4.72 from 63 reviews

Chicken Baked Ziti

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baked ziti in a white casserole dish topped with cheese and fresh basil

Creating this Chicken Baked Ziti

Mmm…Chicken Baked Ziti!

You guys know I love a good pasta recipe. The Italian in me just can’t resist it!

Growing up, my mom made a version of this recipe. It was our go-to easy pasta recipe for busy weeknights.

All of us were busy with sports and after school extracurricular activities so we thrived off of meals just like this.

To make this meal even easier I like to have the chicken and pasta cooked in advance so all of you have to do is pour all ingredients in the baking pan and bake!

ziti casserole in a white bowl topped with basil and parmesan cheese

Ingredients you will need for Chicken Baked Ziti

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

  • Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts is what I typically use. Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces to make it easy to eat!
  • Ziti pasta: A 1lb. box is what I typically use! If you can’t find ziti pasta, another pasta shape such as Rigatoni or Penne works as well. I always recommend to cook until al dente.
  • Olive oil: Just a little bit will be used to cook the chicken in.
  • Seasonings: Salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning to season the chicken. Red pepper flakes can also be added too if you like some spice!
  • Marinara sauce: I use a 32 oz. jar. I typically open up a second jar for leftovers the next because the noodles soak up all of the sauce, so I recommend buying 2 jars if you like saucy noodles!
  • Cheese: I use a blend of Ricotta Cheese, Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese in this recipe. SO good!
  • Basil: Chiffonade the basil by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then slice the leaves perpendicular to the roll.
chicken and red sauce in a black cast iron skillet

How to make Chicken Baked Ziti

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove to cook the ziti noodles according to package directions. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in the cubed chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. If there is any excess liquid in the pan, you can drain and discard.
  3. Add in the marinara sauce and reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer.
  4. Then, add the chicken and sauce mixture to an oven safe glass baking dish. (Large Pyrex 4.8 quart (10×15) recommended, needs to be fairly large to fit everything!)
  5. Pour the cooked ziti noodles on top, followed by the ricotta and basil. Mix all of this together.
  6. Top with mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on, and then remove the foil and broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese get slightly browned and bubbly.
  7. Garnish with more basil and serve with any remaining red sauce you have on hand if desired. Enjoy!!
ziti casserole in a white baking dish topped with basil

FAQ

How long can chicken baked ziti last in the fridge?

Properly stored, cooked baked ziti will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator! Perfect for meal prep.

Can I freeze baked ziti?

Yes! To freeze, let the baked ziti cool completely, then cover with an airtight lid. If no lid is available, cover with plastic wrap and then a double layer of tin foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. How to bake from frozen: Take casserole out of freezer and remove lid or any plastic wrap. Cover with foil and let it sit on the counter while the oven is preheating. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, remove foil and continue baking for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until center is bubbly. Enjoy!

Do you bake ziti covered or uncovered?

For this ziti recipe, you will bake covered and then remove foil at the end to broil.

ziti casserole in a white baking dish topped with basil

Which type of pasta do you prefer?

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

baked ziti in a white casserole dish topped with cheese and fresh basil
4.72 from 63 reviews

Chicken Baked Ziti

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Chicken Baked Ziti: An easy and comforting casserole recipe made with Parmesan, Ricotta and Mozzarella! It's a delicious weeknight pasta the whole family will love. Be sure to watch the video to see how simple it really is!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ziti pasta, cooked (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)
  • 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper chili flakes (optional)
  • 32 oz. marinara sauce
  • 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Parmesan
  • 1 bunch basil, chiffonade

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove to cook the ziti noodles according to package directions. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
    1 lb. ziti pasta, cooked (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)
  • Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in the cubed chicken and seasonings and cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. If there is any excess liquid in the pan, drain and discard it.
    2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. red pepper chili flakes (optional)
  • Add in the marinara sauce and reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Then, add the chicken and sauce mixture to an oven safe glass baking dish. (4.8 quart/10×15 recommended, needs to be fairly large to fit everything!)
    32 oz. marinara sauce
  • Pour the cooked ziti noodles on top, followed by the ricotta and basil. Mix all of this together.
    1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, 1 bunch basil, chiffonade
  • Top with mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Cover with foil. (Pro tip: spray foil with non stick spray so the cheese doesn't stick to the foil). Bake for 20 minutes with the foil on, and then remove the foil and broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese get slightly browned and bubbly. Garnish with more basil and serve with more red sauce if desired. Enjoy!!
    3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1 cup Parmesan

Video

Notes

  • Serve with a salad or your favorite vegetable dish. 
  • Can use Italian Sausage in place of chicken if you prefer. 
  • Make this dish in advance: After you top with cheese and cover with foil you can place in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Note, bake time will be a little longer than 20 minutes since dish is now cold. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, remove foil and broil 3-4 minutes. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 460kcal (23%)

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Krolls Korner

Krolls Korner

Welcome to my tiny โ€œkornerโ€ on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, donโ€™t tell anyone). I am so glad youโ€™re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.

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4.72 from 63 votes (51 ratings without comment)
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Clara

Perfect portion for our family!

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Julia

Recipe is really tasty and easy to make.

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Kyle

Surprisingly simple to make for it to be so good!

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Rita Western

Have made this recipe twice this month. My family loves it!!! It is easy to prepare and doesn’t use hard to find ingredients. I highly recommend this recipe.

Tara

So easy to follow! I separated the recipe into a 3Q dish and a 6 cup dish. I think it cooked perfectly.

I also added 16 oz. of frozen chopped spinach (drained). I think this made the dish better and more of a balanced meal :).

I would totally make this again! Thanks!

Boo

Rarely is it fast, easy, tasty, Wow, this was all that, so comforting, everyone was quite at the table, too busy stuffing their faces, no leftovers, all gone. This is a keeper, thanks for sharing, fast, easy, but so very tasty, glad to add it to my family dinners.

Brittany

Came out absolutely delicious. Served it with Caesar salad and garlic bread ๐Ÿ™‚

Nicole

Made this for dinner tonight, it was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it, served with a side Caesar salad and garlic bread. I did not have the amount of mozzarella the recipe called for, but at least a little more than 1/3 of the recipe. Still great!

Jacob Smith

Did you really use 16 oz of ziti?? I did and it made it really hard to mix in the 3 qt dish (seemed liked a lot more than what I see in your video). Other than that, I just pulled it out of the oven and itโ€™s delicious! My kids love it too. Well done!

Jacob Smith

Thank you! It’s the gift that keeps on giving because the leftovers are great too! I think I’ll mix everything in a bowl and then put it in the casserole dish as I think that would be easier for me personally. I’m assuming that would be fine? ๐Ÿ™‚

Rona Diamondstein

Can I assemble this casserole, put it in the refrigerator and bring it somewhere the next day to cook?? I think my grandkids would love it!!
Thanks so much…. ?