Gruyère Chicken Asparagus Pasta Bake Recipe

A hand holds a spoonful of creamy vegetable casserole with a breadcrumb topping above a baking dish filled with the same casserole.

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Gruyère Chicken Asparagus Pasta Bake Recipe

A creamy Gruyère chicken asparagus pasta bake built on a rotisserie chicken shortcut and finished with a crunchy parmesan-panko top. The asparagus goes in raw and the sauce stays loose, so it bakes up creamy instead of dry.

Prep Time25

Cook Time30

Resting time10

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baked pasta with asparagus, chicken asparagus pasta bake, creamy chicken pasta casserole, gruyere chicken pasta, rotisserie chicken pasta bake

Servings: servings

Calories: 900kcal

Author: Chef Jenn

Ingredients

12 ounces farfalle
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 pound asparagus woody ends snapped, cut 1-inch on the bias
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ cups whole milk
4 ounces Gruyère grated
3 ounces low-moisture mozzarella or fontina grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1 lemon zested, plus 1 tablespoon juice
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
¾ cup panko
2 tablespoons butter melted (for the topping)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Instructions

Heat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 dish. Boil the farfalle in salted water 2 minutes under the box's al dente time. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
Melt 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Whisk in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Keep it loose.
Off the heat, stir in the gruyère and mozzarella or fontina until smooth. Stir in the Dijon, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice, salt, and white pepper. Slacken with reserved pasta water until the sauce pours.
Toss the panko with the melted butter and parmesan.
Fold the pasta, raw asparagus, and chicken into the sauce. It should look slightly too saucy. Transfer to the dish and scatter the panko over the top.
Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Broil 1 to 2 minutes for more color if you want it.
Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving so it sets.

Video

Notes

Recipe Card Tips

Assemble it looser than it feels right. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce in the oven, so a mix that looks slightly too saucy is what bakes up creamy instead of dry.
If you make it ahead, add the panko only right before it goes in the oven. Mixed in early, it goes soft against the sauce.
Slacken the sauce with the reserved pasta water until it pours rather than globs. That starchy water loosens it without thinning the flavor.

Nutrition