Chicken Tomato Pasta Bake

This chicken tomato pasta is a hearty, delicious one-pot meal that’s simple to put together and nutritious. It consists of juicy pieces of chicken and fusilli pasta immersed in a flavourful herby tomato sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. Ready in under 40 minutes!

Check out also chicken in tomato sauce and low fat chicken fajitas casserole!

This chicken tomato pasta bake has the kind of depth of flavour that usually comes from hours of cooking yet preparation is quick and the dish only takes 20 minutes to bake.  This is achieved with a moderate amount of cheese, without heavy cream or butter. 

This chicken pasta bake contains a generous amount of tomato sauce, which keeps the chicken moist and prevents the pasta becoming dry.

Chicken tomato pasta ingredients and substitutions

• Chicken breast.
• Pasta: Use penne instead of fusilli if preferred.
• Tomatoes: use either regular chopped canned tomatoes or tomatoes with added herbs or garlic etc.
• Tomato puree: adds richness.
• Sun dried tomatoes: add flavour. These can be replaced by approx. 1.5 tbsp of sun dried tomato pesto.
• Garlic.
• Red onion.
• Capers and balsamic vinegar: add depth of flavour.
• Dried herbs: use mixed herbs (UK) or Italian seasoning.
• Parmesan: you can substitute Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano or another Italian hard cheese.
• Stock: Either vegetable or chicken stock are ok to use (I used vegetable).
• Olive oil.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Boil the pasta in salted water for 4 minutes (do not cook it completely). Strain and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Heat up 1.5 tablespoons of oil and sear the chicken on a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes turning over halfway (it should still be raw inside). Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken into a bowl leaving the juices in the pan.

3. To the same pan add the remaining tablespoon of oil, garlic and onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat.

4. Add the tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, balsamic vinegar, capers, herbs and pepper to taste (you shouldn’t need to add salt) and stir to combine.

5. Add the pasta as well as the chicken (along with the juices) and give the whole thing a good stir (ensure the pasta and chicken are thoroughly coated in the sauce). Season with pepper.

6. Scatter the parmesan over the top and bake your chicken tomato pasta in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

What to serve with this dish

This dish can be served with garlic bread, crispy salad, homemade breadsticks or simply on its own. It’s also delicious with grilled or roasted vegetables, such as peppers or zucchini as well as steamed broccoli.

Can I use dark meat instead of white

I do not recommend making this swap.  This dish cooks very quickly so the best meat to use is chicken breast.  Dark meat (chicken thighs) works better in dishes which require longer cooking.

What can be made ahead

Although I do not recommend preparing this tomato chicken pasta recipe ahead you can save time by preparing some of the ingredients in advance. These include:

• The pasta. Cook it according to Instructions below then once completely cooled cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The chicken. Sear then place the chicken in a bowl, cool completely, cover and refrigerate overnight. When assembling the casserole don't forget to also add the juices into the mix.

Top tips

• If using canned tomatoes with added ingredients, such as herbs or garlic lower the proportions of these ingredients in the recipe (if applicable).
• It is important to cut the chicken into chunks (rather than finely dice it) to prevent it being overcooked.
• Do not cook the chicken completely before adding into the casserole (it will finish cooking in the oven).
• The pasta should also be only partly cooked before assembling the recipe.
• To save time prepare the chicken and the rest of the ingredients while you wait for the pasta to cook.
• You shouldn’t need to add salt into the casserole – provided you seasoned the chicken and boiled the pasta in salted water. But be generous with pepper.
• Bake your casserole as soon as you’ve assembled it.
• Best served immediately.

Can you freeze tomato chicken pasta

I do not recommend it. This is because as the dish cools the pasta will start to absorb some of the sauce so by the time it’s cooled completely and is ready to place in the freezer the pasta will have become quite soft. So you might end up with mushy pasta.

Related recipes

• Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
• Ground Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Pasta Bake with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
• Creamy Salmon Leek Pasta Bake (Healthy)
• Healthy Creamy Spinach Chicken

You might also like this collection of healthy pasta meals as well as easy chicken recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make this tomato chicken and pasta I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Did you make any swaps? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right in your mailbox!

Recipe