In this easy chicken spaghetti recipe, shredded cooked chicken and spaghetti are smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce and baked until browned and bubbly. While the sauce is homemade, I’ve also included a shortcut sauce for busy weeknights!
Ingredients for Chicken Spaghetti
Pasta: I use spaghetti noodles, but you can use other varieties of long pasta. Be sure to cook it al dente (firm) so it doesn’t overcook as the casserole bakes. Chicken: This recipe uses cooked chicken. Shred rotisserie chicken or use up leftovers if you have them. If needed, baked chicken breasts work well too. Flavor: Onion, garlic, and bell pepper add flavor, while canned diced tomatoes (or 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.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
Serving Suggestions
Salad: I love to serve this dish with a fresh salad—either green salad or Caesar salad.
Cook the vegetables as directed. Add 3⁄4 pound Velveeta cheese, 10oz condensed cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup, and drained tomatoes and cook until melted. Skip the salt and add ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. You can also add a can of green chiles if you’d like.
Bread: Bread or garlic bread is great to sop up any bits of sauce and help stretch the meal further.
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!
Did you make this Chicken Spaghetti? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 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. © 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.
