Baked Rigatoni with Chicken
Cheesy baked chicken rigatoni is a baked casserole featuring tender chicken, rigatoni pasta, and mozzarella perfect for a cozy dinner!
Equipment
- 1 9x13 casserole baking dish can use pyrex, ceramic or metal
- 1 large skillet
- 1 Large pot with salted water for pasta
Ingredients
For The Pasta
- 16 ounces Rigatoni pasta
- 1 large egg
- 16 ounces Ricotta cheese I used whole milk ricotta for a creamier bake
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For The Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For Layering The Pasta
- 32 ounces Marinara sauce divided, 32 ounces is 4 cups. Use your favorite sauce.
- 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Start a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water in a medium sized pot according to the package directions until al dente according to package instructions. (Usually about 10-11 minutes.) Drain the pasta well and set to the side, pouring it back into the large pot.
- Crack the egg into a large bowl and stir to break the yolks with a fork. Add ricotta cheese, basil pesto, parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Mix well until combined and set to the side.
- Cut the chicken into about one and a half inch pieces. Place in a large bowl and add Italian seasoning, garlic powder ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Mix well until the chicken is fully coated in the seasoning.
- Place the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Cook the chicken 7-8 minutes stirring as needed occasionally until brown.
- Add the cooked chicken and 2 cups of marinara sauce to the pasta. Stir until combined.
- Place 1 cup of marinara in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and spread over the bottom of the pan. Pour the pasta mixture into the pan.
- Top the pasta with 1 cup of marinara evenly over the pasta. Dollop the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta sauce then smooth evenly with a spoon. Top the entire pan evenly with mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 23-25 minutes. The sauce will be bubbling and the cheese on top will be melted and lightly browned. Let stand for five minutes, then serve. Sprinkle with fresh parsley or fresh basil if desired.
Notes
If you use 2% ricotta cheese or fat free ricotta cheese I recommend adding an extra egg to the riccota cheese mixture or it can become too dry.
It is really important not to miss a layering marinara next to the layer of ricotta cheese as this helps to keep everything moist and juicy. If you miss adding the marinara before the ricotta cheese, add it on top of the ricotta cheese before adding the mozzarella.
The layer of ricotta may seem on the thicker side. This is totally ok! When you scoop it for individual portions it will spread out a little more on the plate.
You could mix the ricotta in with the pasta before adding it to the baking dish. I found that because we are mixing green pesto into the ricotta, the finished dish looked prettier when I added the ricotta mixture on top.
When I tested it and mixed the ricotta with the basil pesto into the pasta with sauce, it made the cheese look a little grey, which I found just didn't look as pretty. My family eats with their eyes, and loved this method better.
Nutrition
Calories: 581kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 1241mg | Potassium: 877mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1137IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 319mg | Iron: 3mg