Baked Chicken Alfredo
A big-batch, rich-but-balanced chicken alfredo bake made for the freezer — perfect for potlucks, big families, or a night you don't want to cook from scratch.
- Prep Time
- 25 min
- Cook Time
- 35 min
- Total Time
- 1 hr
- Servings
- 12 servings
Chicken Alfredo has to hit a very specific sweet spot for me — rich, but not so rich that one bite wears me out, and packed with the perfect balance of butter, cream, parmesan, and garlic.
Since I never have time to make this from scratch every time the craving hits, I make it in a big batch and portion it into foil containers for the freezer. My family goes bonkers over it, and it's just as good made gluten-free — nobody else in the house even notices the swap.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 8 cups half and half (1/2 gallon)
- 4 sticks butter (1 lb.)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (use GF all-purpose flour to make this gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 cups freshly grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the Pasta
- 2 (16 oz.) boxes rotini or penne pasta (use GF pasta to make this gluten-free)
For the Chicken
- 4 lbs. packaged precooked chicken, cut into chunks
For the Topping
- 1 lb. grated mozzarella
Instructions
- 1Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Whisk in the flour and cook for another minute.
- 2Slowly whisk in the half and half. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, and salt, and continue whisking, cooking for about 15 minutes until thickened.
- 3While the sauce cooks, boil the pasta according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
- 4Add the parmesan to the sauce, reduce the heat, and continue stirring until melted.
- 5Remove sauce from heat, add the pasta and chicken, and stir together well.
- 6Spoon the mixture into foil containers or casserole dishes and sprinkle with mozzarella.
- 7If baking: bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- 8If freezing: cool completely before covering and labeling. Bake from frozen at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15-30 minutes, or thaw in the fridge and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.
Storage & Reheating
This freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, which makes it one of my go-to make-ahead meals for potlucks and big family gatherings.
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