- Chicken - Normally, chicken parmesan consists of breaded chicken that is then topped with marinara and cheese. This chicken parm casserole makes that easier. I use plain unbreaded chicken breasts that have been cut up for this recipe. If you want to bread your chicken pieces before adding them in, you can. If you're going to use breaded chicken but want less work, you can add in some store-bought gluten-free chicken nuggets. Don't want any extra work? Then feel free to use leftover of your favorite gluten-free rotisserie chicken in this casserole.
- Using frozen gluten-free breaded chicken. - Let them sit out at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Cut them into smaller pieces as needed before adding them to the casserole. Bake the same as you would from fresh chicken.
- Cook the pasta to not quite al dente. - Because we are cooking and then baking our gluten-free pasta for this chicken casserole, you want to make sure to slightly undercook the pasta before adding it. This will help reduce the possibility of ending up with mushy gluten-free pasta once it's done.
- Use the right amount of marinara. - For this gluten-free chicken casserole, I tend to use two jars of marinara for every standard-size box of gluten-free pasta. This helps keep the pasta from drying out since gluten-free pasta absorbs more liquid than regular pasta.
- If you want your breading extra crispy on top, mix the bread crumbs with a little bit of melted butter before adding them to the top of the casserole before baking.