I love making casseroles for dinner as they’re simple, filling, and satisfying. This chicken and spaghetti casserole comes together so quickly, and it leans heavily on pantry staples, so it saves you a trip to the store. Even better, there are always leftovers, so that’s one less meal to think about.
You really cannot go wrong with this chicken spaghetti bake – you can prep and bake it ahead of time, gift it to a friend in need, or freeze it for a busy day. Plus, who doesn’t love a cheesy recipe? Even the pickiest of eaters will love this baked chicken spaghetti. Try my easy chicken tetrazzini or homemade chicken parm if you’re looking for more easy dinner ideas.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Spaghetti — use whatever spaghetti you have in your pantry. If you only have whole wheat or gluten-free spaghetti, feel free to use it instead of regular spaghetti.
Diced tomatoes and green chiles — if you’ve never tried making chicken spaghetti with Rotel, then you are in for a treat. This one simple ingredient adds so much flavor to this chicken and spaghetti bake.
Shredded chicken — this recipe is an easy way to use up any leftover chicken you might have in your fridge. If you don’t have any, it’s very easy to make shredded chicken. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken to shred if you need a shortcut.
Cream cheese — be sure to pick up the blocks of cream cheese and not the spreadable tubs.
Shredded cheese — I highly recommend shredding cheese yourself. Pre-shredded bags of cheese have a coating on them to prevent clumping so it won’t melt as nicely in your pasta bake.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside in a large bowl or back in the same pot.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the tomatoes, cream of mushroom, cream cheese, bell pepper, and onion.
3. Then add the garlic powder and onion powder.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated into the sauce.
5. Pour mixture over the spaghetti, tossing to coat.
6. Fold in the chicken and 1½ cups cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Transfer the spaghetti mixture into a greased baking dish and
8. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Cover loosely with foil before baking for 30 to 35 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and turn the oven to broil to brown the top of the dish lightly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Try to use low-sodium or no-salt-added chicken broth if you’re able to. This allows you to have more control over how salty you’d like the spaghetti and chicken bake to be.
- Use the hot version of Rotel for a spicier spaghetti bake.
- To easily shred your own cheese, run it through a cheese grater or a food processor’s grater attachment.
- Avoid overcooking the pasta as it will turn mushy if cooked for too long.
- When adding cheese to the top of the dish, cover all of the exposed spaghetti noodles, so they don’t harden while in the oven.
- You can quickly make shredded chicken breasts by poaching them. Simply add chicken breasts to a pot of cold water, bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Allowing the chicken spaghetti casserole to cool before cutting gives it time to set up, so the cheese doesn’t slide off when you scoop out a serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can I add?
More vegetables can be added to the recipe! Try adding red bell pepper, mushrooms, kale, spinach, or zucchini. Just make sure you don’t add too much, or you might need a larger baking dish!
Can I use a different cheese?
You sure can. Pick up cheese that melts well, such as Monterey Jack, pepper jack, colby, colby-jack, mozzarella, provolone, fontina, or gruyère.
How do I freeze this spaghetti bake?
You can freeze this cheesy spaghetti and chicken baked or before baking. When ready to eat or cook, simply thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed or reheat until warmed throughout. Use aluminum containers if you plan on freezing the casserole as they’re lighter, and you won’t risk thermal shock on ceramic dishes.
What side dishes can I serve with this recipe?
This cheesy chicken spaghetti can be a stand-alone dish as it’s super filling, so I like to keep the sides simple. Garlic knots, easy dinner rolls, or homemade crescent rolls go perfectly with this recipe.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Chicken Spaghetti recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried spaghetti (450g)
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies 10-ounce can (283g)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10-ounce can (283g)
- 1 cup chicken broth (240mL)
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed (223g)
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 4 cups cooked chopped chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided (225g)
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse with cool water and set aside in a large bowl or back in the same pot.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the tomatoes, cream of mushroom, cream cheese, bell pepper, onion, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated into the sauce. Pour mixture over the spaghetti, tossing to coat. Fold in the chicken and 1½ cups cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the spaghetti mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of cheese. Cover loosely with foil.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and turn the oven to Broil. Broil until the cheese is bubbling and just starting to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Try to use low-sodium or no-salt-added chicken broth if you’re able to. This allows you to have more control over how salty you’d like the spaghetti and chicken bake to be.
- Use the hot version of Rotel for a spicier spaghetti bake.
- To easily shred your own cheese, run it through a cheese grater or a food processor’s grater attachment.
- Avoid overcooking the pasta as it will turn mushy if cooked for too long.
- When adding cheese to the top of the dish, cover all of the exposed spaghetti noodles, so they don’t harden while in the oven.
- You can quickly make shredded chicken breasts by poaching them. Simply add chicken breasts to a pot of cold water, bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Allowing the chicken spaghetti casserole to cool before cutting gives it time to set up, so the cheese doesn’t slide off when you scoop out a serving.
