diff --git a/test/e2e_test.go b/test/e2e_test.go
index ed393958ad1c..77890a0efdf4 100644
--- a/test/e2e_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e_test.go
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func TestSignVerifyCertBundle(t *testing.T) {
 	_, _, cleanup := mkimage(t, imgName)
 	defer cleanup()
 
-	caCertFile, _ /* caPrivKeyFile */, caIntermediateCertFile, _ /* caIntermediatePrivKeyFile */, certFile, privKeyFile, pubkeyFile, err := generateCertificateBundleFiles(td, true, "foobar")
+	caCertFile, _ /* caPrivKeyFile */, caIntermediateCertFile, _ /* caIntermediatePrivKeyFile */, certFile, privKeyFile, pubkeyFile, certChainFile, err := generateCertificateBundleFiles(td, true, "foobar")
 
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	// Verify should fail at first
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ func TestSignVerifyCertBundle(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Now verify and download should work!
 	must(verifyCertBundle(pubkeyFile, caCertFile, caIntermediateCertFile, certFile, imgName, true, nil, "", false), t)
+	// verification with certificate chain instead of root/intermediate files should work as well
+	must(verifyCertChain(pubkeyFile, certChainFile, certFile, imgName, true, nil, "", false), t)
 	must(download.SignatureCmd(ctx, options.RegistryOptions{}, imgName), t)
 
 	// Look for a specific annotation
diff --git a/test/helpers.go b/test/helpers.go
index fb41aacbb9a7..38bffaa282cd 100644
--- a/test/helpers.go
+++ b/test/helpers.go
@@ -87,6 +87,27 @@ var verify = func(keyRef, imageRef string, checkClaims bool, annotations map[str
 	return cmd.Exec(context.Background(), args)
 }
 
+var verifyCertChain = func(keyRef, certChain, certFile, imageRef string, checkClaims bool, annotations map[string]interface{}, attachment string, skipTlogVerify bool) error {
+	cmd := cliverify.VerifyCommand{
+		KeyRef:        keyRef,
+		RekorURL:      rekorURL,
+		CheckClaims:   checkClaims,
+		Annotations:   sigs.AnnotationsMap{Annotations: annotations},
+		Attachment:    attachment,
+		HashAlgorithm: crypto.SHA256,
+		MaxWorkers:    10,
+		IgnoreTlog:    skipTlogVerify,
+		CertVerifyOptions: options.CertVerifyOptions{
+			Cert:      certFile,
+			CertChain: certChain,
+		},
+	}
+
+	args := []string{imageRef}
+
+	return cmd.Exec(context.Background(), args)
+}
+
 var verifyCertBundle = func(keyRef, caCertFile, caIntermediates, certFile, imageRef string, checkClaims bool, annotations map[string]interface{}, attachment string, skipTlogVerify bool) error {
 	cmd := cliverify.VerifyCommand{
 		KeyRef:        keyRef,
@@ -484,9 +505,10 @@ func generateCertificateBundleFiles(td string, genIntermediate bool, outputSuffi
 	certFile string,
 	keyFile string,
 	pubKeyFile string,
+	certChainFile string,
 	err error,
 ) {
-	caCertBuf, caPrivKeyBuf, caIntermediateCertBuf, caIntermediatePrivKeyBuf, certBuf, keyBuf, pubkey, err := generateCertificateBundle(genIntermediate)
+	caCertBuf, caPrivKeyBuf, caIntermediateCertBuf, caIntermediatePrivKeyBuf, certBuf, keyBuf, pubkey, certChainBuf, err := generateCertificateBundle(genIntermediate)
 	if err != nil {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("error generating certificate bundle: %w", err)
 		return
@@ -523,6 +545,13 @@ func generateCertificateBundleFiles(td string, genIntermediate bool, outputSuffi
 		err = fmt.Errorf("error writing key to file: %w", err)
 		return
 	}
+	// write the contents of certChainBuf to a file
+	certChainFile = filepath.Join(td, fmt.Sprintf("certchain%s.pem", outputSuffix))
+	err = os.WriteFile(certChainFile, certChainBuf.Bytes(), 0600)
+	if err != nil {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("error writing certificate chain to file: %w", err)
+		return
+	}
 	// write the public key to a file
 	pubKeyFile = filepath.Join(td, fmt.Sprintf("pubkey%s.pem", outputSuffix))
 	pubKeyBuf := &bytes.Buffer{}
@@ -546,6 +575,7 @@ func generateCertificateBundle(genIntermediate bool) (
 	certBuf *bytes.Buffer,
 	keyBuf *bytes.Buffer,
 	pubkeyBuf *bytes.Buffer,
+	certBundleBuf *bytes.Buffer,
 	err error,
 ) {
 	// set up our CA certificate
@@ -710,5 +740,18 @@ func generateCertificateBundle(genIntermediate bool) (
 		log.Fatalf("failed to encode cert: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	return caCertBuf, caPrivKeyBuf, caIntermediateCertBuf, caIntermediatePrivKeyBuf, certBuf, keyBuf, pubkeyBuf, nil
+	// concatenate into certChainBuf the contents of caIntermediateCertBuf and caCertBuf
+	certBundleBuf = &bytes.Buffer{}
+	if genIntermediate {
+		_, err = certBundleBuf.Write(caIntermediateCertBuf.Bytes())
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalf("failed to write caIntermediateCertBuf to certChainBuf: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	_, err = certBundleBuf.Write(caCertBuf.Bytes())
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("failed to write caCertBuf to certChainBuf: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	return caCertBuf, caPrivKeyBuf, caIntermediateCertBuf, caIntermediatePrivKeyBuf, certBuf, keyBuf, pubkeyBuf, certBundleBuf, nil
 }
diff --git a/test/helpers_test.go b/test/helpers_test.go
index a40588a2f18d..9c43468d966f 100644
--- a/test/helpers_test.go
+++ b/test/helpers_test.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ func TestGenerateCertificateBundle(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	} {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			_, _, _, _, _, _, _, err := generateCertificateBundle(true)
+			_, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, err := generateCertificateBundle(true)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("Error generating certificate bundle: %v", err)
 			}