I’ve given one of my favorite casseroles a more wholesome makeover by cutting out the gloopy cans of cream soup and jiggly Velveeta cheese, trading them for a super-simple homemade white sauce and real Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
The result is just as creamy as the original, with no unnatural ingredients or additives. It’s comfort food you can feel good about. If you like things hot, by all means switch to spicy tomatoes with green chiles.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon. Let cool; crumble. Reserve 3 tablespoons bacon fat in pan.
- Add flour and garlic to pan. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, approximately 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes with green chiles, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and Parmesan until melted. Remove from heat.
- Stir in cooked pasta, chicken, remaining 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Pour mixture into prepared dish
- In a small skillet, add panko and butter. Cook over medium heat until toasted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle panko over casserole; top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bacon.
- Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion, if desired.
Pro Tip – Cook the pasta just until al dente. You want it to still have some bite, since you’ll be cooking it more in the oven after the casserole ingredients get stirred together.
Different Toppings to Try
Change up the topping to suit your mood; toasted buttery crackers are great, and crumbled tortilla chips are fun if you’re taking it in a Tex-Mex direction.
You can also switch things up and choose different cheeses to top your casserole with. Why not try Mexican blend cheddar for something spicy, blue cheese if that’s your favorite or even fontina or manchego.
What to Serve with Chicken Spaghetti
I love to serve this creamy casserole with a big green salad with chunks of fresh tomato and avocado for a well-rounded dinner. Fresh sides are always a great idea when your entree is creamy or cheesy.
How to Prep this In Advance
This spaghetti casserole can easily be prepped in advance but here’s one important tip, undercook the spaghetti! Cook the spaghetti until just softened, mix with the rest of the ingredients and then store in the fridge covered until you are ready to bake.
The spaghetti will soften the longer it’s left so you want to make sure to undercook the spaghetti and you don’t want to prep it for more than 1 day in advance.
Top Tips for making the Best Chicken Spaghetti
- When making the white sauce it’s important to whisk while gradually adding the milk to avoid any lumps.
- If you’d like to make additions, swaps or changes to the sauce do it before adding the chicken and spaghetti.
- Make sure to undercook the spaghetti.
- You can also use short pasta shapes for this recipe.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days although may dry out. I recommend serving this immediately for best results and flavor.
- This is a great dish to use up leftover chicken but you can also use a rotisserie chicken if you don’t have any to use up.
- This recipe will also work well with cooked ham or turkey.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes You Might Like:
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 5 slices center-cut bacon
- 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups reduced-fat milk
- 3 tsp. kosher salt divided
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 10-ounce can diced mild tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese divided
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 16 oz. spaghetti cooked until al dente
- 4 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
- 1 cup panko
- 3 Tbsp. salted butter
- chopped green onion to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan using a slotted spoon. Let cool; crumble. Reserve 3 tablespoons bacon fat in pan.
- Add flour and garlic to pan. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, approximately 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes with green chiles, 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, and Parmesan until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked pasta, chicken, remaining 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Pour mixture into prepared dish
- In a small skillet, add panko and butter. Cook over medium heat until toasted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle panko over casserole; top with remaining ½ cup cheese and bacon.
- Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with green onion, if desired.
Notes
- When making the white sauce it's important to whisk while gradually adding the milk to avoid any lumps.
- If you'd like to make additions, swaps or changes to the sauce do it before adding the chicken and spaghetti.
- Make sure to undercook the spaghetti.
- You can also use short pasta shapes for this recipe.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1-2 days although may dry out. I recommend serving this immediately for best results and flavor.
- This is a great dish to use up leftover chicken but you can also use a rotisserie chicken if you don't have any to use up.
- This recipe will also work well with cooked ham or turkey.
