Chicken Baked Ziti
If you are looking for a new 30 minute meal, look no further…
this is it!
It’s creamy and delicious without being heavy.
It is FULL on flavor, without tons of calories or fat.
This is one chicken and pasta dish that will be returning to our dinner table often.
I love how easy it is to pull together.
Perfect for busy weeknights.
I’ve always loved regular Baked Ziti, my mom would make it all the time when I was a kid. It still is one of my favorites,
so I thought about making it based on chicken and I’ve used lots of ground turkey in recipes,
but have not used much ground chicken, and now I can’t believe I haven’t been making more recipes with it,
it cooks up so quickly and has a great flavor!
There are two easy ways to make this recipe, one using ground chicken the other using cooked chicken.
Ground chicken cooks quickly, but if you already have chicken cooked it’s perfect for this meal.
Cook the ground chicken in a skillet over medium-medium high heat.
( if you prefer shredded chicken, you can certainly use that too)
Now for the sauce… oh how a creamy sauce can be the difference between a good meal and an OUTSTANDING meal! don’t you agree?!?
I used a combination of chicken broth and milk along with some low sodium chicken flavor.
If you’d like to see my complete post on how to make a sauce take a look at “How to make a Sauce”
Mix the chicken with the sauce into your cooked ziti noodles.
Ziti noodles are so great, they are thick and cook up so nicely, they hold their shape even when baked, just be sure to cook them properly, don’t over cook them. Set a timer, there is nothing worse than pasta that has been over cooked! (says this pasta lover!)
Pile it all into a baking dish with the cheese,
and now you are only minutes away from this delicious dish.
In 30 minutes you can have this on your table for dinner TONIGHT!
It’s a very generous dish, so you’ll get lots of servings. Leftover heat up great too.
What kind of chicken is used in this recipe?
I made this with ground chicken, you can use ground turkey or cooked shredded chicken or turkey to make this dish.
Flavor options:
Add in 1 cup diced onion when you cook the chicken.
Add in more garlic (if you love garlic add lots)
Add in diced tomatoes if you want a more Italian flavor, be sure to add more garlic and oregano too.
If you like things a little spicy, add in some sliced jalapenos or crushed red pepper flakes.
I use mozzarella cheese, if you looking for more flavor in the cheese department add in some parmesan cheese, Romano Cheese, lots of options when it comes to cheese, try some asiago, manchego, and cotija cheese with the jalapenos is yummy!
This recipe can be easily changed with the addition of your favorite item, add a veggie, add some of you favorite spices as well.
Chicken Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ziti noodles
- 1 lb ground chicken (or ground turkey), or cooked shredded chicken
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon (knorr powdered) add more if desired
- 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese I used part-skim
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- preheat oven 350
- Boil ziti noodles according to package, don't overcook them. (Cook to al dente)
- In a skillet, cook ground chicken. Check with a thermometer that it reaches 165 degrees.
- Prepare sauce: In a skillet melt butter, add onion and garlic, whisk in flour, and slowly pour in milk and chicken broth add in chicken bouillon. Add 1 tablespoon then taste the sauce and add more if desired. Optional items are added in the NOTES below.
- Drain pasta, add cooked chicken and sauce to the pan, along with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese stir until all combined.
- Pour into a 9x13 baking dish
- Pour mixture into pan, top with remaining cheese
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden brown.
Notes
Add in 1-2 cups diced tomatoes fresh or canned, drained. Add in 1 teaspoon dry oregano. Add in some chopped jalapenos for some spice or a half teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes. Add more onions or garlic. I use mozzarella cheese, if you looking for more flavor in the cheese department add in some parmesan cheese, or Romano Cheese, lots of options when it comes to cheese, try some asiago, manchego, and cotija cheese with the jalapenos is yummy!
Great twist on a classic recipe! Looks delicious, can’t wait to dig in!
What is a chicken flavor packet?
Chicken Flavor refers to Chicken Bouillon, readily available in the US in grocery stores, in a paste or dry form. It’s concentrated chicken flavoring.
Can I use mascarpone cheese instead of mozzarella??
I haven’t tried that, I typically use mascarpone in desserts, if you do replace the mozzarella cheese with it, it won’t be stringy, it will give you a creamy result.
I made this. I was worried about 3 cups of liquid.
Cooked for 20 minutes. Still was too much liquid. Do you
Have to let it set up?
The recipe calls for 2 cups of milk when making the sauce, add the milk slowly when stirring it into the rough (butter and flour) it will thicken as you make the sauce. Even if you add 3 cups do it slowly…. so it’s a sauce. (it will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon easily) The is no need to let this dish “set up” like lasagna, the sauce should not be thin, it’s a cream sauce.
I bet this would be yummy with some diced onion & green pepper sauteed with the ground chicken 😍😍😍 definitely trying this recipe this week!
And minced garlic!
Tried it with chicken breasts (cut into little pieces) bc I took rhe wrong meat xD
But it’s also yummy and I will defenitely try it again 😍
Could you add ricotta cheese to this?
Yes, of course you can. And I’m sure it would be yummy. Add about a cup, you can mix and egg and some salt pepper and oregano into the mixture for delicious flavor.
would it be possible to substitute almond milk for regular milk? my daughter can’t have dairy but I am trying to keep her food options open and i think that she would love to try this!
Yes, you could substitute any alternative milk for dairy milk. You can also add some veggies like broccoli, spinach, or make it with ground turkey or cooked chicken like a rotisserie. Hope she likes it!
Just found your site! Wondering how this would freeze.
You can freeze, thaw in fridge overnight, then slice and reheat each serving or the whole dish, might be helpful to put in a tin foil type casserole size tray as it’s thin and will thaw and reheat in a more timely manner, or go from freezer to oven if you choose, it’ll just take longer to bake if fully frozen.