Easy Baked Ziti with Chicken Recipe - This dish has everything you love in a hearty, filling, and comforting pasta bake! It’s made with tender ziti noodles, loads of chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts, and lots of melty cheese baked in a delicious cream sauce, perfect for serving a crowd.
Creamy pasta dishes bring me so much comfort and joy! Meals like creamy chicken alfredo pasta and oven baked chicken pasta bake are a couple of my family’s favorites. And now this ziti joins the ranks!
Everything in this oven-baked ziti can come together in one pot and then baked in a casserole dish until hot and bubbling. It’s perfect for cozy weekends, serving crowds, and busy weeknights alike.
Serve with a simple Caesar salad on the side, and you’ve got a delicious dinner that is as impressive as it is easy!
What is Baked Ziti?
Ziti is a type of pasta noodle, so baked ziti is a baked pasta dish. Ziti noodles look like penne noodles without the tipped ends or ridges. They’re smooth, tube-shaped, medium-sized noodles.
Baked ziti was originally made with similar flavors to a meat lasagna, but since then, this American-Italian dish has been recreated with all kinds of meat, veggies, and sauces.
Why You’ll Love Baked Ziti with Meat
- It’s got so much flavor! Briny artichokes, juicy chicken, tender noodles, and a cheesy creamy sauce don’t get much better.
- A comfort dish that your entire family will love.
- Use up your leftover cooked chicken in a new way!
- It’s customizable to suit your tastes. Use a different protein, add more veggies, or use a different sauce.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Swap the protein: Make this easy spinach artichoke chicken pasta bake without the chicken! Use leftover roasted turkey, ground beef (browned separately), or Italian sausage instead.
- Add extra veggies: Toss in some mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers.
- Use marinara sauce: If you prefer a tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce, by all means, use it instead.
- Salt the water for cooking pasta. It adds lots more flavor.
- Don’t forget to move the rack to the middle before you turn the oven on. If the rack is too high, the top of the baked ziti will brown too quickly.
Ingredients Needed
- Ziti pasta: Your pasta will be cooked separately and then mixed in with everything before it bakes. If you can’t get your hands on any ziti noodles, go ahead and use penne pasta instead.
- For the base of the sauce: Butter, onion, garlic, flour, chicken broth. The butter and flour create a roux, which gives the sauce a wonderful, thick consistency.
- For the creaminess: Heavy cream and sour cream get mixed in for a rich, velvety texture.
- Artichoke hearts: Find the ones that are marinated in oil. Drain them and chop them up. These add a briny flavor. If you don’t love artichokes, you can swap these with green olives or capers.
- Frozen spinach: Thawed and drained of any excess liquid. Squeeze as much out as you can before chopping it.
- Cheeses: I use both shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan for extra cheesiness.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
- Fresh parsley: For garnish just before serving. It adds a pop of freshness!
How to Make Baked Ziti with Chicken
Step 1: Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain it and set it aside. Wipe your pot clean and dry it, or use a skillet while pasta is cooking.
Step 2: In the same pot or skillet, melt butter over medium/low heat. Cook the onion until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until it is fragrant, and then sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir consistently for about a minute.
Step 3: Slowly pour in the broth, cream, and sour cream and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Bring it to a gentle simmer, then toss in the artichokes and spinach. Stir and heat through for about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Next, stir in shredded mozzarella and Parmesan until it’s gooey and melted. Remove the pot from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Fold in the pasta and cooked chicken, breaking apart any noodles that are stuck together.
Step 6: Transfer everything to a 9x13 casserole dish (or baking dish) and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Step 7: Place it in a preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for about 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees until golden brown on top and the sauce is bubbling up the sides.
Step 8: Let it cool for about 5-10 minutes because it will be piping hot! Serve with chopped parsley and enjoy!
How Long Do I Bake Ziti in the Oven?
I like to bake it at a higher temperature, so if you’re setting your oven to 450 F, then most people only need about 12-15 minutes to bake it. However, if you live at a higher altitude like I do, then you will need an extra few minutes. We bake ours for 15-20 minutes, I also like to broil on high for 1-2 minutes for that golden color.
If you bake it at 425 degrees, then you’ll need to bake it for a minimum of 15-20 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Definitely! Make this dish exactly as written, just leave out the chicken.
You can assemble the ziti in the casserole and keep it covered in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake it, pop it in the oven and bake as directed.
If it’s going straight from the fridge into the oven, add on a few extra minutes of bake time.
This pasta bake freezes beautifully. Once it has completely cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and keep it frozen for up to 1 month.
Thaw in the fridge overnight and then enjoy leftovers for a quick lunch or dinner.
If you’re only reheating a single serving, you can put it on a microwave-safe plate or bowl and give it a quick zap.
If it’s more than that, I’d suggest reheating it in the oven at 350 degrees F until heated through.
No, it’s not necessary for the short time it spends in the oven. However, if you find the top is browning too quickly, then you may want to cover it with foil for the last few minutes.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
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📖 Recipe
Easy Baked Ziti with Meat
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz ziti uncooked, cooked according to the package
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth I love using homemade chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup sour cream full fat
- 12 oz artichoke hearts in oil, drained and slightly chopped
- 12 oz spinach frozen or fresh, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese grated & divided, about 10 oz
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated & divided, about 2 oz
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chicken cooked and cubed
- 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to a toasty 450 degrees and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position. Get a large pot and bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add your pasta and a tablespoon of salt, then cook it until it's almost al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Now, give the pot a good dry or use a skillet while pasta is cooking, melt some butter over medium/low heat. Toss in the onion, and cook until the onion is nice and soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and let it get all fragrant for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for a minute, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
- Slowly whisk in the broth, heavy whipping cream and sour cream until it's all smooth and then bring it to a gentle simmer. Stir in the artichokes and spinach and let them heat through for about 1-2 minutes.
- Next, stir in 1½ cups of mozzarella and ½ cup of Parmesan until it's all nice and melty. Take it off the heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold in the pasta and chicken, breaking up any clumps of pasta. Pour everything into a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining ½ cup of Parmesan. Pop it in the oven and bake it until it's all bubbly around the edges and the cheese is a little brown and spotty, about 12 to 15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you live at high altitude, like we do!). If you like, broil on high for 1-2 minutes until golden color on top. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, garnish with chopped parsley and dig in! Enjoy!
Notes
- Swap the protein: Use leftover roasted turkey, ground beef, or Italian sausage instead of chicken.
- Add extra veggies: Toss in some mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers.
- Use marinara sauce if you prefer it over a cream sauce.
- Salt the water for cooking pasta.
- Move the rack to the middle before turning on the oven to prevent the top from browning too quickly.
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