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    🏠Home » Recipes » Italian Recipes

    Chicken Baked Ziti

    May 13, 2010 · Modified: Feb 1, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 2 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    5 from 4 votes

    Chicken baked ziti has tender chicken and pasta, melted mozzarella, and homemade marinara sauce, all topped with Parmesan cheese. This perfect Italian comfort food is easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

    Baked chicken ziti on a white plate-2
    Jump To:
    • 👍Why you should try this recipe
    • 🐓Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to make baked ziti with chicken
    • ✔️Tips
    • ♨️What is Baked Ziti?
    • ⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendlier recipe
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🍽️Serving and leftovers
    • 📖Italian Casserole Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    👍Why you should try this recipe

    • Great Italian that will make your day and warm you to the bone.
    • It has a wonderful homemade sauce, much better than jar sauce.
    • It makes a large amount but freezes well and is easy to make smaller.

    🐓Ingredients

    • Chicken—skinless boneless chicken breasts
    • Aromatics—garlic and onion
    • Tomatoes—crushed, diced, and paste
    • Pasta—ziti, penne, or other dry pasta
    • Cheese—mozzarella and Parmesan
    • Pantry Ingredients—olive oil, basil, crushed red peppers(optional), salt and black pepper

    👨‍🍳How to make baked ziti with chicken

    1. Trim skinless boneless chicken breasts and onion.
    2. Saute the chicken with onion and garlic.
    3. Add the spices and tomato products and simmer.
    4. Remove from heat and mix in al denta cooked pasta and mozzarella cubes.
    5. Pour into a 9X13 casserole dish or 12-inch round pan.
    6. Top with Parmesan and refrigerate or bake at this point.
    7. Bake until bubbling and browning—about 30-40 minutes.

    ✔️Tips

    • You use precooked rotisserie chicken. Cook the onion and then add the rotisserie chicken with the pasta. Use 3-4 cups.
    • Other meat, like Italian sausage, ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey, can be used.
    • While you can use a jar sauce, you will love the easy homemade sauce. You will need 7 cups of sauce for the full recipe.
    • While this is called baked ziti, many people use penne pasta which is smaller and angle cut. Other pasta likc farfalle or rigatoni can be used.
    • Add a touch of heat with the optional red pepper flakes. Or leave it out for kids.

    ♨️What is Baked Ziti?

    Baked ziti is a baked casserole dish made with cook macaroni and combined with tomato sauce and cheese. It may include meat, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and other things. There are variations, but that is it.

    ⬇️How to make this a "for two" friendlier recipe

    The full recipe makes about 8 large servings. A half recipe fits nicely in a 6X9 baking dish for 4 servings.

    1. Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 8 to 4.
    2. Use the amount of each ingredient in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
    3. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until bubbling. Use the broiler if you need for more browning.

    ❓FAQs

    Can I use rotisserie chicken?

    Yes. You need about 3-4 cups of shredded chicken, but anywhere between 2-4 cups will do.

    Saute the onion until clearing, and add the garlic for the last minute of cooking. Add the chicken with the tomato products.

    Can I make chicken baked ziti ahead and bake it later?

    Yes. You can make ahead, and instead of baking, cover well and refrigerate for a day.

    You can also freeze for up to 3 months, cover with plastic wrap, then double wrap with foil. To cook, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Baking time will be about 10 minutes longer for a cold casserole.

    🍽️Serving and leftovers

    Serve with a garden salad and a baguette or garlic bread.

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for months.

    📖Italian Casserole Recipes

    Baked Chicken Spaghetti

    Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

    30 Minute Spicy Sausage Pasta

    Spicy Parmesan Chicken Alfredo

    Try the Crock Pot Version: Crock Pot Chicken Baked Ziti

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Casserole Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, Italian Recipes, Pasta Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    cutting skinless chicken into cubes

    Trim and dice 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts into approximately ½ inch cubes. Chop 1 medium onion.

    black pot wiith chicken being cooked

    In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When shimmering, add the chicken. Saute for 3 minutes, then add onion and continue to saute for 5-6 minutes more until onion is clearing and chicken is 165°. Add 4-6 cloves crushed or minced garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.

    black pot with sauce and chicken

    Add 1 tablespoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional), ½ teaspoon black pepper, 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 14 oz diced tomatoes, 6 oz tomato paste, and 6 oz water. Simmer on low while cooking pasta and cubing mozzarella.

    cubes of cheese on white board

    Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Cube mozzarella cheese into ½ inch cubes or use shredded cheese.

    adding cheese and pasta to sauce

    Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the pasta and mozzarella.

    casserole covered with cheese ready for oven

    Pour into a prepared baking dish, 9X13 or 12-inch round, and top with ¼ cup Parmesan and refrigerate or bake at this point.

    baked casserole in silver pan

    Place in a preheated 375° convection oven until bubbling and browning—about 30-40 minutes.

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    📝Recipe

    Baked chicken ziti on a white plate-2

    Chicken Baked Ziti

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Chicken baked ziti has tender chicken and pasta, melted mozzarella, and homemade marinara sauce, all topped with Parmesan cheese. This perfect Italian comfort food is easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
    • 1 pound dry pasta
    • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese - shredded
    • 1 pound mozzarella - cubed or shredded

    Sauce Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 onion - medium
    • 4-6 cloves garlic - crushed
    • 1 tablespoon basil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
    • 14 oz diced tomatoes
    • 6 oz tomato paste
    • 6 oz water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Trim and dice 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts into approximately ½ inch cubes. Chop 1 medium onion.
      cutting skinless chicken into cubes
    • Chop one medium onion.
      chopped onion on a white board
    • In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When shimmering, add the chicken. Saute for 3 minutes, then add onion and continue to saute for 5-6 minutes more until onion is clearing and chicken is 165°. Add 4-6 cloves crushed or minced garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove from heat.
      black pot wiith chicken being cooked
    • Add 1 tablespoon basil, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional), ½ teaspoon black pepper, 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 14 oz diced tomatoes, 6 oz tomato paste, and 6 oz water. Simmer on low while cooking pasta and cubing mozzarella.
      black pot with sauce and chicken
    • Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Cube mozzarella cheese into ½ inch cubes or use shredded cheese.
      cubes of cheese on white board
    • Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the pasta and mozzarella.
      adding cheese and pasta to sauce
    • Pour into a prepared baking dish, 9X13 or 12-inch round, and top with ¼ cup Parmesan and refrigerate or bake at this point.
      casserole covered with cheese ready for oven
    • Place in a preheated 375° convection oven until bubbling and browning—about 30-40 minutes.
      baked casserole in silver pan
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. This is an easy recipe to cut in half. Adjust the ingredients in the servings area of the recipe card. It will change the ingredients but not the instructions. You will need to adjust those yourself.
    2. Use a 12-inch round or 13X9 casserole dish for a full recipe. Use a 9X6 for a half recipe.
    3. Use the pasta of your choice. I prefer smaller pasta, so I use penna.
    4. Adjust your red pepper to taste.
    5. You can save a lot of time using jarred sauce, but you really don't want to do that.
    6. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 months.
     

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Chicken Baked Ziti
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 506 Calories from Fat 153
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 17g26%
    Saturated Fat 9g45%
    Cholesterol 65mg22%
    Sodium 1039mg43%
    Potassium 900mg26%
    Carbohydrates 59g20%
    Fiber 5g20%
    Sugar 11g12%
    Protein 30g60%
    Vitamin A 1044IU21%
    Vitamin C 20mg24%
    Calcium 399mg40%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main|Main Course
    Cuisine : Italian

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published May 13, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    More Italian Recipes

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    1. Dr Dan

      September 16, 2012 at 8:28 pm

      I called it 8 servings. This is one of the "with lots of left overs" recipe. I will usually make this on a Sunday and use the left overs for quick weeknight suppers.

      Reply
    2. TwoTabsOfMesc

      September 16, 2012 at 7:24 pm

      Just made for the second time.. Very good but have to say that this IS NOT a 2 person serving. More like 6. Would like to see more scaled down recipes.

      Reply

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