This chicken spaghetti is a creamy, cheesy comfort food that is baked until bubbly. It’s an easy casserole that comes together fast, with enough to feed a crowd.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Creamy, cheesy, and cozy with sharp cheddar flavor, tender chicken, and tomatoes that add brightness without overpowering the sauce.
- Recommended Tools: A 9×13 casserole dish and a box grater make prep quick and the sauce extra smooth.
- Prep Tip: Don’t overcook the pasta; it’ll cook more in the oven as the casserole bakes.
- Freezer Meal: This recipe makes a great freezer meal either as individual servings or a whole casserole.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Use cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken) to make this easy. You can also use leftovers or make some shredded chicken.
- Pasta: Any pasta works, but long noodles hold the sauce best.
- Onion/Garlic: Use fresh if possible. In a pinch, swap fresh with 1 teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Rotel: Lightly drain the Rotel tomatoes to avoid a watery bake. For a milder dish, use petite diced tomatoes.
- Bell Pepper: Adds flavor and a little sweetness.
- Cream: Half and half or light cream makes the sauce creamy without being too rich. Milk can be used, but the sauce will be more watery.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar cheese brings the best flavor. A blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack will make for extra melt.
Variations
- Add-Ins: Add sauteed mushrooms, corn, or stir in some spinach at the end.
- Heat Level: Want to tame the heat? Use plain diced tomatoes and a pinch of paprika instead of chilies.
- Topping: For an extra golden top, sprinkle it with extra Parmesan.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
- Cook spaghetti just to al dente and drain.
- Make the homemade sauce and mix in Parmesan and some cheddar.
- Stir in chicken, tomatoes, and spaghetti (full recipe below).
- Spread in a greased dish, top with remaining cheddar, and bake.
Store, Freeze, and Reheat Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. It can also be frozen, before or after baking, for 4 months in airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
To reheat, microwave with a splash of milk or broth and cover to prevent drying. It can also be reheated in the oven at 350°F, covered until hot, then uncovered briefly to refresh the cheesy top.
Favorite Pasta Casseroles
Did you enjoy this Chicken Spaghetti Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 (14 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes with chilies such as Rotel, or petite diced tomatoes, lightly drained
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or light cream
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cook the spaghetti al dente in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain well, do not rinse.
- Meanwhile, to make the sauce, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook until tender. Stir in the flour and Italian seasoning and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the broth and half and half, a bit at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute or until thick and bubbly.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the Parmesan cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper.
- Combine spaghetti, chicken, cream sauce, and canned tomatoes. Mix well. Spread in baking dish.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Video
Notes
- Pasta: Don’t overcook the pasta, it will cook more as it bakes.
- Cheese: Pre-shredded cheese works in this recipe, but shredding your own makes for a smoother sauce. Sharp cheddar adds the best flavor.
- To Make a Shortcut Sauce: Cook the vegetables (onion, garlic, bell pepper) as directed. Add ¾ pound cubed Velveeta cheese, 10 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, and drained Rotel tomatoes. Stir until melted. Skip the salt and add ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Chicken, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
LOVE THIS! Easy, affordable, delicious!
I am eager to try the chicken spaghetti, just want to ask
Your recipe calls for canned tomatoes but the ingredients shown have salsa
Not sure what to use
I apologize for any confusion, the tomatoes are Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with green chiles)—I’ve updated the label. Enjoy the recipe!
I don’t usually leave reviews but when I saw this come up. On my feed again, I couldn’t resist. I made this in mid December and it was very good. I did add some green chilis and a can of corn to it but other than that, followed the recipe, My husband really liked it as well. And it freezes beautifully.
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it Lisa!
Love your recipes!
I plan to make this and freeze it to have during the holidays. Do I cook it from frozen or should I thaw in refrigerator overnight first?
Thanks! Merry Christmas ⛄️❄️
Merry Christmas to you and your family too, so glad you’ve loved the recipes. You can also find this info in the post:
Chicken spaghetti can be frozen before baking for up to 4 months. To bake from frozen, cover with aluminum foil to prevent the cheese topping from overcooking and bake at 375°F for about an hour, or until it is piping hot throughout.
This recipe would have been a lot better if the instructions were correct. I chose the option to double the recipe and it doubled the ingredients but didn’t change the instructions. I didn’t notice until I got to the point of putting it in the baking dish and had 3 cups of cheese and the recipe was only telling me to put one cup on the top before putting it in the oven. I assume I should have mixed 2 cups in with the sauce but by that point it was too late. It still tasted alright but would have been better with the correct amount of cheese.
Sorry for the confusion Susan, when using the tool to double the recipe, unfortunately it only changes the ingredients in the ingredient list and not the written directions—I wish there was a way I could have it change both.
It’s OK. It took me a bit to figure out what I was doing wrong
My family loves this dish. I’ve made it twice now and it’s a big hit. I have recommended the recipe to others as well. I did skip the Italian seasoning and only used about half the diced tomatoes. This is such a great recipe and leftovers are just as good. The homemade sauce is so delicious. Holly-I have so many of your recipes saved. You have the best recipe website out there! Thank you for all the hard work you put into it. I also purchased your new cookbook. Haven’t had a chance to really delve into it yet but I will!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe and many others! Thank you so much for your support, it truly means the world to me. I can’t wait for you to read through my book!
I have this for my entire family everyone loved it .Everyone wanted the recipe I did change the green pepper for red I prefer and only use red, orange or yellow peppers in what I make Thanks for sharing
Our family loved it – I followed the recipe exactly & used the tomatoes with chilies – I think they added a perfect kick to it.
❤️ TY!
Hi Cassandra. You are very welcome.
Do you drain the canned tomatoes or add the juice in? I want to try this!
As mentioned in the recipe, we drain the tomatoes. You can add some of the juice if you wants a more liquidy sauce.
The recipe does not say to drain the tomatoes.
Hi Susan, as mentioned in the ingredients. We use 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with chilies such as Rotel, or petite diced tomatoes, lightly drained. I hope that helps!
So flavourful and delicious definitely a great recipe and loved by all!!
I may this recipe this morning but I used baby pasta shells, jar alfredo sauce, and added the sauteed peppers and onions, chicken and petite diced tomatoes, little bit of salt and some pepper, outstanding! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
This was my first try at chicken spaghetti. This recipe was a home run!
I cooked the chicken breasts in the crock pot, on low, for 6 hours. The meat was esp tender and moist.
I used fire roasted diced tomatoes and the flavor was wonderful.
Next time I’ll add fresh mushrooms when sauteing the onion and pepper.
I’m so glad you loved it Maureen!
Hi Holly,
I just purchased your cookbook via Amazon. I hope this recipe is in the book. This looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it
Hi Paula, we have a delicious baked chicken spaghetti in the cookbook that you will love if you love this recipe!
how do i figure for 8ozs of speghetti and can speghettini be used. Also if it is 2x u need two bake pans?
Yes, if you 2x the recipe I would suggest two pans. If you’re using a 1 pound (or 16 oz) box of spaghetti, you’ll need about half of it.
Years ago my mom would use tomato sauce & paste for the thickness not cream. NO cheese for those who are lactose intolerant or allergic. Nice recipe.
I love and appreciate your site. I’ve waited for YEARS to try the Chicken Spaghetti, finally did last week. I did the full scratch version, it was great. I now want to try the quick version. Add the velveeta & soup, but what do I all leave OUT? The cream & flour for sure. But the broth? The cheddar? The parmesan? The Italian Seasoning? Please help! :-D (I love and appreciate your site!)
Hi Mike, you will skip the sauce ingredients and instead follow the shortcut recipe instructions.
Too much cheese!
I made this as written tonight and was very good. I will be making this again a the whole family enjoyed. The cost to make it was very reasonable. Thank you.
So good!!! Easy and delicious.