Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Cook penne to al dente — pull it 1 minute early since it'll finish in the oven. Drain and set aside.
- Fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In the same skillet with the bacon fat, sauté the red onion over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Season the chicken with garlic salt and black pepper, add to the skillet, and cook for 7-9 minutes until golden and cooked through to 165°F internal.
- Remove from heat. Stir in half the bacon and let cool slightly.
- In a greased casserole dish, combine the chicken mixture with BBQ sauce, pasta, green onions, cilantro, and 3/4 of the Gouda. Stir to combine.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bacon.
- Switch the oven to broil and cook uncovered for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Watch closely.
- Serve warm directly from the casserole dish.
Nutrition
Notes
- Use smoked Gouda, not cheddar — The smoked element threads through the entire dish once it melts into the BBQ sauce. Swap it for sharp cheddar and you'll have a fine casserole; use the Gouda and it's a noticeably different result.
- Pull the pasta one minute early — Al dente pasta goes soft in the oven. Pull it one minute before the package says al dente, drain, and it'll hold its texture through the broil.
- Assemble ahead — Combine everything in the casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, add 5–8 extra minutes under the broiler and pull it when the cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Thighs over breast — Chicken thighs hold moisture through the oven in a way that breast doesn't. If you use breast, reduce the skillet cook time slightly and watch closely under the broiler.
- A sharp arugula salad dressed in lemon vinaigrette is the move here — the bitterness cuts right through the richness of the BBQ sauce and Gouda without competing with either. Keep it simple: arugula, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt.
- Garlic bread handles the rest. You want something sturdy enough to scoop the cheesy BBQ sauce from the bottom of the casserole dish.
- For a bigger spread, roasted corn or a cup of pico de gallo alongside adds brightness that plays well against the smoked Gouda. Cold beer or sparkling water with lime rounds it out.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat at 350°F for 15 minutes covered, or microwave in 90-second intervals until hot through the center. The cheese re-melts well — this reheats better than most pasta casseroles.
- Freezes well for up to 2 months. Let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. If you're planning to freeze, pull the pasta closer to two minutes under al dente so it doesn't go soft after the freeze-thaw-reheat cycle.