Four Ingredient Chicken Rigatoni
This Baked Chicken Rigatoni is one of our go-to meals on busy weeknights. With only four ingredients we almost always have everything on hand.
We all know that I love pasta, right? You know what I love even more? Super easy pasta.
This is one of our go-to meals if we need something quick on a busy weeknight, or if I am just out of ideas for dinner. With only four ingredients we almost always have everything on hand.
This recipe is also great for my husband who gets tired of too many traditional pasta meals, and it has chicken in it so he gets his beloved protein. I am happy with pasta with or without meat, but he doesn’t think it’s as filling without.
Whatās Needed for Baked Chicken Rigatoni?
To make this baked rigatoni recipe, youāll need the following:
- Rigatoni pasta
- Enchilada sauce
- Shredded cheese
- Cooked chicken
How to Make Chicken Rigatoni
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, then add noodles to the casserole dish.
- Stir in cooked chicken and enchilada sauce.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbly.
Can I Freeze Baked Chicken Rigatoni?
Yes! Follow the recipe up until putting in the oven, then freeze instead of baking. To reheat: thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake at 350 degrees F until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes).
Tips for Making Rigatoni Pasta Bake
I love to use rotisserie chicken for this meal; I like the extra flavor and I really like that I didn’t have to cook it. Definitely speeds up the process and makes things easier!
This is also a recipe that you can up the heat on depending on how spicy you like things. I’ve tried variations of hot/mild enchilada sauce but I’ve found that the kiddo does better with medium.
You can use any cheese blend youād like for this recipe. Cheddar or a Mexican cheese blend would be perfect!
More Easy Pasta Dinners:
- Sausage Alfredo
- Italian Stuffed Shells
- Creamy Parmesan Risotto
- Fried Ravioli with Spicy Marinara
- Italian Sausage Pizza Pasta
Ingredients
- 3/4 box rigatoni noodles
- 2 cans medium enchilada sauce
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 chicken breast , cooked & cubed
Instructions
- Boil the noodles as directed on the package.
- Drain the water and add pasta to an oven safe casserole dish.
- Add the chicken and coat with enchilada sauce.
- Cover with shredded cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
Notes
- I use a rotisserie chicken, feel free to boil/ grill/ cook your chicken as you prefer.
- Garnish with finely chopped cilantro (optional).
- To freeze: Follow the recipe up until putting in the oven, freeze instead of baking. To reheat- thaw in the refrigerator overnight, bake in oven 350 degrees F until the center is hot (usually up to 45 minutes).
Disgusting! Should have known enchilada sauce is a terrible idea on top of noodles. Marinara sauce and Parmesan would have been much better.
Honestly not sure what happened but it tasted disgusting so I’m not trying it again.
Sorry to hear that, Christina. Without any details, I have no way of troubleshooting… but then again this recipe is only four ingredients so it’s pretty hard to screw up. It’s always a hit at our house! š
Maybe Bridget just doesn’t like enchilada sauce?
how many cups you think is 3/4 of the box? also do the noodles get soggy when frozen than thawed?
What cheese did you use?
Sharp cheddar
So am I cooking it, then freezing it…. or do I stop after point #4 and freeze? I’m new to freezer meals so I’m not sure if you cook all the meals I’m seeing and just freezing them or stopping at a certain point before baking and freezing.
How long would I bake if using this as a make ahead freezer meal and at what temp?
I would bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until heated all the way through. You can also set it in the refrigerator the day before to thaw and it may reduce the cooking time closer to 45 minutes.
Your pasta looks delicious! What a great, quick dinner! Looks wonderful!