Let me start by saying my husband requested that I make this recipe over my usual chicken pasta recipe that I’ve been making for 10 years!! I was appalled. But honestly I can’t even blame him. This creamy Chicken Spaghetti recipe is a pasta lover’s dream. Tender chicken breast and spaghetti pasta are coated with a luscious cream sauce, then baked to perfection with extra cheese on top! And this casserole is made with simple pantry and refrigerated ingredients. I don’t know about you but I always seem to have a box of spaghetti noodles hanging out in my cabinet. If you do need to make a quick store run, make sure you grab two of whatever item you need, because trust me you’ll want to add this one to your weekly dinner rotation!
What Is Chicken Spaghetti?
When you read the words “Chicken Spaghetti” I’m sure you were thinking how on earth do those two foods go together? Well friend, let me ease your mind. This is not the traditional spaghetti sauce recipe that you’re probably familiar with. Chicken spaghetti is made with a creamy, cheesy, super flavorful cream sauce that coats tender chicken and spaghetti noodles. Tangy Rotel tomatoes are also added to give it an extra pop of flavor and to balance the creaminess of the dish. The mixture is then placed in a casserole dish and baked until it’s gooey and bubbly around the sides. Great, now I’m sitting here drooling just thinking about it again!
Ingredients For Chicken Spaghetti
Whenever it’s possible I like to keep things pretty simple, so you may already have everything you need to make this chicken spaghetti recipe. Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken: I opted for two boneless skinless chicken breasts. But if your budget is tight, you can certainly use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic are sautéed in butter to give the casserole a wonderful base layer of flavor.
- Butter & Flour: Butter is used to sauté the onion and garlic. All-purpose flour then mixes with the butter to create a simple roux, which thickens the creamy sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken broth combines with the roux to create a rich and thick sauce. And we always recommend using a good quality chicken broth because it adds a lot of flavor to your dish. We use Better than Bouillon to make our broth.
- Seasoning: A simple mix of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper is all you’ll need!
- Cheddar & Mozzarella Cheese: A combination of cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese adds depth of flavor to the casserole and makes it extra rich and cheesy! And yes I do recommend using both types of cheeses. We first tested this recipe using just cheddar cheese, but adding some mozzarella cheese with it really boosted the level of flavor!
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds even more richness to the dish and gives the sauce a wonderful creamy texture.
- Rotel: A can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles adds a LOT of flavor to the cream sauce and makes this chicken casserole absolutely delish! So don’t skip it!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this chicken casserole with some crusty bread or try our Homemade Garlic Bread. It would also pair well with a simple side salad to keep dinner simple and easy. With that being said, me and my family totally enjoyed this dish by itself…no extra sides needed for us!😉
Chicken Spaghetti
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb total) ($4.70)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.12)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt (for the pasta water) ($0.04)
- 8 oz spaghetti ($0.62)
- 1/4 cup salted butter ($0.52)
- 1 onion, diced ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ($0.06)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.34)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided ($1.24)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided ($1.24)
- 1 cup heavy cream ($1.36)
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained (Rotel) ($1.00)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Using a sharp knife, carefully fillet each chicken breast into two thinner cutlets. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the four chicken cutlets to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes total). Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board, and allow it to rest.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 Tbsp of salt to the water then add the spaghetti pasta and boil until the pasta is tender (or al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, start making the sauce. In the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir with the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until flour starts to turn golden brown.
- Slowly pour the chicken broth into the skillet and stir to fully dissolve the flour from the bottom of the skillet. The flour will start to thicken the sauce when it returns to a simmer. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and the heavy cream to the skillet. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
- After the chicken breasts have rested, chop them into smaller ½ inch pieces.
- Turn the heat off the skillet and add the drained diced tomatoes with green chiles, the chopped chicken, and the cooked spaghetti to the pan. Mix until combined.
- Add the chicken spaghetti mixture to a 9×13” casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and cheese is melted.
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Nutrition
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Using a sharp knife, carefully fillet each chicken breast into two thinner cutlets. Here is a great tutorial on How to Cut Chicken Breasts Into Cutlets by Serious Eats. Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the four chicken cutlets to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes total). Remove the chicken to a clean cutting board, and allow it to rest.
While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 Tbsp of salt to the water, then add 8 oz. of spaghetti pasta, and boil until the pasta is tender (or al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander.
While the pasta is cooking, start making the sauce. In the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in, heat 1/4 cup salted butter over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced onion and 2 minced garlic cloves. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour into the skillet and stir with the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until flour starts to turn golden brown. Slowly pour 2 cups of chicken broth into the skillet and stir to fully dissolve the flour from the bottom of the skillet. The flour will start to thicken the sauce when it returns to a simmer.
Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of heavy cream to the skillet. Stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Now chop the cooked chicken breasts into smaller ½ inch pieces.
Turn the heat off the skillet and add 1 can of drained diced tomatoes with green chiles, the chopped chicken, and the cooked spaghetti to the pan. Mix until combined.
Add the chicken spaghetti mixture to a 9×13” casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and the cheese is melted on top.
This Chicken Spaghetti casserole is so creamy and delicious, it’ll soon become one of your favorite recipes! Enjoy!
OMG GOOOOD! The best spaghetti I’ve ever had.
This recipe is gorgeous! So delicious.
I was able to use an entire pound of spaghetti and there was plenty of sauce to spare.
The Rotel adds just the right amount of acidicness and heat. Perfection.
It was my first time making this fabulous chicken spaghetti! My family was so pleased with the way it turned out! We will absolutely make this recipe again!
Looks simply yummy!
I am 12 and was the chef one night and came upon this recipe. I was so nervous when it came testing time but fortunately this recipe was so delicious. My family loved it and we had an lovely amount of delightful food.
Always kind of difficult the first time following a recipe. Now I could make it way quicker! My mom and husband use their own recipes for chicken spaghetti so it was my turn this time! I did everything exact except the full onion. I did about half an onion. But we finished the whole pan! My mom asked me to send this to her to make for a big event tomorrow. So 10/10, this was everyone’s favorite recipe!!
That’s awesome Nina! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the recipe :)
The homemade sauce is delicious! My husband loves it
Simplemente se ve deliciosa! mil gracias Marsha y saludos muy respetuosos para todos
I was really craving chicken spaghetti and I’m glad I came upon this recipe. This will now be a staple in my home. Thank you!!! I love mushrooms, so I added that with the onions & garlic!!!
I had been meaning to make this recipe since I saw it from one of your e-blasts. I made it last night and boy is it delicious! It took a bit longer than expected, but it’s such a unique combination of flavors, something not entirely unlike mac and cheese or alfredo. It was delicious, the whole pan was almost gone between the three adults who live in my house. I really enjoyed it. The only substitution I made was to use chicken thighs, and chop them into small pieces before pan frying it. Otherwise, 10/10, will cook again.
Can I use regular milk instead of heavy cream?
You could, the sauce would just be a bit thinner and less rich. If you happen to have cream cheese you could also throw in a knob to add a bit more creaminess.
Made this with a rotini pasta instead of the spaghetti noodles. Added some green bell pepper while sautéing the onions. Delicious dish as is or with creativity of your own!
I hadn’t heard of chicken spaghetti until we moved to Texas (from Alaska) about 13 years ago. Since then my wife has ordered it in a restaurant a couple of times–but I never tried it. Recently she asked me to make it (I’m principal cook in our home) and this is the recipe I used. My wife and brother-in-law, both fans of the dish, raved and I, myself, found it delicious. Highly recommend this recipe, it is excellent!
Very good, the sauce is wonderful! I only had about a lb of diced rotisserie chicken breast on hand, so bulked it up with some thawed, drained chopped frozen spinach, and put a bit of parmesan on the top as well. Would never have thought to put Rotel in this sort of dish but it really elevates it. It will definitely go in regular rotation here. I was thinking mushrooms and peas would be good in place of the spinach, but not sure if that would fight with the Rotel.