Baked chicken Alfredo is the dinner that makes an ordinary Tuesday feel handled: penne folded through a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with slices of golden chicken, tipped into a dish and baked under mozzarella until the edges bubble and the top turns spotty gold. It has the comfort of our Creamy Garlic Parmesan Pasta with the extra reward only an oven finish gives — those crisped cheese corners everyone quietly competes for.
The sauce is a true Alfredo built in the same pan the chicken seared in, so the browned bits become part of the seasoning. Butter, garlic, cream and Parmesan, in that order, with the cheese melted in off the fiercest heat so the sauce stays glossy instead of grainy. Nothing here is exotic, and that is the point: a short grocery list, one pasta pot, one skillet, one baking dish.
Serve it with something green and crisp alongside and a basket of our Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread for wiping the dish. Leftovers reheat better than most cream pastas because the bake sets the sauce around the pasta — a splash of milk and a covered dish bring it straight back.
Undercook the penne by two minutes
Pasta keeps cooking after it leaves the pot — first in the hot sauce, then for twenty minutes in the oven. If the penne goes in fully cooked, it comes out of the bake soft and swollen. Pull it two minutes shy of the package time, when it still has a firm, slightly chalky core, and let the sauce finish the job. That small act of restraint is the entire difference between a baked pasta with bite and a baked pasta that eats like porridge.
Grate your own Parmesan, warm the cream
Pre-shredded Parmesan is dusted with anti-caking powders that melt into a gritty sauce, so grate a block yourself — it takes two minutes and melts like silk. Cold cream hit with hot pan juices can also misbehave, so let the cream sit on the counter while the pasta cooks, or warm it for twenty seconds in the microwave. Room-temperature cream plus fresh cheese plus a pan taken off the boil equals a sauce that stays smooth from first scoop to last.
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta (340 g)
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (680 g)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (6 g), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (1.5 g)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (2 g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42 g)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 12 g)
- 2 cups heavy cream (480 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (135 g), divided
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (0.5 g), optional
- 1 1/2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella (170 g)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g), to serve
Amounts are for the yield below. US customary measures first, grams in brackets for scale users.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the oven and cook the pasta. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish. Cook the penne in well-salted boiling water until 2 minutes shy of the package directions — still firm in the center. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Season and sear the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with half the salt, the pepper and the Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). Rest it on a board for 5 minutes, then slice it into strips.
- Build the Alfredo sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet, scraping up the browned chicken bits. Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the cream and the remaining salt, bring it to the gentlest simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly and coats a spoon.
- Melt in the Parmesan. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in 1 cup (90 g) of the Parmesan a handful at a time until completely melted and glossy. Stir in the nutmeg, if using. If the sauce feels very thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water — it should pour like a thick cream, because the pasta will drink some of it in the oven.
- Combine pasta and chicken. Add the drained penne to the sauce and toss until every tube is coated. Fold in half the sliced chicken, then tip everything into the prepared baking dish and arrange the remaining chicken strips over the top so every serving gets some.
- Top, bake and serve. Scatter the mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is melted with golden spots. For a deeper top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching constantly. Rest for 5 minutes, shower with parsley, and serve hot.
Nutrition estimate
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 620 kcal |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated fat | 16 g |
| Sodium | 780 mg |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
Nutrition figures are estimates calculated from standard ingredient data for the yield stated. Your actual values will vary with brands, substitutions and portion sizes — treat them as a guide, not a guarantee.
Storage & reheating
Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat, covered, in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes with a splash of milk stirred in to loosen the sauce, or microwave individual portions at half power, stirring halfway. Cream sauces thicken as they sit, so do not skip the milk. Freezing is not recommended — the sauce can separate and the pasta turns soft on thawing. Nutrition figures are estimates from standard ingredient data and vary with brands and substitutions.
Easy Baked Chicken Alfredo
Creamy, cheesy and baked until bubbling — the Alfredo pasta the whole table asks for twice.
Ingredients
Tick ingredients off as you prep, and tap a step below to mark it done as you cook. Scaling adjusts the listed amounts - seasoning to taste stays your call.
Instructions
- Heat the oven and cook the pasta. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish. Cook the penne in well-salted boiling water until 2 minutes shy of the package directions — still firm in the center. Reserve 1 cup (240 ml) of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Season and sear the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with half the salt, the pepper and the Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through to 165°F (74°C). Rest it on a board for 5 minutes, then slice it into strips.
- Build the Alfredo sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet, scraping up the browned chicken bits. Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the cream and the remaining salt, bring it to the gentlest simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until it thickens slightly and coats a spoon.
- Melt in the Parmesan. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in 1 cup (90 g) of the Parmesan a handful at a time until completely melted and glossy. Stir in the nutmeg, if using. If the sauce feels very thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water — it should pour like a thick cream, because the pasta will drink some of it in the oven.
- Combine pasta and chicken. Add the drained penne to the sauce and toss until every tube is coated. Fold in half the sliced chicken, then tip everything into the prepared baking dish and arrange the remaining chicken strips over the top so every serving gets some.
- Top, bake and serve. Scatter the mozzarella and the remaining Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese is melted with golden spots. For a deeper top, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching constantly. Rest for 5 minutes, shower with parsley, and serve hot.
Tested in the FryDaily kitchen, October 2026. Printing? This card is designed to print cleanly on its own.
