Homemade Chicken Spaghetti – Spend With Pennies

November 22, 2024

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Creamy, cozy, and delicious!

This chicken spaghetti recipe combines chicken and spaghetti in a creamy, cheesy sauce and bakes until golden and bubbly.

Make the sauce from scratch or the shortcut version—the choice is yours!

Chicken Spaghetti in the dish and on a spoon

The sauce is made from scratch, but I’ve also included a shortcut sauce for busy days.
This chicken spaghetti recipe uses simple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
It’s versatile; use any variety of cheese or pasta.
This recipe is freezer-friendly – prep it ahead for busy days!

What You’ll Need to Make Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken: Use cooked chicken—rotisserie chicken makes this easy. You can also use leftovers or bake chicken breasts in the oven.
Pasta: I use spaghetti noodles, but any long pasta can be substituted.
Onion/Garlic: I prefer fresh if possible but you can replace them with 1 teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
Rotel/Bell Pepper: These also flavor the casserole and add Rotel tomatoes add a bit of freshness.
Chicken Broth: This is the base of the sauce and adds flavor—if using low-sodium broth or stock, add some extra salt.
Cream: Half and half or light cream makes the sauce creamy without being too rich. Replace 1 cup of half and half with ½ cup each heavy cream and milk.
Cheese: Both cheddar cheese and Parmesan add flavor to the cheese sauce. Pre-shredded cheese works well in this recipe.

Variations

You can replace the cheddar with any cheese you’d like, including Monterey Jack cheese or a shredded mozzarella cheese blend.
Replace the chicken with leftover turkey or ham. If using ham, reduce the salt in the recipe slightly.

ingredients for the sauce for chicken spaghetti in a skilleta

adding cheese to the sauce for chicken spaghetti in a skilleta

How to Make Chicken Spaghetti

Cook pasta: Cook the spaghetti and drain.
Quick Tip: Cook the pasta al dente (firm) so it doesn’t overcook as it bakes.
Prepare sauce: Prepare the sauce (recipe below) or the shortcut sauce in the notes.
Assemble: Combine the spaghetti, chicken, diced tomatoes, and sauce in a greased casserole dish.
Bake: Top with more cheese and bake until bubbly.

Serving Suggestions

Salad: I love to serve this dish with a fresh salad—either green salad or Caesar salad.

Bread: Bread or garlic bread is great to sop up any bits of sauce and help stretch the meal further.

plated Chicken Spaghetti with casserole dish in the back full

Leftovers and Meal Prep

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Chicken spaghetti freezes very well and 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!

Line the baking dish with parchment paper and assemble the casserole. Once frozen, lift the parchment paper and casserole from the baking dish, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze. To bake, place the frozen block of chicken spaghetti back into the casserole dish.

More Easy Chicken Casseroles

Did you make this Chicken Spaghetti? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!

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Homemade Chicken Spaghetti

This easy cheesy Chicken Spaghetti recipe combines tender chicken and spaghetti in a quick and delicious cheese sauce.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Cook the spaghetti al dente in a large pot 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 can 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.

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 3⁄4 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.

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

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