Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella
This baked penne with chicken, broccoli and smoked mozzarella is so delicious – better than a restaurant, and it freezes well, too.
This delectable baked penne dish has stood the test of time; it’s been a family favorite for over ten years! That’s saying something.
Especially with a family of pasta lovers.
Flavorful and fairly simple to make, it’s restaurant-level good, and makes a fantastic meal for company (or to take to friends or neighbors).
One Pot Wonder
One of the appeals to this recipe is that the broccoli, pasta and sauce all cook in the same pot, meaning: minimal dishes!
First, the broccoli get plunged into lightly salted boiling water. They cook for just a few short minutes before getting pulled out to rest until a bit later.
The pasta cooks in the same pot of boiling water. Brilliant!
When the pasta is drained, the pot (no need to wash!) goes back on the heat for a little sauce making.
This homemade, creamy sauce is as simple as it gets, but thanks to the onion, garlic and simple seasonings, it’s delicious!
The uncooked, diced chicken pieces go straight into the simmering sauce and cook for a few minutes, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes and cheese…and then the broccoli and pasta that were cooked earlier.
A Note About Smoked Mozzarella
I posted this recipe years ago when I had access to a far better cheese selection then I do now. If you can find smoked mozzarella, by all means, use it! It adds a unique, delightful flavor.
Bur more often than not these days, I just use regular mozzarella, and the end result is still fantastic.
Scoop the saucy pasta into a baking dish, top with buttery bread crumbs and bake until golden and bubbling.
Be prepared: your house is going to smell amazing.
The pasta bakes at 400 degrees, which means it only needs to be in the oven for 15 minutes or so.
This baked pasta can really be a meal in and of itself. You’ve got pasta, sauce, cheese and veggies!
We make this recipe all the time – and have for years! It’s one of those delicious, classic recipes that truly stands the test of time.
A few other reviews (so you don’t have to just take my word for it!):
Anna: I made it countless times in past years. It’s our family favorite.and it is always well received by the company. Great way to get some veggies into my kids. Thank you Mel!
Kristen: Fantastic recipe! My family loved it and I’ve been enjoying the leftovers for a couple of days! I ended up using smoked gouda since I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella and it worked great and tasted amazing. Thanks, Mel, for another great recipe.
What To Serve With This:
Divine Breadsticks
Fresh fruit
Autumn Pear Salad
One Year Ago: Chicken Spiedie Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Scotcharoos
Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella
Ingredients
Topping:
- ¾ cup bread crumbs, regular or panko
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
- 1 ½ pounds broccoli, stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 3, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 ounces smoked or regular mozzarella, shredded
- 8 ounce jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped into pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to a plate or bowl.
- Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Wipe the pot dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella (or regular mozzarella).
- Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Cover and Bake
Recipe originally posted January 2011; updated July 2021 with new photos, commentary, recipe notes.
162 Comments on “Baked Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Smoked Mozzarella”
I have been making this recipe for my family for many years now, and honestly, it is probably my favorite dinner. It is my oldest daughter’s favorite as well, and one that all three of my kids and my husband enjoy as well. I leave out the sun dried tomatoes because my people are too picky for that. Sometimes I used smoked Gouda instead of smoked mozzarella, and it’s equally a winner – but truly, this is so good and has been a regular on our table for ages. It’s in the oven right now!
This was delicious! I pretty much followed the recipe except I could find sun dried tomatoes at Aldi. I used pesto rosso instead, which is sun dried tomato pesto. I also used regular mozzarella. It was so good!
Can you use fresh mozzarella ? Thank you
Yes, I think that would work just fine!
Can this be freezed , if so how?
I haven’t frozen it, but I’m guessing it might work. Follow the make-ahead instructions in the notes section and then pop in the freezer. I’d thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake in the oven, covered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until heated through.
This recipe is awesome. Instead of bread crumbs I used French’s fried onions ground up.
DELICIOUS! Took a while to make but so worth it.
What a delish meal!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Loved this dish. Worthy of a reply. Will make again.
Hey Mel! I just made this dish and it was amazing! Well received by everyone! I was just wondering what the calories for this meal would be? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Jodi – I don’t have the nutrition information calculated – sorry about that!
So good! Family loved it! A little less or no Thyme…personal preference. Added some Garlic salt. This is going to be a staple in our house!!
Hi I made this for dinner and my family loved it. Can you provide the nutrition info. I’m on WW and not sure how many points to count it as
I bet you have a Woodman’s which has by far the best cheese aisle of an American grocery store. I am super jelly Inknow l9nger have one down the street.
Looking forward to making this once I decide on a replacement for the smoked mozzarella.
This is so good! The sauce is incredible! I used 16 oz pasta (for a single recipe) and I ended up doubling the sauce. It was NOT too much sauce. It was perfect. We adapted it a little. I used the oil that the sundried tomatoes were soaked in to sauté the onions. It smelled and tasted heavenly and I didn’t waste a drop of that precious infused oil. I couldn’t find the smoked mozzarella at our grocery store, so we just used regular traditionally shredded (preshredded). I cooked my chicken separately the day before in my instant pot and cut it into chunks. And I doubled it so I could bring it to a friend who had a baby. I made the sauce in one pan and then I boiled the pasta 2 minutes undercooked in one pan. Then I mixed the pasta, chopped sundried tomatoes, shredded cheese, completely frozen Birds Eye BABY broccoli florets, chicken chunks and sauce and dumped it into the pans and topped with a bit more mozzarella and a bit of shredded Parmesan (I forgot to buy bread crumbs and I didn’t want to make any because toddler nap time was almost over). The broccoli cooked perfectly, the cheese melted beautifully and the pasta was perfect! We ate the leftovers up way too quick! I’ve gotta make this again!
This was delicious! I skipped the onion, used regular mozzarella, and added a couple tablespoons of butter, I would add a little more liquid next time! Such a great recipe!
Made dish tonight and the guys loved it. I cooked the chicken first than added it. I will make it again.
I made this last night and it was a hit! Full of flavor and a perfect fall dish.
You put the chicken in the sauce raw? Or is it already cooked?
The chicken goes in raw and cooks in the sauce.
For those who can’t source smoked mozzarella, you can just use smoked chicken instead, or add a few drops of Liquid Smoke.®
This dish is time consuming but so worth it! It was perfect and delicious. One of my new favorites
I made it countless times in past years . It’s our family favorite.and it is always well received by the company. Great way to get some veggies into my kids. Thank you Mel !
Mel,
Your recipes take me from a C+ cook to an A+ chef! Whenever I want to try something new, I know I can rely on your recipes to turn out from the very first try.
Thank you!
I love this recipe. It’s the only thing that my entire family will sit at the table and eat together. Though I made a change. Instead of the bread crumbs I cover it with mozzarella cheese instead. Comes out perfectly crisp
Yum!
Hey Mel,
I found your blog last year when I was looking did something different to serve for a party and stumbled on to this recipe. A week or so later you posted your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies recipe and I was sold! Those two recipes have since become what I’m “known for” as a cook. Since then, I’ve almost stopped using any of my old cookbooks and just check out your blog. Thank you so much for sharing!
Laura
Thank you, Laura! That made my day.
Wondering if I could use regular mozzarella instead of smoked? I can’t find smoked mozzarella. And the sundries tomatoes I can only find sundried tomatoes in oil with herbs? Would that work as well? Sorry I’m not the best at cooking and this sounds delicious!!
Yes, for sure! Both of those changes should work great.
Made this wonderfully tasty dish tonight for a friend who was moving, and it was soooo good!! I used a rotisserie chicken and just added it along with the last few steps and used regular mozerella as it was all I had, but will for sure try the smoked next time, it turned out great, my husband said it tasted like it was from a restaurant! Thank you so much for this recipe Mel, I just love your blog and have always had success with your recipes, so nice you have a section just for take-in meals!
Hey Mel! I’ve made this before and we all love it but I think I’ve always used cooked chicken before. Just want to verify that you put the raw chicken in the sauce at the end and it cooks in there? Thanks a bunch!
Yep, as long as the pieces are cut small they’ll cook in no time.
This was the most AMAZING dish! I’m 28 and literally just BARELY started to be interested in cooking. (I never thought in a million years I would ever want to learn!) But a few friends as well as my sister referred me to your site. I was nervous at first! This was my first “hard” recipe! (My whole family jokes that I can’t boil water) But I followed this recipe to a T and I completely shocked myself! My boyfriend was stunned that I randomly cooked something so amazing! You’ve totally inspired me to start cooking and not be afraid of trying new things (besides frozen store bought meals hehe) so thank you for sharing your talent! This dish is DIVINE!
Awesome, Rachel! Way to go!
My husband has meniere’s disease so I have been searching for low sodium receipes. This was pretty tasty and the receipe produced enough for another meal.
We love this dish! Made it many,many times. Delish !
Would it be OK to use a rotissere chicken?
Sure, you’ll just need to experiment where to throw in the chicken in the recipe since the recipe calls for uncooked chicken (I wouldn’t cook the rotisserie chicken the same amount of time).
Thank you Mel. I will let you know how it turns out!
Mel – this was amazing and the second recipe in a row from your arsenal that was a family hit!!! I substituted smoke cheddar with parm – worked great. I love to eat, and I love to follow recipes exactly and yours are so easy, with pictures to help us visual learners. Thank you thank you for all your hard work all these years to prepare these amazing and easy recipes for us to follow!
The whole family loved this, it was a big hit. Great meal to bring over to someone’s house to help them out, it makes tons.
Fantastic recipe! My family loved it and I’ve been enjoying the leftovers for a couple of days! I ended up using smoked gouda since I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella and it worked great and tasted amazing. Thanks, Mel, for another great recipe.
You answered my question! I can’t find smoked mozz either and gouda was going to be my swap. Thanks!!
I brought this over to a lady I VT… she said they loved it. Thanks
I made this into a vegetarian meal…followed instructions just the same while omitting the chicken and it tasted great! I couldn’t find any smoked mozzarella in our grocery store so I opted for white sharp cheddar, used half and half cream and added some hot pepper flakes for some heat…..loved having a meatless main dish with so much flavor! Thank you!
Could I use lobster, shrimp or crab instead of chicken? I’m definitely trying this recipe for this week’s dinner
Keyontae – Definitely worth a try – haven’t tried it myself.
I made this last night and we loved it! My substitutions were: whole wheat pasta, half n half, and smoked provolone as I couldn’t find smoked mozzarella. My husband took 3 helpings! Such a delicious recipe and now I’m excited for leftovers for lunch 🙂