It really is fall where I live. I would definitely call 39 degrees a fall weather temperature. And this recipe that I am sharing today is definitely fall comfort food. Chicken Parmigiana Casserole. However….
I am not at home at the moment but in Hawaii! Yep. Hubby had some business here and so I got to tag along. I actually got a sunburn today. Yeah. I know. I’ll stop.
So last night we went out to an Italian restaurant and every time we eat Italian, my husband ALWAYS orders the same thing.
Every.
Single.
Time.
It is Chicken Parmigiana. He loves it.
So when I pinned this pin for Chicken Parmigiana Casserole from Rachel Schultz I knew immediately that I wanted to make it for the hubster. I was really excited that it was in a casserole form and that I didn’t have to pound and pound a chicken breast to the thinness of regular chicken parmigiana. Indeed, this was much easier! Perfect for those nights when you need something quick.
Maybe for our anniversary, I’ll make him the real thing, but don’t tell him because he’ll hold me to it!
My darling man loved this and it will be in our dinner rotation for the winter. I hope that you enjoy it too as we usher in the comfort food season!
That is. AFTER we get back from Hawaii. Aloha!
Chicken Parmigiana Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed OR 1 package of Costco's Grilled Chicken Breast Strips cut into cubes (this is what I used)
- 1 pound pasta cooked al dente
- 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 24 oz.
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan shredded
- 2 cups panko
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place your cooked pasta into a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over pasta.
- Lay your cubed chicken on top of the pasta.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of panko crumbs over chicken.
- Pour spaghetti sauce over pasta.
- Top with mozzarella, panko, and parmesan.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes
- Uncover for the last five minutes.
Update 5/12/16: We’ve had a few readers say that they wished there was more sauce in this recipe. They felt like the panko crumbs soaked up a lot of the sauce so you may want to add some more or have some additional sauce handy!
We also shared this post with: The 36th Avenue, Whipperberry, Living Well Spending Less, and Skip to my Lou
My question is how do the bread crumbs absorb with the rest of the dish. I used Panko and they didn’t get brown or crispy. This is my Christmas Eve dinner so I need some input.
It’s been a while since I made this but I don’t remember it getting brown or crispy because it has ingredients on top of it. It was more for the taste. But I would feel free to change the order of the layers and put the panko on top. Actually the more that I think about it, I am going to do that next time too!
Made this tonight for a going away party. However I did make it gluten free. Sounds wonderful can’t wait to eat it!!!! Will let u know my reviews:) thanks for sharing.
We’d love to hear how it went for you Danette!
If I choose to make the pasta separately, how long should this be baked?
Chris I would bake it for close to the same time to make sure that the chicken heats through.
Hi. Looks delicious. I am wondering if it would be soggy or taste different if I put it all together in the pan tonight and cooked it tomorrow. Thank you
Amy, I think it would be just fine!
Can I use regular bread crumbs instead of panko?
I think you could Sarah!
Is this a make ahead freezer friendly meal?
Thanks in advance:-)
Hi Jill! I have not frozen this but my best guess (based on other things that I have frozen) would be that you could. I hope that it works out! Crossing my fingers….
This recipe needed way more sauce. It seems like the Panko absorbed all the sauce and none of it went down into the noodles. It was very dry.
I put the Panko crumbs only on top, set the broiler on low for a couple of minutes and BAM! Brown and crispy! 🙂