Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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Chicken Parmesan Casserole is by far one of the most popular recipes on Thriving Home. It is super easy to make, can easily be turned into a freezer meal, and is very family friendly. This real food, healthy dinner recipe is a staple in our home.
We joke around that this is the recipe got us a cookbook deal.
Reason is, about 7 years ago, Chicken Parmesan Casserole went viral on Pinterest, brought us lots of new followers who were seeking simple & delicious freezer meals. This increased attention snowballed and helped us catch the attention of publishers.
We’ve since carved ourselves a niche in the freezer cooking world with two cookbooks, 1 Hour Meal Prep Sessions, and more.
All thanks to Chicken Parmesan Casserole. Just watch and see how easy this meal is!
Here’s How Easy it Comes Together!
Ingredients in Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Another perk of this recipe is how simple the ingredients are. I bet you have most of these ingredients on hand:
- Cooked Chicken – Use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut.
- Marinara sauce – You can make your own marinara or use store bought. Choose the brand with the most recognizable ingredients.
- Shredded mozzarella – I like to shred my own cheese. Here’s why!
- Panko or whole wheat bread crumbs – Panko breadcrumbs will give it a great texture on top. You can use regular bread crumbs in a pinch though.
- A few fresh herbs – Adds some nice flavor and color.
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A Great Use of Leftover Chicken!
Not only is this recipe simple and delicious but it is very resourceful. What I mean by this is Chicken Parmesan Casserole is a great way to use leftover chicken.
Often times, I’ll have leftover cooked chicken from a Roasted Whole Chicken or a Rotisserie Chicken. When this is the case I throw it in the freezer until I have a few cups.
This makes it super easy to put together the casserole on a busy night. Just thaw the chicken and use it in the casserole. Easy peasy way to use up some leftovers in a tasty way.
Make it a Freezer Meal
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While it may be easier to buy the disposable foil containers, it really makes sense to stock up on some quality, safe dishes that you can bake AND store in.
How to Serve Chicken Parmesan Casserole
I almost always serve this casserole over cooked pasta. You could use penne, linguine, or really any type of noodle you have on hand. Chicken Parmesan Casserole can also be served over cooked brown rice. Lastly, it’s delicious if simply served by itself!
Here are some recipe ideas that would go well with this dish:
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
This family favorite is super easy to make, made with real food ingredients, and also freezer friendly.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (about 1.5 pounds) fully-cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (see Cooking Notes for how to cook the chicken)
- 1 jar (about 28 ounces) of marinara sauce (or make your own)
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Panko or whole wheat bread crumbs (Here is how to make your own) (Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or almond meal instead.)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–4 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
- salt and pepper, to taste
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Layer the fully-cooked chicken in the bottom. Dump in the marinara sauce and mix with the chicken. Next, top with both cheeses until all the chicken is covered.
- In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, olive oil, fresh herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper together.
- Sprinkle the seasoned breadcrumbs over the top. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the sides.
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 1-4. Cover the casserole tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap and/or foil, squeezing out as much air as possible. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the fridge over night and follow Step 5. Note: If it’s still slightly frozen in the middle, you’ll just have to cook it longer than the recipe calls for or defrost it a bit in the microwave before baking. Cover it with foil if the top gets too brown in the oven.
COOKING NOTES:
How to Cook the Chicken: For this recipe you can use rotisserie chicken from the store, which is a great short-cut! Or cook some boneless, skinless chicken breasts using one of these methods until it’s done (165°F internally or no longer pink inside):
- Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
- Slow Cooker: Place chicken in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise you’ll overcook and dry it out.
- Instant Pot: Place chicken and 1 cup chicken broth in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8 quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth.) Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)
- Grill: Pound out the chicken to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even cooking. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, maybe longer depending on the thickness.
Notes/Tips
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Be sure to check out our Top 15+ Chicken Freezer Meals. Every recipe can be made fresh or from frozen.
Absolutely delicious – our granddaughter made this and brought it to us for dinner after my husband got out of the hospital and it was a real treat with a side dish of noodles with the marinara sauce and another side dish of whole green beans.
★★★★★
I love hearing when our food is gifted to others. I’m so glad it was a help to you and your husband. Thanks for taking the time to share and leave a review, Launa.
I have made this countless times for my husband since we married 5 years ago. It’s one of his favorites! I always make it as instructed and place it over too the pasta or more frequently I place it over quinoa for a healthier and GF option.
I wondered if I could cook pasta and place it underneath before baking the casserole in the oven. Do you have tips for doing this? Maybe a different shape of pasta for easier serving? Should I only cook it to al dente? Any tips would be much appreciate. Thank you! 🙂
★★★★★
This recipe was SO easy and perfect for a busy Monday night when I didn’t feel like trying very hard. So delicious and with all the easy ingredients I didn’t even have to run to the store. Also want to thank Polly and Rachel for always pre-calculating the macros– that saves me so much time as both my husband and I do macro counting. I saw a lot of comments regarding the chicken being watery and I didn’t have that problem…I made my chicken in the instant pot beforehand and then shredded and it turned out perfect! Thanks again.
★★★★★
Thanks for taking the time to rate/review, Casey! Glad it was a simple, delicious meal for you. 🙂
Chicken Parm is a favorite at our house, but sometimes takes too long. I really like how quickly this comes together!
★★★★★
Recipe was very tasty, but chicken or sauce gave off a lot of water. It’s probably dependent upon your ingredients. I really enjoyed the flavor and crispy topping but not the watery sauce in the bottom. I used my go-to marinara sauce that I always use for lasagna, so it was probably my chicken. It’s difficult to find chicken not enhanced with chicken broth. Even so, I wanted to share my experience so others consider this before making recipe.
★★★
Thanks for your feedback, Sara. Did you use raw or fully cooked chicken? This is why we suggest using fully cooked chicken in the recipe. If you cook it from raw, it will get liquidy in the bottom.
Soupy. I not only couldn’t find the exact size of marinara sauce at the store but I followed the instructions carefully, even though they were vague. How infuriating. I can’t afford to waste food, time, money, or energy.
★
Hey Erin. I’m sorry you didn’t have success. Sometimes store-bought chicken (often the frozen chicken breasts) has water added to it and it can cause a release of more liquid. I would suggest looking for non-enhanced chicken breasts. We will try to update the instructions to be clearer. Sorry again.
I just found your website and I’m excited to start trying your recipes. I especially like that you show how to freeze and cook from freezer as I have NEVER had any luck doing this due to food somehow having So many ice crystals on them coming out of the freezer. I may have missed it but can you tell me what containers you use for baking and freezing? Thanks in advance!
So glad you found us! This post has lots of great info on what containers we use and recommend: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/the-5-best-ways-to-package-and-store-freezer-meals/
Also, you should hop over and join our Facebook group! You can always ask questions about how to prep a meal for the freezer or troubleshoot over there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/freezerfoodies/
The recipe was delicious but it definitely needs at least 2 hours for the chicken to cook I served it after over an hour @ 400 and the chicken was not all cooked yet very disappointing.
The recipe calls for cooked chicken, which I know can be easy to miss. If it’s uncooked, it will likely need a little longer in the oven (but 2 hours will be too long). Chicken just needs to reach 165°F internally. Hope that helps!
Can homemade unbaked freezer meals go straight from the freezer to the oven without thawing first, just baked longer? (Like frozen lasagna from the store?)
It just depends on the freezer meal. Some work well and some don’t. We usually try to included instructions for that if it works well. For this recipe, I think you could do that. It will bake longer for sure. You just want to make sure it’s heated through and bubbly around the edges.
Don”t have a rotisserie’s chicken was going to cook boneless chicken breasts or thighs, any recommendations?