Made with rotisserie chicken, cream of chicken soup, lots of cheese, and a can of ROTEL, this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti makes a rich and creamy easy weeknight dinner. It comes together quickly and is total comfort food loved by everyone!
You can prepare this as a 9×13 casserole or split it into two smaller square baking dishes, for one meal right away and the other to freeze for later.
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
This chicken spaghetti casserole is in constant dinner rotation at my house. It’s rich, creamy, full of flavor, and all-around comfort food. The sauce is made with a base of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and a can of ROTEL for some flavor and very mild heat. Then a handful of seasonings are mixed in. Combine it with noodles and chicken, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredients Needed
Chicken spaghetti casserole requires just a handful of ingredients and a few seasonings:
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Spaghetti – Dry spaghetti pasta is used for this recipe.
- Cream of chicken soup – Do not add water, just the undiluted, condensed soup.
- ROTEL – Choose from mild, medium, or hot depending on your taste.
- Sour cream – Adds a slight tang to balance the creaminess of other ingredients.
- Chicken broth – For flavor and to thin out the sauce.
- Mexican cheese blend – I like the Mexican blend for the variety it provides in the flavor but any shredded cheese will work.
- Seasonings – The main seasonings used are garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and just a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Shredded chicken breast – Use baked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken.
- Parsley – For garnish.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ways to switch up this chicken spaghetti bake using ingredients you already have on hand.
- Use salsa instead of ROTEL. Salsa can be used in place of the ROTEL. Choose from mild, medium, or hot, depending on your taste.
- Add a crispy topping. After removing the foil, you can sprinkle on 1 cup of crushed Ritz cracker crumbs, if desired for a slight textural crunch.
- Switch up the cheese. I love the way that the Mexican cheese blend tastes with the ROTEL but you can use any cheese you desire like Monterrey Jack, cheddar, Colby Jack, mozzarella, or any combination of them. You can even use Velveeta if you like the super creamy texture.
- Can I use different pasta? Sure, while chicken spaghetti is typically made with spaghetti, you can absolutely use angel hair or even short pasta for this dish.
- Possible add-ins. In addition to the chicken, you can stir in some cooked bacon, mushrooms, or even broccoli.
- Make it vegetarian. You can easily make this easy pasta dish vegetarian by omitting the chicken. I would recommend adding some mushrooms to keep the dish filling.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
This easy chicken spaghetti recipe comes together with just a few easy steps. Here’s a summary:
(To make this chicken spaghetti recipe, scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions, and don’t miss the video below.)
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions, and drain.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the undiluted soup, undrained ROTEL, sour cream, chicken broth, half of the Mexican cheese and seasonings to the pot. Once combined add in the cooked pasta and cooked chicken.
- Bake. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish (see note below for splitting into two smaller baking dishes and freezing one for later.) Top with the remaining cheese and cover. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove the foil and bake for a another 5 to 10 minutes.
Don’t overcook the pasta
Serving Suggestions
So what goes with chicken spaghetti? Since this dish is rich and creamy, I like to serve it up with fresh veggies. Think of a simple side salad or caesar salad. Any type of veggie side works well too, whether it’s roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, roasted beets, or any other veggie of choice. If you don’t mind carbs on top of carbs, you can’t go wrong with some garlic bread, either!
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- How to store leftovers. Leftover chicken spaghetti can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep it tightly covered or transfer to an airtight container.
- Split the dish in half and freeze some for later. You can prepare this as a 9×13 casserole or split it into two smaller 8×8 square baking dishes, for one meal right away and the other to freeze for later. To freeze, prepare the casserole, but do not sprinkle with cheese and do not bake. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and again in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Place in the fridge overnight to thaw. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake as directed, tacking on 5-10 minutes longer, if needed to ensure the middle is warmed through. Cover it with foil if the top is over-browning.
- How to reheat leftovers. Reheat leftovers gently in the microwave or in the oven until warmed through. You may want to add a splash of water or chicken broth to prevent the sauce from drying out.
Video: How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
More Spaghetti Recipes:
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Spaghetti Carbonara
- Cowboy Spaghetti
- Bacon and Broccoli Pasta
- Mushroom and Zucchini Pasta
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti pasta (about 3/4 of the box)
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup (10 ounces each, undiluted – do not add water)
- 1 can ROTEL (10 ounces, undrained)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend , divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
- fresh chopped parsley , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. (See note below.)
- Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente. Drain well and set aside for a minute.
- Add the cream of chicken soups, ROTEL with juices, sour cream, chicken broth, 1 cup of the Mexican cheese, and all the seasonings to the pot you cooked the pasta in. Mix until thoroughly combined. Then fold in the cooked pasta and shredded chicken until everything is well coated.
- Pour combined mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Cover with nonstick aluminum foil.
- Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes until hot and bubbly, then remove foil and place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, serve, and enjoy!
The flavors are really great! I decided to use egg noodles and they held up in the initial cooking but did NOT go well reheated so if you have leftovers use spaghetti.
We have made this multiple times and provide it to friends in meal trains when they are in need. Everyone loves it. I add a little sriracha, too.
I have 2 picky stepkids and this was really good. Easy to throw together.
This was SO yummy!! Whole family loved it.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was deemed a “keeper”. I cut it in half and baked in a 8×8 pan with no problems. It was creamy and cheesy and filling! We definitely enjoyed it!