This is the kind of supper that feels like it came straight out of an old Amish farmhouse kitchen: simple ingredients, one sturdy casserole dish, and the good smell of chicken and pasta filling the house. You start with dry rigatoni, scatter raw diced chicken breast right over the top, and then add just two more pantry-friendly ingredients to bring it all together. It bakes up into a creamy, cozy dish that seems to disappear faster than anything else on the table, the way the best church-basement casseroles always do. It’s the sort of recipe you make on a chilly evening when you’re short on time but still want something that tastes like it’s been in the family for years.
Serve this farmhouse chicken pasta hot from the oven with a simple green side: steamed peas, buttered green beans, or a tossed salad with a light vinaigrette all fit right in. A slice of warm bread or dinner rolls is handy for soaking up the creamy sauce in the bottom of the dish. If you like, set out a small bowl of extra salt and black pepper so everyone can season their own plate at the table, just like we always did after chores were finished and the casserole came out bubbling and fragrant.
4-Ingredient Amish Farmhouse Chicken Rigatoni BakeServings: 4-6
Ingredients
12 ounces dry rigatoni pasta
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into small bite-size pieces
3 cups cream of chicken soup (about two 10.5-ounce cans, undiluted)
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter or oil for greasing the casserole dish
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch ceramic casserole dish with the butter or oil, making sure to coat the corners so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Pour the dry rigatoni pasta evenly into the bottom of the greased ceramic casserole dish. Shake the dish gently so the pasta settles into a single layer as best it can.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, whole milk, salt, and black pepper until the mixture is smooth and well combined. This simple blend will turn into a creamy sauce as it bakes and soaks into the dry pasta.
Slowly pour the soup and milk mixture over the dry rigatoni in the casserole dish, making sure to cover as much of the pasta as possible. Use the back of a spoon to nudge the pasta down so it’s mostly submerged in the liquid; a few pieces peeking out on top are fine.
Scatter the raw diced chicken breast evenly over the top of the sauced, dry rigatoni. This is the heart of the dish: hands placing the fresh chicken right over the uncooked pasta in the ceramic dish, just the way farmhouse cooks have layered suppers for generations.
Gently press the chicken pieces down with clean fingers or the back of a spoon so they make good contact with the sauce beneath, but keep them mostly on top so they can brown a bit as they bake.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil, tenting it slightly so it doesn’t press down into the sauce. Place the dish on the center rack of the preheated oven.
Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. This gives the rigatoni time to soften and the chicken to cook through in the steamy, creamy heat.
After 45 minutes, carefully remove the foil and check the pasta by spearing a piece with a fork; it should be just about tender. If it still feels quite firm, give it another 10 minutes covered before proceeding.
Once the pasta is nearly tender, remove the foil and continue baking uncovered for 10–15 minutes, or until the top of the chicken is lightly golden and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. The chicken should be cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken slightly as it stands, and the pasta will finish softening in the hot, creamy mixture.
Stir gently from the bottom to bring some of the sauce up over the chicken and pasta, then spoon into bowls or onto plates. Taste and add a touch more salt and pepper at the table if needed.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra farmhouse richness, you can stir 1/2 cup of sour cream into the soup and milk mixture before pouring it over the rigatoni. If you prefer a bit of color and sweetness, scatter 1 cup of frozen peas or mixed vegetables over the pasta before adding the chicken; they’ll cook right along with everything else. To lean more toward traditional Amish pantry cooking, you can use evaporated milk in place of the whole milk for a deeper, old-fashioned flavor. If your family likes a browned top, sprinkle a small handful of breadcrumbs over the chicken during the last 10 minutes of baking. For smaller households, halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller ceramic dish, checking a little earlier for doneness. Leftovers reheat nicely with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce, making it a practical make-ahead meal for busy weeks.
