Let’s turn the classic flavors of a chicken parmesan into a tasty, macro-friendly pasta dish with Barilla protein pasta, tomato sauce, chopped spinach, and a crispy panko breadcrumb crust! This chicken parmesan casserole with chicken will blow your mind and your tastebuds, guaranteed.
There’s nothing like a crispy chicken cutlet, slathered in tomato-y pasta sauce, and topped with Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese! The only thing that can make it better? Mixing those flavors and textures into a delicious pasta bake!
Ingredients
- Seasoned Chicken Breasts – We’re keeping lean with chicken breasts as the protein of choice in this recipe. Chop them up and undercook them just a tad before adding everything to the pasta; they will fully cook but still be juicy in the oven.
- Rotini Protein Pasta – You guys have seen in other recipes on Coined Cuisine… I LOVE using Barilla’s protein pastas! They seriously don’t taste any different from the regular stuff. I used rotini for this recipe, but penne would work fine in a pinch.
- Pasta Sauce – Either homemade or store-bought; grab your favorite pasta sauce for this recipe. I love using tomato-basil flavored.
- Panko Breadcrumbs – Grab some plain panko breadcrumbs (we’ll season them during cooking) as the crispy crust for the casserole.
- Grated Parmesan – You can’t have chicken Parmesan without some tasty grated parmesan! This is also more macro-friendly than a fattier cheese like mozzarella or burrata.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Casserole
This recipe is super easy to make, with just a few minutes of preparation – I promise!
- Start out by seasoning and cooking your chicken breasts; you want to slightly undercook the chicken so it doesn’t get dry in the oven.
- Underboil your pasta (which will also fully cook later.) I love using Barilla’s protein pasta brands for better macronutrients than just normal pasta… plus, it doesn’t taste any different!
- In a glass baking dish, mix together the pasta, chopped chicken, tomato sauce, and some chopped spinach for fiber.
- Top with panko breadcrumbs, a bit of Italian seasoning, and grated parmesan. I also like to spray the top with a little cooking spray for moisture.
- Bake for about 10 minutes covered, then remove the cover and broil until the breadcrumb topping is golden brown. That’s it!
FAQs
Sure! I love using chicken breasts as they are lean and still juicy, but feel free to use chicken thighs or the meat from chicken legs. You can also use rotisserie chicken if you want.
I’ve seen dairy-free grated parmesan at the grocery store – you can try that, or you can use nutritional yeast! (It’ll be yellow, but still tastes nice and cheesy.)
I do! Check out my cookbook Plate Night In – there’s a chicken parm recipe for two that goes great over creamy mashed potatoes (another recipe in the book).
Other Pasta Dishes You’ll Love!
Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 ct. chicken breasts
- ½ tbsp. salt
- ½ tbsp. garlic powder
- ½ tbsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. rotini pasta I use protein pasta
- 2 ½ cups pasta sauce
- 1 handful chopped spinach
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs plain
- 1 tsp. Italian seasonings
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Mix together the seasonings in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle half of the seasoning bowl onto the chicken, along with the olive oil. Mix well.
- Air fry your chicken at 360℉ for 6 minutes. Remove, chop into small pieces, and set aside. Don't worry – the chicken will finish cooking in the oven.You can also bake in the oven at 360℉ for 7-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add in the rotini pasta and cook for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉.
- In a baking dish, add in the drained pasta.
- Pour the pasta sauce over the noodles. Add the cooked chicken and chopped spinach on top.
- Stir everything together until combined.
- Top the pasta with the breadcrumbs and grated parmesan, then season with the remaining half of the seasoning bowl from earlier.
- Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and spray the breadcrumb topping with cooking spray.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and turn the oven to broil for 1 to 2 minutes for a beautiful golden-brown crust.
- Serve with a green veggie or hearty salad. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $1.39
- Total Cost (5 servings): $6.95
- Those Other Guys: $16.99 per serving
