct? WIth 4 cups of milk and 1 cup of water, mine was not thickening. So I added about 3 more tablespoons of flour 🙂 Has anyone else had this issue?
Delicious still 🙂
Thank you x
Bec says:
Another winner! Especially for my son who absolutely loves broccoli.
carolinedoolub says:
Delicious! Simple and easy too. Another hit for my family and now added to the rotation
Nicole says:
So fantastic to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to rate the recipe, means so much to me! x