Chicken Parmesan Casserole
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Chicken Parmesan Casserole is by far one of the most popular (and simple) recipes on Thriving Home. Shredded chicken, flavorful marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping make up this quick and comforting casserole. Enjoy “as is” or serve over pasta.
5 Reasons to Make This Recipe Tonight
If you’re short on time, new to cooking, feeding picky eaters, or just tired at the end of the day, we created this recipe for you. Here’s why it’s our most popular casserole…
- Only 6 main ingredients: So simple! You probably have most ingredients on hand. Plus it’s a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken.
- Fast: This only takes 35 minutes to make from start to finish.
- Kid-friendly: Just like our Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake, People of all ages like this casserole. Just check out the comments.
- Freezer-friendly: We give you freezer meal instructions so that it will come out tasting like a fresh meal, just like we do in all our freezer meals. So double your batch and freeze one for later.
- Healthy: Serve alongside some whole grain pasta or brown rice and a salad or veggie, and you’ve got a well-rounded, nutritious meal.
P.S. If you like this easy casserole, you’ll love our 4-layer Chicken and Stuffing Casserole.
Key Ingredients
Like I mentioned, a perk of this recipe is the simplicity of the ingredients–only 6 main ones! I bet you have most of these on hand:
- Cooked Chicken – Use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut or I included directions for how to cook your chicken ahead of time in the Cooking Notes. You could also use chicken from our Roasted Chicken and Vegetables recipe or from Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
- Marinara sauce – You can make your own marinara sauce or use store bought. Choose the brand with the most recognizable ingredients. We recommend Newman’s Own or Rao’s brands.
- Shredded Mozzarella cheese – Like our Baked Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Parmesan Sandwich, this cheese adds Italian comfort factor.
- Shredded Parmesan cheese – Another mandatory staple of Chicken Parmesan. Grated Parmesan will work, too.
- Panko or whole wheat bread crumbs – Panko breadcrumbs will give it a great texture on top. You can also use regular homemade breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs too.
- Fresh herbs – Fresh parsley or basil adds some additional flavor and color. You can substitute dried herbs from your pantry.
Note: Find our full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and directions at the bottom of this post.
Reader Tip: Add Pasta
Several of our readers have said they add cooked pasta, such as rotini or penne pasta, as the bottom layer of the casserole with success.
We would suggest cooking pasta just until it’s al dente, so it doesn’t get too soft after baking. Also, make sure it gets coated in the marinara sauce so it doesn’t dry out.
Make It a Freezer Meal
As with many of our freezer-friendly recipes, this one freezes wonderfully. A valuable use of your time in the kitchen is to double this recipe and a freeze an 8×8 dish for another dinner.
To Freeze: Simply assemble the casserole (with cooked chicken), do NOT bake, and then freeze it in an airtight freezer container.
To Prepare From Frozen: When you want to make it, thaw and bake it according to the recipe instructions
How to Serve Chicken Parmesan Casserole
I almost always serve this casserole over cooked pasta. You could use penne, linguine, rotini, 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!
For a well-rounded meal, serve it with one of these delicious side dishes:
- Garlic Green Beans
- Side salad topped with Honey Dijon Dressing
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Autumn Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Cheesy Pesto Bread or Texas Toast
FAQs
While mozzarella and Parmesan are the classic cheeses used in Chicken Parmesan, feel free to use other types. Try shredded Italian blend, asiago, or provolone in place of the mozzarella and grated Romano or even crumbled feta cheese in place of the Parmesan.
I have tested the casserole with raw chicken and it will get cooked through in about 20-30 minutes (be that a meat thermometer registers 165°F when inserted in the chicken). However, I’ve found that raw chicken releases a lot of liquid and can leave an unappetizing film behind in the dish. So, I recommend using fully cooked chicken instead.
Yes, several of our readers have said they add cooked pasta, such as rotini or penne pasta, as the bottom layer of the casserole with success.
We would suggest cooking pasta just until it’s al dente, so it doesn’t get too soft after baking. Also, make sure it gets coated in the marinara sauce so it doesn’t dry out.
Yes, you can freeze Chicken Parmesan Casserole. After prepping the casserole but before baking, wrap the dish in several layers of plastic wrap or foil, pressing out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes, this casserole can be made gluten free by simply using gluten free breadcrumbs.
More Chicken Casseroles to Try
If you like this casserole, you’re sure to love some of these other favorite chicken casseroles:
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (or Turkey Stuffing Casserole)
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
Be sure to check out our Top 15+ Chicken Freezer Meals, too. Every recipe can be made fresh or from frozen.
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 1/2 pounds) fully-cooked chicken, shredded or cubed (see Cooking Notes)
- 3 cups marinara sauce (or one 24-ounce jar)
- 1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Panko or regular bread crumbs (sub: gluten free bread crumbs)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–4 tablespoons 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, stir together the breadcrumbs, olive oil, fresh parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- 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. If you want it a little more browned on top, turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes (watch closely so it doesn’t burn!). Serve “as is” or over your favorite cooked pasta or rice.
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.
Notes/Tips
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). Be sure to season well with salt and pepper first.
- 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 2 1/2 to 3 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 or water 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: Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have thinner pieces (this helps 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.
Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free bread crumbs. I like to make my own with gluten-free breadcrumbs, because I can’t stand the gummy rice flour ones at the store.
Adding Pasta: Several of our readers have said they add cooked pasta as the bottom layer of the casserole with success. We would suggest cooking pasta just until it’s al dente, so it doesn’t get too soft after baking. Also, make sure it gets coated in the marinara sauce so it doesn’t dry out.
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.
About how many calories per serving does this have?
I did it with raw chicken, cut in ~1″ cubes, and 40min at 350 cooked it all through. I didn’t find I needed to cover it, it browned a fine amount. It does end up a bit wetter than with cooked chicken; a little saucy to eat on its own, to my taste, but perfect over pasta. I did also use regular dry bread crumbs this time, as opposed to panko when I made it with cooked chicken, and that could be part of it too.
What are the nutritional values or WW points ?
Sorry, Terri, I don’t. But, I just ran across this free simple web tool that might help you. We’d like to make it a goal to start including nutritional content with our recipes. http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit! Gave my husband a little taste before I started serving it and he wanted to eat it right out of the pan! Thank you, my family really enjoyed it.
Can you freeze this with the breadcrumbs on it? I heard that will make them soggy.
I do and have no problem, but that’s me. Anyone else is welcome to chime in!
P.S. just broil it if it’s soggy at the end to crisp them up.
I boiled 4 chicken breast with the bone in, when they were done I chopped up the chicken. I even took out a cup full and saved it for chicken salad and it was very DRY. We ate it but it wasn’t that good. I will have to buy another jar of Marinara to finish off the casserole. I even got the 24 oz jar of Paul Newmans Marinara Sauce. The picture looked like it would be very good.
Oh my, this was good! I didn’t expect it to be this good (it was just jarred sauce after all…) But whoa, the flavors melded together and made this a new favorite. Thanks!
Glad you liked it! It’s always a hit in our house.
About how many servings would you say the 8×8 pan feeds? I have a family of 6 so I am trying to see if I need to double or even triple this recipe.
The 8×8 feeds my family of 5, but my younger ones don’t eat a ton. My guess is that the 9×13 would easily feed yours unless you have some hungry teenage boys.
I am wanting to make this recipe and was wandering if you boil your chicken and shred it or do you cube it and cook it in a skillet?
You really can do either. Just pick your preference on how you like to cook chicken. I like to bake chicken breasts in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, let them cool a bit and then chop them up. It really just depends on the consistency you prefer.
You know, when I make this it’s usually because I have leftover chicken from making my Roasted Chicken and Veggies recipe. But, you can really cook the chicken however if easiest for you. The recipe is extremely forgiving. 🙂
I just made this for dinner and I don’t want to waste the left overs do I just put in a zip lock bag and freeze
Sure, I do that all the time. Works fine to warm on the defrost setting in the microwave later or to defrost in the fridge and warm up when ready.
This may be a silly question… the recipe calls for shredded chicken but the photo shows cubed. Has anyone had it both ways? Which is better?
A valid question. Either way really is fine. Just depends on the consistency that you prefer. Just as long as it’s cooked!
I just made this tonight and it was soo good. I added a bag of fresh spinach that I wilted as another layer and I didn’t have any marinara sauce so I just made some spaghetti sauce with chuck of tomatoes and it was a big hit at my house. Thanks for the recipe!
Try topping it with croutons instead of bread crumbs. I discovered this little gem when I made this without checking to see if I had breadcrumbs. Now, I only make it with croutons.
Just made this for dinner and my husband was a little skeptical, but it was so good!! He thought so, too. The only thing I did differently was use less cheese (*gasp!) because my husband is weird and doesn’t like things too cheesy.
This looks so yummy! My mother in law is coming over for dinner tomorrow night so I am going to try this!! Quick question, can I just use regular bread comes? Or will it not taste right
**crumbs lol
REgular bread crumbs will work perfectly!
thank you so much!!
Do you have the nutritional information for this casserole?
Sorry, at this time we don’t provide the nutritional information. I think there are tools out there that you can plug the ingredients into to get this information but to be honest, I haven’t done much of this.
Can you put this all together the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight?
Definitely! But I might wait to top it with breadcrumbs until right before so they don’t get soggy.