Try this delicious leftover chicken pasta bake with bacon, cheese, and sour cream - it has the potential to become a family favorite!
This leftover chicken pasta bake is made with ingredients that everybody loves! Mix them together, bake them shortly, and you will have a super simple yet super delicious meal that is bound to make your children happy!
Pasta dishes are usually quick and easy to make, and when it comes to taste and family food-related happiness, I can never go wrong with anything containing pasta.
Try more pasta bakes: Creamy Tuna Pasta Bake, Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake, or Bolognese Pasta Bake.
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Recipe ingredients
One of the best things about this leftover chicken pasta bake is that it uses many ingredients that you probably already have in the house (pasta, bacon, canned mushrooms).
Leftover chicken: I always make this chicken pasta bake when I have leftover chicken, either from making chicken soup with dumplings or from making whole roast chicken. You can also use rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey.
Bacon: I used slightly smoked, very lean bacon cubes, but you can use regular bacon slices instead, whatever you have. Try this Chicken Orzo Bake with bacon, too.
Mushrooms: I had a jar of mushrooms lying around in the pantry, so I drained the mushrooms and added them to the pasta mixture. Fresh mushrooms are great, too, but you have to cook them first.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make leftover chicken pasta bake?
Preparations: Cook and drain the pasta. Chop the leftover chicken.
Step #1: Cook the bacon, remove it, and then cook the fresh mushrooms in a frying pan.
Step #2: Mix the prepared ingredients in a baking dish.
Step #3: Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Step #4: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Storage
Refrigerate: Let the pasta bake cool completely, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat in the oven or microwave.
Freeze it for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
What to serve with it?
Recipe
Leftover Chicken Pasta Bake
Equipment
- Casserole dish 7.5x9 inches/19x23 cm
Ingredients
- 9 oz elbow macaroni or other short pasta
- 2.5 oz bacon or pancetta
- 1 can/jar of mushrooms or 7 oz/ 200 g fresh mushrooms, Note 1
- 2 cups cooked and cubed chicken 9 oz, Note 2
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1¼ cups grated cheese Note 3
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360°F/ 180°C. Lightly butter the baking dish.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet's instructions. Drain and return to the pot.9 oz elbow macaroni
- Cook the bacon in a frying pan, drain it on paper towels, and chop or crumble it. If using pancetta, dice it, then cook it in the frying pan. 2.5 oz bacon
- Mushrooms: If using fresh mushrooms, clean them with kitchen paper, slice them thinly, and fry them in the pan you used for frying the bacon for about 3-4 minutes, until the water they release evaporates and they are golden. You will not need to add fat if there is still some bacon fat in the pan.If using mushrooms from a jar, let them drain well.1 can/jar of mushrooms or 9 oz/ 250 g fresh mushrooms
- Chop the cooked chicken.2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
- Combine pasta bake: Add the crumbled or chopped bacon, chicken, and mushrooms to the pasta in the pot. Add salt, pepper, dried rosemary, sweet paprika powder, and garlic powder. Add the sour cream and ¾ of the grated cheese. Mix well and adjust the taste with salt and pepper, if necessary. Place everything into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.½ teaspoon dried rosemary + ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder + ½ teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper +1 cup sour cream+ 1¼ cups grated cheese
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the chicken and bacon pasta bake is golden brown. Sprinkle with chives and serve.1-2 tablespoons chopped chives
Notes
- Mushrooms: Don't stress about the exact amount of mushrooms in the jar or can; use whatever you have; a little more or less will not matter, about 5.3-7 oz/150-200 g drained weight. If using fresh mushrooms about 200 g/ 7 oz fresh mushrooms are OK.
- Use leftover chicken (or turkey) or use rotisserie chicken. If none is available, cook about the same amount of chicken breast and use that instead.
- Cheese: Gouda, Cheddar, or any kind of cheese you like to use when making pasta bakes.
mjskitchen says
You're killing me with this dish. It's not like pasta and chicken isn't enough. Now you go and add bacon. So delicious!