Cheesy Marinara Easy Baked Chicken with Pasta
This easy baked chicken pasta recipe is made with juicy chicken tenderloin pieces that take on a quick marinade with Italian dressing and dry spices. A bit of quick store-bought marinara sauce and your favorite short pasta all bake together with melty cheeses to make a simple cheesy chicken casserole that will feed the whole family.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pack Chicken Tenderloins - about 6 or 7 pieces
- 3 tbsp Good Italian Dressing - such as Ken's Steakhouse Italian Dressing with Aged Romano
- ½ tsp Coarse Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Pepper
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Onion Powder
- 32 oz jar Marinara Sauce
- 2 cups Short Pasta - cooked halfway such as penne or rotini
- 2 cups Shredded Cheese - for topping, such as shredded provolone, shredded cheddar jack, Italian blend, or your favorite kind.
- 1 container Marinated Mozzarella Cheese - about 7 or 8 pieces to dot over the top plus juices from the marinade
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Begin by tossing the chicken tenderloin pieces in a large mixing bowl. Toss chicken together with the Italian dressing and bump up the flavors with the addition of a few quick dry spices. Sprinkle in the ground onion powder, garlic powder, plus coarse salt and ground pepper. Toss together to coat chicken and set aside.
- Ladle a bit of your favorite marinara sauce into the bottom of your baking dish or casserole dish and swirl around to create a bottom layer for the pasta to sit on.
- Add strained half-cooked pasta to bottom of baking dish over the bit of ladled sauce. Dot the pasta with a bit more of the marinara sauce.
- Now place the marinated chicken tenderloins over the saucy pasta layer. Gently press the chicken tenderloins into the pasta a bit, tucking them in slightly.
- Now top the chicken layer with remaining marinara sauce. I did this by pouring it in a circular motion over my oval shaped casserole dish, right from the jar.
- Sprinkle on the shredded cheese in an even layer making sure it also seals all around the edges evenly. Add pieces of the marinated mozzarella and drizzle on some of the juices from the container of the marinated mozzarella for added flavor.
- Spray a foil sheet evenly with cooking spray so that the cheese layer doesn’t stick to the foil. Wrap the casserole tightly with the aluminum foil and bake.
- Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (155 to 160F), the juices are bubbling, and cheeses evenly melted.
- Once the baking time is up, open the oven and remove the foil. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on high. Brown the top cheesy layer for 4 to 5 minutes under the broiler until just golden. Serve hot. See notes about broiler usage.
Notes
***Don’t leave the oven area as the broiler will burn the cheese if you walk away and forget! I always recommend, if need be, set a timer for the short 4 to 5 minutes so you don’t forget to remove the casserole right on time.
Tried this recipe?Show me how it went! Tag @RedWineDragons and hashtag #redwinedragons!