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This Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole is a real secret weeknight weapon because you just put the dry pasta and raw chicken right into the dish with the sauce and let the oven do the work. It’s the ultimate 10-minute prep meal that saves your sanity on those days when life is just happening all around you and the last thing you want is a sink full of pots or a recipe that needs you to fuss over the stove!
Why this recipe works
- Zero pre-cooking is required. This is the big one. The pasta cooks right in the dish, absorbing all that good flavor and saving you the time and effort of boiling water and washing another pot. It’s the ultimate 10-minute prep trick for those nights you’re running on fumes.
- Frozen broccoli is just smart business. Grocery prices are no joke these days, and there’s no sense in paying a premium for fresh heads of broccoli just to bake them down in a casserole. Frozen baby florets are cheaper, already chopped, and honestly taste just as good once they’re smothered in cheese and sauce.
- Half-and-half is the budget-friendly “creamy” trick. Heavy cream is getting expensive, and if you bake any dairy too long, it’s prone to breaking. We stir in the half-and-half only for the last 10 minutes – it gives you that rich, silky finish without the high price tag or the risk of ruining dinner with a split sauce.
- Canned soup is the secret weapon. I’ve tried making the soup base from scratch a hundred times, but homemade versions are so darn finicky and curdle the second you look away to help with homework or wrangle a toddler. The canned stuff is rock-solid stable and foolproof every single time, which is exactly what we need when life is happening around us.
I initially experimented with this recipe for a friend, who wanted to know if she could make my easy chicken, broccoli and rice casserole with pasta because her family was getting tired of rice. It took a few tries to get it right, but it worked out so well in the end!
| Servings | 6-8 |
| Difficulty | Easy-peasy |
| Method | Stir, dump and bake! |
| Budget | Under 20$ |
Chicken Broccoli Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 (10.5-oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ teaspoon EACH of dried parsley, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, plus black pepper to taste
- 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (Using low-sodium lets you control the saltiness so it doesn't get overwhelming.)
- 1 (12.6-oz) bag frozen baby broccoli florets (Thawed and drained, so they don't water down your sauce.)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (Diced into small ½-inch pieces, so they cook through at the same rate as the pasta.)
- 1 (16-oz) box uncooked short pasta (Elbows, rotini, or shells work best. Avoid extra-large shapes like rigatoni, as they might not cook through evenly in the steam.)
- ¾ cup half-and-half (This adds that final touch of richness, you can use heavy cream or evaporated milk if that's what you have.)
- 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese (Divided into ½ cup for the mix and 1 cup for the top. Grating it yourself from a block always melts better!)
Instructions
- Prep:Get that oven heated up to 425°F. Give a 9×13-inch baking dish a light grease – a little cooking spray does the trick. Get your ingredients ready.
- Mix it up:In a big bowl, whisk together the cans of soup and all your seasonings. Slowly blend in the chicken broth until it's smooth.2 (10.5-oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup, ½ teaspoon EACH of dried parsley, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, plus black pepper to taste, 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Assemble:Stir in the thawed broccoli, the raw chicken pieces, the dry pasta, and ½ cup of that cheese.Tip: Make sure the pasta is mostly submerged in the liquid so it cooks evenly.1 (12.6-oz) bag frozen baby broccoli florets, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 (16-oz) box uncooked short pasta, 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese
- Cover & bake (Part 1):Spread the whole mixture into your prepared dish. Cover your dish up super tight with foil. This is the secret – you need to trap every bit of steam to cook that dry pasta.Bake at 425°F for 40–50 minutes. You’re looking for the pasta to be almost tender (check it around 40 minutes).
- Stir & cheese (Part 2):Carefully pull it out and remove the foil (watch out for steam!). Give everything a good stir to redistribute the sauce. Stir in the half-and-half and then sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of the cheese on top.¾ cup half-and-half
- Finish & serve:Pop it back in the oven, uncovered this time, for another 5–10 minutes. Everything should be cooked through and the cheese all bubbly and perfect.Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes before you serve it. Don't skip this – it's when the sauce "sets up" and gets that perfect creamy texture rather than being soupy. If you scoop it immediately, it'll be too thin!
Chicken, Broccoli Pasta Casserole FAQs
You sure can, but honestly, it’s not worth the extra shift in the grocery budget. In 2026, those fresh heads are pricier than ever, and since we’re baking this for nearly an hour, fresh broccoli just ends up the same texture as frozen anyway. If you do use fresh, just make sure to chop the florets small so they have time to get tender.
Don’t panic! This usually happens if the foil wasn’t sealed tight enough and the steam escaped. Just stir in an extra splash of broth (about ¼ cup), seal that foil back on tight, and give it another 10 minutes before you move on to the cheese and half-and-half step.
If you’re in a pinch, whole milk will work, but the sauce won’t be quite as rich and “clippy” and the risk of the sauce getting grainy is a little higher. I’d stay away from skim or 1% milk – without that little bit of fat, the sauce is much more likely to split and turn watery in the oven.
You can assemble the soup, broth, and seasonings in the dish, but don’t add the dry pasta and raw chicken until you’re ready to bake. If that dry pasta sits in the liquid in the fridge all day, it’ll turn into a gummy, mushy mess before it even hits the oven.
Since the pasta has already soaked up a lot of sauce, it can get a little dry in the microwave. The trick is to add a tiny splash of water or milk to your bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel. This creates a little steam room that loosens the sauce back up so it’s just as creamy as the night before.
Goes great with
Since this dish already has your meat, starch, and veggies all in one pan, you don’t have to make anything else. But let’s be real – if you’re feeding a hungry family or a husband coming home from a long shift, you’ll probably want a little something extra to round it out.
Here is what most of us around here are serving on the side:
- Warm rolls or biscuits: Honestly, if you don’t have the time for quick homemade rolls, you can’t go wrong with Hawaiian rolls or those frozen “bake-and-serve” yeast rolls or a quick batch of canned biscuits. They are perfect for wiping up every last bit of that cheesy sauce left on the plate.
- A simple fruit side: This is something grandma taught us – sometimes a creamy, savory casserole just needs something bright to cut through the richness. Even just a simple bowl of applesauce, some canned peaches, or a sliced apple with a little peanut butter on the side is a hit with the kids and super easy on the budget.
- Garlic bread or toast: If you’ve got a loaf of French bread or some plain white bread in the pantry, slather it with butter and garlic salt and toast it under the broiler for two minutes. It’s the ultimate comfort food pairing.
- A basic green salad: If you’re feeling like you need something “fresh,” a bag of garden salad with a little ranch dressing is all you need. It adds a nice crunch next to the tender pasta.
More casserole recipes
If dinner needs to be easy but still cozy and comforting, these casserole recipes are for you. They’re warm, hearty, and so satisfying – real-life meals that bring everyone to the table without a lot of fuss.
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