This Chicken Zucchini Casserole is the best easy dinner for busy weeknights because it only has a handful of simple ingredients, and all bakes in one dish so clean up is a breeze! It is full of fresh, healthy flavors and is tasty and light but still very filling. If you are looking to use up some zucchini or squash then this might just be the best way!
I am a huge fan of easy chicken dinners all made in one dish like these Baked Chicken Fajitas, our reader favorite Million Dollar Chicken Bake, and this Pesto Spinach Chicken.
Since this seems to be the time of year when zucchini and squash are over flowing at the stores, and your garden if you are lucky enough to have one, I figured it was about time I made one of these easy chicken bakes with some summer squash.
Recipe Tips
I am going to walk through how to make this Chicken Zucchini Casserole Recipe to get the absolute best results below. I like to add all of my notes, along with the tips and tricks I use when making this.
**If you just want the quick version, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.**
Chicken Zucchini Casserole Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless, chicken breasts- This will be roughly 1.5- 2 lbs package. Trim the chicken breast to prep.
- Salt & Pepper + Garlic powder
- Zucchini and yellow squash- You can use zucchini and squash here or just use 2 of either. I love the color of using both, but if you just have one on hand you can easily just use that one.
- Sweet yellow onion
- Pesto, prepared- I usually buy this at Costco or Sam’s Club in a large jar in the refrigerated section. You can also find prepared pesto in most regular grocery stores near the refrigerated pasta and sauces. I really prefer refrigerated pesto over non-refrigerated jarred pasta.
- Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese- You can blend 4 oz of each parmesan and mozzarella or use 8 oz of an Italian cheese blend in lieu of the separate cheeses.
- Optional Items- If you want to get in some extra veggies you can cut up and add 1 red bell pepper and 1 tomato.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make Chicken Zucchini Casserole.
Lay the chicken flat and season.
Top with veggies.
Drizzle pesto over the top.
Top with cheese and bake!
How to Serve Baked Chicken and Zucchini Casserole
You can serve this dish so many ways based on your taste preferences! Once the Zucchini Chicken Casserole is baked, there will be flavorful juices from the chicken, pesto, and veggies at the bottom of the dish. I usually serve the chicken with one of the options below and spoon the some of the sauce over the top when serving.
Some of my favorite ways to serve Chicken Zucchini Casserole are:
- Rice– I particularly like wild or long grain (I used Uncle Ben’s wild rice, pictured in these photos)
- Potatoes– Serve this on top of a bed of mashed potatoes, try my super creamy mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, or boursin mashed potatoes.
- Pasta– You can put it right over pasta tossed with butter or olive oil and garlic, or do pasta with marinara sauce. Make it easy by using your favorite jarred sauce.
- Bread– Serve it with a big slice of crusty garlic bread. I actually served mine with rice and garlic toast. It is perfect to soak up all the yummy sauce!
Low Carb Serving Options:
- Cauliflower rice– You can do all cauliflower rice or do half and half with regular rice to lower the calories and carbs and get some extra veggies in.
- Sauteed greens– My favorite is spinach! I just put it in a large skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil and some chopped garlic. It wilts in minutes so is super fast and super healthy. You could also use kale or collard greens.
- Steakhouse House Salad– Serve this up with a big side salad packed with even more veggies! You can also chop up any leftovers and serve them cold over salad greens the next day.
- Green Beans – I have 5 flavor options for you here!
More Easy Casserole Recipes
If you enjoyed this chicken zucchini bake recipe, I would love it if you tried some of my other easy Casserole recipes for another simple weeknight meal! You can find all of my easy dinner recipes here, or a few of my personal favorite chicken casseroles below.
- Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
- Caprese Chicken Bake
- Mexican Street Corn Casserole
- Baked Caesar Chicken
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Baked Catalina Chicken
- Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
- EASY Alice Springs Chicken
- Crispy Panko Chicken with Honey Drizzle
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does. It is a great and tasty way to use up your summer squash and comes together quickly for those super hectic week nights. If you get a chance to try it, leave me a comment below, or even better, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes. It makes my day to see you enjoying the recipes I share!
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Chicken Zucchini Casserole
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1/2 medium sweet yellow onion
- 1/2 cup pesto, prepared
- 4 oz parmesan cheese
- 4 oz mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Chop the zucchini, squash, and onion and combine.
- In a large casserole dish, lay the chicken in a flat single layer and season it with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Next layer the veggies on and then dollop the pesto over the veggies.You can top with cheese now and it will get crispy as it bakes, or wait until the 10 minutes before it is done and add the cheese then for a more gooey cheese top.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, 165˚F internal temp. If it starts to brown more than desired, loosely cover with foil until it is done cooking.* You can also cut the chicken into pieces or use chicken tenderloins to help it cook a little faster!
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can cut the chicken in half, chunks, or use chicken tenderloins in lieu of full chicken breasts to make serving easier. Cooking time may be reduced.
- Gluten free (verify on individual brands used)
- Low carb
- Friendly for low carb and keto diets
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