Need a quick, budget-friendly dinner that feels like a hug on a plate? My Chicken Spaghetti has been saving me (and my pantry) for years. It’s creamy, cheesy, and the kind of comfort food that disappears fast at the dinner table.
Recipe Tester Melanie says:
45 minutes in the oven was perfect since I was starting w/ chicken breast I cooked for this meal rather than leftover rotisserie or canned and did sauté the onions. Everything was lukewarm by the time I finished combing it all.
The cheese was perfectly browned and everyone scarfed it down. Another fab recipe!
Do you love Midwest Family-friendly casseroles? Try my Midwest Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole, Chicken Tater Tot Casserole, or Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish.
Key Ingredients:
Pump up the flavor by using rotisserie chicken, if you prefer. And taking the time to saute the onions has been preferred by some family members of mine (although I don’t do it often). This recipe tastes great with gluten-free pasta (I always use it!) and, honestly, although I use cheddar cheese we find that pepper jack or Monterey jack we sometimes like better…use what you have on hand!
- Pasta. Traditional thin spaghetti or even angel hair all work great for this recipe. Gluten-free pasta? Works great.
- Pre-cooked chicken. I often have cans of chicken in the pantry for this recipe but cook up a few chicken breasts or use a rotisserie chicken for even more flavor.
- Cream soup.Â
- Chicken Bouillon cubes – Add to your pasta water (see tip below). It’s like making quick chicken broth and gives the noodles way more flavor.
Pro Tip: Use about 12–16 cups of water total (that’s plenty for a pound of pasta). Too much water will dilute the bouillon flavor, too little can make it salty. Before draining, scoop out 1–2 cups of the pasta water—you’ll stir it back in later to keep everything creamy. - Cheese. Out of cheddar? Pepper jack gives it a kick, Monterey makes it extra gooey. Velveeta? Don’t judge me—it melts like a dream.
- Rotel tomatoes = don’t skip unless you want boring spaghetti.
Optional: Bell peppers (chopped green or red peppers), red pepper flakes, fresh garlic, sliced mushrooms, frozen broccoli, bacon bits, or even cream cheese.
Instructions for the chicken spaghetti casserole:
- Cook the spaghetti according to the directions using the chicken bouillon in the pasta water.Â
- Mix the cooked pasta, cheese, soup, Ro-tel, onion, & basil together.
- Pour into greased casserole pan.
- Bake in the oven until hot and bubbling.
Freeze/Prep ahead/Store/Reheat:
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave for small amounts. For a large amount, I would recommend covering with aluminum foil and reheating in the oven for the best results.
Want to stock your freezer? Assemble the casserole but don’t bake it yet. Wrap tightly (I like using disposable foil pans), freeze up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Add 20–30 minutes to the baking time when ready to cook. Think of it as your future self saying thanks.
If you grew up in the Midwest, chances are you had some version of Chicken Spaghetti at a church basement potluck. This is my spin—the one my family ‘scarfed down’ (their words, not mine).
Every time I make this recipe, it’s a little bit different based on the ingredients I have on hand. This recipe morphs easily! Out of soup? Use mushroom instead of chicken. No spaghetti? Any pasta works. The point is creamy, cheesy comfort—not perfection.
→ One recipe of the recipe testers on this recipe said their family “scarfed it down”. Yep! That’s about right! 🙌
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 12 ounce cans chunk white chicken OR 1.5 cups of shredded cooked chicken or close to that amount…fudge if you need to :
- 1 pound spaghetti broken in half
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Monterey or pepper jack are also yummy!
- 3 bouillon cubes
- 1 can Ro-Tel don’t drain.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup cream of mushroom soup works great, as well.
- 1 finely diced small yellow onion about 1cup
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease 9 by 13 casserole dish.
- In a large pot, bring 12–16 cups of water to a boil with 3 bouillon cubes. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Before draining, ladle out 1–2 cups of the pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and return it to the pot . Pro Tip: This step is key! Cooking in bouillon makes the noodles taste like they were simmered in chicken broth, and the reserved water will keep your casserole creamy.
- Return the pasta to the pot.
- Add the chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, Ro-tel (and liquid), salt, cream of chicken soup, dried basil, and diced onion.
- Stir gently.
- Add 1 cup of the liquid and, if the pasta still seems a bit dry…the remaining ½ cup.
- Dump the pasta mixture into the greased casserole pan.
- Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 45min – 1 hour (if the cheese starts getting to brown, cover with aluminum foil in the last 15 minutes) or until hot and bubbling.
- Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
This was a great dish for a busy weeknight. I feel like I could have assembled it the night before and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it the next evening, which is always a plus. Also, I love a recipe that doesn’t dirty many dishes. But none of that matters if the recipe doesn’t taste good. This one does. My husband said it had great flavor. I might add a little garlic next time to see if that makes it even better. I wish I had added a tad more of the liquid. This made for good leftovers, too.
Family approved! This is a meal that works well as a weeknight dinner for our family. It takes me less than 20 minutes to put together and pop in the oven. An hour later, it’s ready to eat! Our tomato averse 4 year old picks around the tomatoes, but otherwise, there’s not much that would trip up a picky eater and it is a win with our crew ranging in age from 2-15.