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
Servings:
8Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
29 Responses
Is the chicken cooked or uncooked when you mix it with the ingredients?
Hi Hannah. The chicken will be uncooked when you mix it in. If you wish to cook the chicken beforehand then you may, but it may dry out and overcook when you go to bake it. I hope this helps! Thanks for stopping by!
Making this tonight
I hope you enjoy it, Josie!
You can definitely use condensed cream of chicken, Cherice. That is what I meant as the ingredient for “cream of chicken soup” in the recipe above. Thank you!
This was amazing!!!! Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Rose! Thanks for trying the recipe!
YUMMM I loved this dish, so tasty and easy to make
Yay! I’m so happy you liked it, Josie! Thanks!
Just tried this recipe last night. It was great! And there is enough leftovers so I don’t have to cook tonight !!! :)
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and YAY for not having to cook! :)
Was pretty good but I think that baking it for an hour was too long. It made the noodles get mushy. Over all, I liked the flavors, just next time I am going to bake it for a shorter period of time.
can you freeze the leftovers?
I think it would be OK to freeze the leftovers. The pasta texture might be a little off, but I think if you were to reheat it it in a very hot oven it would work. Thanks. I hope it works out for you!
Can the lemon chicken pasta bake be made without covering in foil. Am about ready to put it in oven and I’m out of foil😭
Yummy!
What size is the baking dish?
Hi, Rachel! A 9x13inch or something close to that will work just fine for this recipe. Thanks!
I don’t have soup on hand; can I substitute heavy cream with chicken broth? If so, how much would you recommend for each ingredient? I am preparing two large, boneless/skinless chicken breasts.
Thank you!
Hi Laura. I’m sorry that I am just seeing your question now. I have never tried this method, but it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot. I would probably split the two to equal the amount of soup you would use for the recipe. Hope this helps!
Really enjoyed this recipe. Does it freeze well?
Hi, Cam! It does freeze well! I would thaw completely before you bake. Hope this helps!