Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
Seared chicken and pasta folded through a silky homemade Alfredo-style sauce, then baked under a layer of mozzarella until golden and bubbling. This is proper baked comfort food, built from scratch rather than a jar.
Undercooking the pasta by a few minutes before it goes in the oven matters more than it sounds — it keeps cooking as the dish bakes, so starting it fully cooked would leave it mushy by the time it comes out. The sauce gets the same care: whisking the warm milk into the roux gradually, a little at a time, is what keeps it silky instead of lumpy.
It’s a proper make-ahead dish too — baked pasta bakes like this hold up well in the fridge or freezer, and reheat back to golden and bubbling in the oven.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
PASTA · DINNER · MEDIUM
A proper homemade Alfredo, baked golden
Building the sauce from a real roux, whisking in warm milk gradually, gives it a silkiness that jarred Alfredo just can't match — and it only takes a few extra minutes.
Pulling the pasta a few minutes early before it goes in the oven means it finishes cooking perfectly in the bake, instead of turning soft and overdone by the time the cheese is golden.
That last two minutes under the broiler is what takes the mozzarella topping from melted to genuinely golden and crisp — worth watching closely, but worth every second.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake
Ingredients
Chicken & Seasoning
- 15 ml Olive Oil
- 600 g Chicken Breast Diced
- 2 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
- 10 g Dijon Mustard
- Salt & Pepper
Alfredo Sauce & Pasta
- 400 g Penne or Rigatoni
- 42 g Unsalted Butter
- 4 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 45 g Plain Flour All Purpose
- 500 ml Whole Milk
- 30 g Cream Cheese
- 50 g Parmigianno Reggiano Grated
- 175 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 0.2 g Nutmeg Grated
- Salt & Pepper
- Flat Leaf Parsley Garnish
Method
- Boil salted water and cook the pasta 3 minutes less than the package says.
- Mix the chicken with Italian herbs, Dijon, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Warm the milk gently in a saucepan — don't let it boil.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter, sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, stir in the flour, and cook for 1 ½ minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Add the cream cheese, parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and ¾ cup (75g) of the mozzarella — reserving the remaining 1 cup (100g) for the topping. Stir until smooth.
- Combine the pasta, chicken, and sauce in a bowl. Transfer to a baking dish, top with the reserved mozzarella, and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15–20 minutes. Grill/broil for the last 2 minutes for a crispy top.
- Serve hot, garnished with cracked black pepper and flat-leaf parsley.
Why undercook the pasta before baking?⌄
The pasta keeps absorbing sauce and cooking in the oven, so if it's fully cooked before baking it'll turn mushy by the time the dish is done. Pulling it 3 minutes early gets it perfect at the end.
Can I make this ahead and bake it later?⌄
Yes, assemble it up to the point of baking, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then bake as directed — you may need a few extra minutes since it'll be going in cold.
Why does the milk need to be warmed before adding it to the roux?⌄
Cold milk hitting a hot roux is what causes lumps. Warming it first, and whisking it in gradually, keeps the sauce smooth from the start.
Can I freeze this?⌄
Yes, baked pasta dishes like this generally freeze and reheat well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven to bring the topping back to golden and bubbling.
