This lemon chicken pasta bake is the perfect weeknight meal!

Well we made it. It’s finally Friday, and I couldn’t be happier. My couch, my jammies, a good craft beer and the book I’m currently obsessed with are all calling my name. I think it sounds like the perfect way to spend my Friday night. Don’t you? I know right…living large. I’m not sad about it. But first, we have to talk about this lemon chicken pasta bake and why it is just so darn delicious. The perfect weeknight dinner recipe, this pasta bake requires half the work of regular old lemon chicken with just as much flavor!

This casserole is just about as straight-forward as it gets. It’s really so super easy.

It wasn’t until I was literally writing up this recipe and blog post, that I wished I would have added toasted bread crumbs to the top of this delightful little dish. Although the top of this lemon chicken pasta bake crisps up nicely at the end, it really could have used some bread crumbs. Hindsight is always 20/20 though, and I didn’t want to wait to share this recipe…

…so, toast up some bread crumbs and throw them on top! You can do no wrong with that added tidbit, and it will take you literally all of 60 seconds.

So, does everyone have big plans for this weekend? Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and all. Do you guys usually stay in or go out? We are definitely “stay in” people, and with Zach working behind the stove, I’m pretty much the happiest person in the world right now. We don’t go crazy with Valentine’s Day. We both aren’t big fans of the holiday, but I won’t get into that now. I don’t want to burn any bridges with my fellow readers. ;)

We are perfectly content spending the night at home playing rounds and rounds of Catan and stuffing our faces full of delicious home-cooked food.

I really hope you guys do have a wonderful weekend though. Add this lemon chicken pasta bake to your menu next week and pair it with a citrusy IPA!

Lemon Chicken Pasta Bake

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound dry small pasta
• ▢ 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced small
• ▢ 3 cloves of garlic finely minced
• ▢ salt and black pepper
• ▢ 2 14.5 oz cans cream of chicken soup
• ▢ 3/4 cup milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese finely grated
• ▢ fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
• ▢ 1/2 of a small lemon sliced, garnish

Instructions

• ▢
  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and spray a large baking dish with a non-stick spray. Set aside.
• ▢
  Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, and cook for 5 minutes ONLY. Drain and set aside.
• ▢
  To a large bowl, combine the partially cooked pasta, chicken, onion, garlic and a heavy dose of salt and black pepper. Toss. Set aside.
• ▢
  In a small saucepan, combine the soup and milk. Whisk over low heat until heated though and creamy. Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture and drizzle on the lemon juice. Stir to evenly coat.
• ▢
  Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. After it has baked, remove the foil, and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Place the dish under the broiler until the cheese is melty. Remove from heat.
• ▢
  Garnish with fresh parsley and slices of lemon. Enjoy hot.