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Garlic Butter Chicken Alfredo Bake Recipe
kahn50133

Best Garlic Butter Chicken Alfredo Bake Recipe

An ultra-creamy, high-comfort pasta bake featuring tender garlic-butter seared chicken breasts, penne pasta, and a rich, authentic cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce, topped with bubbly melted mozzarella.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner Casserole, Main Course
Cuisine: American-Italian
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
For the Chicken & Pasta:
  • 1.5 lbs / 680g – Chicken breasts boneless, skinless, sliced into bite-sized strips
  • 1 lb / 450g – Penne or Rigatoni pasta
  • 2 tbsp / 30ml – Avocado oil or high-heat cooking oil
  • 1 tsp / 6g – Fine sea salt
  • 0.5 tsp / 1.5g – Cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp / 3g – Italian seasoning blend
For the Garlic Butter Alfredo Sauce:
  • 4 tbsp / 60g – Unsalted butter preferably European style like Kerrygold
  • 6 cloves – Fresh garlic finely minced
  • 2 cups / 480ml – Heavy whipping cream
  • 1.5 cups / 150g – Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese freshly grated from a block
  • 0.5 cup / 120ml – Reserved hot starchy pasta boiling water
  • 0.25 tsp / 1g – Ground nutmeg optional secret flavor enhancer
For the Topping:
  • 1.5 cups / 170g – Low-moisture mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 tbsp – Fresh Italian parsley finely chopped for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 inch Pyrex baking dish
  • 1 Large stainless steel skillet or Lodge cast-iron pan
  • 1 Large pasta boiling pot
  • 1 Garlic press or microplane
  • 1 Cheese grater (for fresh block cheese)

Method
 

Cooking Instructions
    Step 1 (Boil the Pasta):
    1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the penne pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions specifies for al dente. The pasta must remain slightly firm because it will continue to absorb liquid and cook inside the oven. Crucial: Scoop out 0.5 cup of the starchy pasta water right before draining, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
    Step 2 (Sear the Chicken):
    1. Heat the avocado oil in your large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add them to the hot pan in a single layer and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden-brown edges form. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a clean plate (it does not need to be fully cooked through yet).
    Step 3 (Build the Garlic Butter Base):
    1. Turn the pan heat down to medium-low. Drop the unsalted butter into the same skillet, letting it melt into the leftover chicken pan drippings. Add the minced fresh garlic and sauté constantly for exactly 60 seconds until it becomes highly aromatic. Do not let the garlic turn brown or burn, as it will make the entire sauce taste bitter.
    Step 4 (Simmer the Cream and Cheese):
    1. Pour the heavy whipping cream into the skillet with the garlic butter, stirring continuously to scrape up the savory bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Turn off the burner completely, then gradually whisk in the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese one handful at a time until completely smooth and emulsified. Whisk in a splash of the saved pasta water if the sauce looks too thick.
    Step 5 (Assemble the Bake):
    1. Preheat your oven to $375^circtext{F}$ ($190^circtext{C}$). In your large 9x13 inch baking dish, combine the undercooked pasta, the seared garlic chicken, and pour the warm alfredo sauce completely over the top. Toss gently with tongs so every piece of pasta is filled and coated with sauce.
    Step 6 (Bake and Melt):
    1. Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese in an even layer over the entire top of the pasta. Place the dish into the center rack of the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the cheese is melted. Switch the oven to broil for the final 2 minutes to get a beautiful, blistered, golden-brown cheese crust. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley before serving.

    Notes

    Recipe Notes

    • The Cheese Rule: Never buy pre-shredded cheese in a plastic bag for this recipe. Store-bought bags of shredded cheese are coated in powdered cellulose (an anti-clumping agent) which prevents the cheese from melting smoothly. This cellulose will break your Alfredo emulsion, leaving you with a gritty, separated, oily sauce. Always grate your cheese fresh from a solid block.
    • Reheating Tip: Cream sauces easily split into liquid grease when reheated too fast. To reheat leftovers properly, add a tiny splash of milk or water to the dish, cover it with foil, and warm it gently in the oven at $325^circtext{F}$ ($163^circtext{C}$) until hot. If using a microwave, heat at 50% power in 30-second intervals while stirring.