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: 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.
If I put this together tonight could I just keep it in the fridge until tomorrow? Or should I freeze it over night and put it in the fridge early in the morning?
It can stay in the fridge tonight for sure. No problem. You could leave the breadcrumbs off and put them on at the last minute to make sure they stay crisp, but you wouldn’t have to.
Made this tonight using gluten free bread crumbs and we all loved it. It was simple enough to just throw it all together with our pre-cooked chicken and bake.
Alright! Glad you enjoyed it!
This was AWESOME. I came home from work super late on a Monday night (the last Monday before Christmas break) and looked up easy recipes on Pinterest… This was perfect. I only used about half the amount of ingredients and didn’t use any breadcrumbs, but I can’t wait to make it again when I have more energy. Even with my lackluster effort, it was delicious and I’ll be eating the leftovers tomorrow over spaghetti squash. Next time, I’ll probably add kale or spinach and DEFINITELY make the full amount. Thanks for saving the day tonight… This was just what I needed. Can’t wait to make it again. (Btw: first time I’ve ever posted a comment, but I couldn’t resist.)
So glad you liked it and thanks for commenting! We love to hear from readers!
I made a couple pans of this for the freezer so haven’t eaten it yet. However, I used the canned parmesan instead of fresh and am wondering if you think that it will still taste okay? I am hoping I didn’t ruin it.
Oh it will be totally fine! It’s hard to mess this one up.
I made this and put in freezer and used the canned parmesan cheese…wondering if you think the canned will be okay? It didn’t specify and that was all I had on hand. Hoping I didn’t ruin it since I made two pans for the freezer.
I just want to say this was pretty darn good. I bought new chicken breast and cooked them for about 45 minutes on 350 and chopped them up after they cooled off. I honestly didn’t feel like buying and cutting up fresh herbs so I coated the chicken prior to cooking with salt and a healthy amount of Italian seasoning. I used a reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. After about 30 minutes in the oven, I switched the broiler on to brown the breadcrumbs (I used Italian breadcrumbs). I served whole wheat thin spaghetti on the side. My five year old son ate this up!! Last night it took him almost two hours to eat what I made off of Pinterest. I will make this again for sure!!
What kind/how much herbs do you use? I would use dry. Thanks!
Maybe a total of 1 teaspoon dried herbs, crushed in her hand.
Thank you.
Hello, I am going to make this on Tuesday and wondered if you used grated or shredded parmesan?
Also, a tip for anyone doing low carb – you can crush up pork rinds to make a breadcrumb-like topping. I’ve done this on another dish and it’s delicious!
Either kind works fine. I’m partial to the freshly grated just because it doesn’t have additives.
So, I made this about an hour ago. I read the recipe a little too fast and layered it in reverse. I put the cheese on top and the breadcrumbs under the cheese. I tasted it and thought it was still good. What are your thoughts?! Thanks:)
I say it’s hard to mess up this casserole! 🙂
Delightful and very versatile dish, you can pair it with almost anything!! I added some Dry sliced pepperoni from Fantino&Mondello to mine, gave a great twist to this recipe. Thanks again, I will without a doubt try more of your recipes!
This looks delicious! I’m going to try it tonight! My only question is, I don’t have marinara sauce, but I do have a pasta sauce that I can use. Do you think this will taste alright if I substituted the marinara with the pasta sauce?
I’m not quite sure what the difference is or if there is one…so yes, I think you’ll be just fine!
I doubled this recipe and have 3 roommate’s ..it was gone no left overs…yummy
I love that! Thanks for dropping us a line, Barbara!
Love it!
Hi! I was wondering how you cooked the chicken? Just in a pan with salt and pepper or did you bake it? Trying to think of easy ways to make sure the chicken is cooked! 🙂
Good question. There are several ways to cook chicken for a dish like this. 1) Boil it until no longer pink inside, but this will be the least flavorful. 2) Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you like. Bake chicken breasts or thighs at 350 degrees until no longer pink (usually 20-25 minutes), depending on the size. 3) Season and grill chicken breasts/thighs, until they reach an internal temp of 160 degrees. 4) Roast a whole chicken or two, which is the cheapest option. Here’s my favorite recipe: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/2012/05/healthy-roasted-chicken-and-vegetables-recipe/
How many servings does this make?
An 8×8 pan of this (what the recipe makes) serves 4-6.
This was super delicious! Everyone in the family loved it. It was also very easy to throw together.
Awesome! So glad it was a hit!
My family considers this a favorite recipe. I make large quantities of marinara sauce and store it in the freezer which comes in handy when making Chicken Parm. I’m not a “casserole” person so I wasn’t sold on the idea of Chicken Parm Casserole, but this casserole recipe somehow works. Thanks for sharing. It’s delicious!
It’s so great to hear that, Tammy! Thanks!