Experienced cooks will raise their eyebrows when they see how this HEALTHY Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake is made. But don’t judge until you try it – it works!!! Made from scratch, not a drop of cream, this is a complete meal that takes 5 minutes to prep, made in ONE baking dish and it’s absolutely delish. {350 cal per serving!}
This is comfort food for busy people, dedicated to all those back home in Australia and everyone else around the world suffering through a blustery cold winter!
The method I use for this Ultra Lazy Healthy Chicken Pasta Bake certainly is unorthodox. Just plonk flour, uncooked pasta, raw chicken, vegetables, milk and chicken broth into the baking dish, give it a quick stir, then pop it into the oven. Pull it out partway through cooking, stir through cheese, then finish baking.
And what comes out is quite extraordinary. When you crack through that golden topping, you will be greeted with perfectly cooked pasta smothered in a creamy sauce that you’ve just made without a single drop of cream, without having to make a roux on the stove the traditional way béchamel and cheese sauces are made.
Not a hint of flouriness (thanks to the gluten in the pasta which also helps thicken the sauce) and the pasta is perfectly cooked – I blame my Japanese mother for raising me as a total snob about overcooked rice and this snobbery extends to pasta. There is actually sauce (hands up if you’ve suffered through dry pasta bakes!), and it’s a complete meal that’s light on the pasta, and heavy on broccoli + lean chicken.
I’m going to be completely honest with you about the difference between this and the traditional way of making creamy pasta bakes. My “go to” way is to start with a roux – like in this Seafood Gratin Pasta Bake, my Baked Mac and Cheese and my mother’s Chicken and Mushroom Macaroni Gratin ( <<— Childhood favourite, right here!). The sauce is silken and there’s more of it compared to this Ultra Lazy way.
If you look very closely, you will see that the sauce is a tiny bit split on the base of the baking dish. But you need to look real close to see it and it doesn’t taste split.
Very, very small compromise for a quick meal, in my humble view. 🙂
(Here’s a close up – you can see what I am describing in the bottom left corner)
I didn’t create this Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake as a hack. It came about because of the homeless man at the local dog park who I regularly take hot meals to. He always insists that I mustn’t go out of my way to bring him meals, and that in itself plus me being me just feels some sort of obligation to ensure I take meals to him regularly.
I had skipped a few days and I was standing in my kitchen, flustered at the mound of dirty dishes and peeved because of a failed video shoot and wanted to make something quickly. Threw this Ultra Lazy Pasta Bake together using leftover vegetables thinking it “should be ok”, was blown away how well it actually worked, got the thumbs up from the homeless man, had it myself for dinner then decided to share it here. 🙂 – Nagi x
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ultra Lazy HEALTHY Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake recipe video!
One for all those busy nights - a complete HEALTHY meal all made in one baking dish. 5 minutes prep, pop it in the oven, then out comes perfectly cooked chicken and broccoli pasta bake smothered in a creamy sauce. Recipe VIDEO ABOVE, serves 4 - 5.
- 300 - 400 g / 10 - 14oz chicken tenderloin (raw) , breast or thigh, cut into 1.5cm / 3/5" pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or other herbs and/or spices of choice)
- 250 g / 8 oz spiral pasta, uncooked (See Note 1 for other shapes)
- 1 1/2 cups / 375 ml chicken broth/stock , preferably warmed
- 2 cups / 500 ml milk , preferably warmed (any fat %)
- 1 large garlic clove , minced
- 1 - 2 tbsp /15 - 30g butter (optional)
- 1 large broccoli or 2 medium broccoli or cauliflower , broken into small to medium florets (Note 2 for subs)
- 100 - 150 g / 1 - 1.5 cups shredded cheese , any melting type (Note 3)
- 1/4 cup / 35g flour (all purpose / plain)
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Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan forced / convection).
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Sprinkle chicken with salt (be generous), pepper and thyme, toss to coat.
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Spread pasta in a baking dish. Sprinkle over flour.
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Pour over milk and broth, add garlic and butter. Stir.
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Spread chicken over the top, then broccoli.
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Cover with foil, bake for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes if milk & broth were cold).
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Remove foil, STIR WELL. Add most of the cheese, then STIR WELL again. Top with remaining cheese.
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Return to oven. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until top is golden and sauce is thickened (See note 4 for troubleshooting).
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Stand for a few minutes then serve immediately!
1. The best pasta to use for this recipe is spirals because the flour can't get caught anywhere (for example, inside penne / ziti tubes, macaroni pasta etc. ) . To make this with penne, ziti or macaroni, place the flour in a small bowl and add a splash of the milk, then mix until dissolved and lump free. Then add the rest of the milk, mix, then pour it into the baking dish. That is the only change required.
2. BROCCOLI: Break them into smallish florets to ensure it cooks through. If you like your broccoli very soft, then break/cut them into small florets.
Frozen broccoli: Thaw and shake off excess water before using (otherwise it drops too much liquid while baking + takes too long to cook). Frozen thawed cauliflower requires the same.
See below for other veggies.
3. Cheddar and Colby are my usual, but it works fine with any flavoured cheese that melts. I don't use mozzarella in the bake because it doesn't have as strong a flavour, but sometimes I use mozzarella to top the bake. AUSTRALIA: Some brands of tasty cheese has a tendency to come out a teeny bit "grainy" when used in cheesy sauces like this. It will work fine with better brands, but I would not use value brands.
4. TROUBLESHOOTING: The cook time for this sort of recipe is affected by the strength of your oven. Weak = undercooked pasta, raw chicken and watery sauce at end of cook time per recipe. Just leave it in the oven! If the cook time is way out for you and the top is too brown, cover with foil or a tray and put it back in the oven.
5. ABOUT THIS METHOD OF COOKING: Read in post for how/why I came up with this method of cooking. Also read in post for the difference between this and making a traditional roux / white sauce / cheesy béchamel sauce like I do for classic Mac and Cheese. The main difference is that the sauce is not quite as silky and if you look closely, the sauce on the base of the baking dish can look a tiny bit split - but it doesn't taste it. It is a very small compromise for the sheer convenience. It tastes absolutely fantastic and a friend of mine seriously challenged me as to why she should ever make a creamy pasta bake any other way.
6. ALTERNATIVE VEGGIES: I have also made this an even lazier way using canned tuna, diced frozen veggies and baby spinach. Just add the frozen veggies in with the pasta, then stir the tuna and spinach in with the cheese. If using frozen veggies, be sure not to use ones that leech a lot of liquid when they thaw e.g. broccoli. I used mixed veggie bag of carrots, corn, peas.
7. FREEZING: It's not the best to freeze because of the way the sauce is made so it does look a bit split when reheated but the taste is still great! Reheating leftovers from the fridge is fine though.
8. Nutrition assuming 5 servings, tenderloin, 1.5 tbsp butter and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
LIFE OF DOZER
I always joke about how when I’m away, Dozer doesn’t miss me at all because he’s too busy enjoying his own holiday with a Golden Retriever boarder.
But apparently, when she takes Dozer to the beach, he breaks away from the pack and sprints up to “dark haired people of my shape”, then bolts back when he realises it’s not me.
I didn’t know what to react to first – pleased as punch at the first sign that he does actually seem to miss me, or bursting into laughter at her delicately phrased description that Dozer only runs towards vertically challenged, dark haired women with generously sized bottoms!!!
Excuse my ignorance. The pasta used, is dried pasta right and not fresh pasta, the type you get from the supermarket.
Thanks
This is so good. We’ve had it twice in the past few weeks, and both times it was delicious. Easy, fuss-free preparation, and bonus points for not having to hang over the stove for ages making it.
Top recipe – thanks!
did you use a 9×13 pan??
His Kathleen. Yeah, I’m pretty sure the dimensions are around that. Even if your dish is smaller or larger, It shouldn’t matter. Just adjust the mixture slightly and you’ll be good to go! I’ve got a a vegetarian version in the oven as we speak – broccoli and cauliflower. 🙂
WOW. This dish is delightful, I add a little hot paprika to the salt and pepper at the start. I’ve made this twice now and everyone wants a 2nd helping. Thank you Nagi for sharing.
Hello Nagi and fellow eaters. Made this late for dinner last night. Looking forward to the fight tonight for the leftovers. Yummy. Sherie
Hey Nagi!
This looks amazing!!
can this be made with wholewheat or spelt spiral pasta?
If freezing. Would it be best to cook the dish… cool and freeze, or could I prep and freeze uncooked? Many thanks
Cook, cool ,freeze!
What do you think about substituting the spirals with something like spaghetti? I have a whole lotta spaghetti on me (thanks Aldi)
Looks like a 9″ x 13″
Hi! When you say a baking dish, what size is the one you use? That really makes a difference and baking dishes vary widely! Thanks!
Great recipe! My picky daughter loves this! But I always get white little clumps in the sauce at the end. Is that the flour? Last time I made sure to really whisk the flour into the milk before pouring over the pasta, but still had them when done cooking. Any ideas?
Thanks!
HI Scott! Clumps is odd – are you sure it’s flour, not garlic??? The sauce does split a wee bit as you can see in the close up in the photos but it still has a creamy smooth mouth feel 🙂
Thanks for the reply. They are pure white, so not garlic. I’ll make it tonight and note my process and take a picture
Are you warming up the broth and milk beforehand?
I love, love, LOVE that you regularly feed a homeless man!
He’s a top guy Mary 🙂 He keeps our park spotless!
I am looking forward to eating this, I am making it right now and I already know it will be delicious…I am using coconut milk for one of the cups of milk…God Bless and thank you for this…
What size pan should I use?
I’m wondering the same thing. About to make it
Any help here would be appreciated!
I substituted dried tarragon for the thyme ( I’m not a thyme fan).
It was easy to cook and is a real comfort food dish – as I eat it, the rain is hammering on the window and the fire is roaring. A glass of Rioja and I’m happy. Perfect Friday night dish for that end-of-the-week feeling. Thank you.
That’s great to hear Eliza! Thanks for letting me know!
I tried this dish though at first l thought l missed the details and feared it wont come nice and my family wont love it, with alittle patience it came out nice.
That’s terrific to hear Towera! So glad you enjoyed this! N x
I made this with my son and it worked a treat. Worried about the chicken but it was cooked through. Thank you.
I’m pleased to hear this was enjoyed Allison! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Can you make this with orzo pasta?
I made this dish this morning in anticipation of a busy weekend. When I took it out of the oven at the end I thought oh no, that was way to much liquid! Had the same thought when I took it out after another 10 minutes in the oven, but gave it a chance to rest a bit and ended up with a sauce of the right consistency. Yes, it is a bit split, but it was so quick and easy (made between loads of laundry and a shower), I had all the ingredients on hand (btw, pre-shredded light tex-mex cheese works just fine), it tastes great and no one I’m serving it to cares or even knows what a split sauce is, lol.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
That’s great to hear Lynn! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
I’ve had mine in the oven for an hour and it’s so runny that it’s like a soup!
I got a nice mix of flavors and the wife commented about how the chicken was so well-flavored. I added a couple of handfuls of sliced baby-bella mushrooms.
QUESTION: Have you tried something like this using cubed butternut squash instead of pasta? As a diabetic, the squash is better for me than the pasta. 🙁
I put a layer of sliced sweet potato and that part was great. But the milk and broth mix was very soupy so it was more like a chicken soup than a casserole. But tasted fine.
Hi Linz and Ed, I haven’t made this yet but I’m guessing you would need to reduce liquid if you replace the pasta with a vegetable; veggies won’t absorb as much liquid as dry pasta and the extra will just sit in the bottom of the pan. Reducing total liquid volume by about 1 cup/250 mL would probably be a good start!