This Chicken Spaghetti has a creamy 3-cheese blend of cream cheese, cheddar, and mozzarella! Rotel tomatoes give this dish a pop of color and added flavor that pairs perfectly with this creamy cheese sauce. (PLUS: No canned soup!)
Be sure to serve this with a side of my Garlic Bread with Cheese and be sure to try my Chicken Scampi recipe next!
Chicken Spaghetti
If you’re looking for a way to jazz up your next spaghetti dinner, OR possibly looking for a creative way to use up some leftover or rotisserie chicken, you’ve come to the right place.
This creamy, cheesy, chicken spaghetti is so incredibly flavorful, make-ahead and freezer-friendly, and your family will love it.
Take a look at how to make it, read through my pro tips, storage information, and more below.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Optional: Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Sear in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Dice and set aside. (Leftover or Rotisserie chicken may also be used.)
- Add butter and sauté onions and garlic. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and milk, a splash at a time, stirring to combine. Let the sauce simmer and reduce while you begin boiling pasta water.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain when finished.
- Add cream cheese to the sauce and stir to combine. Reduce heat, add shredded cheese. Then add Rotel tomatoes, cooked chicken, and drained spaghetti.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Broil at 475° at the end for a few minutes if desired.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and fresh parsley. Serve with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese.
Pro Tips
- This recipe includes instructions for using fresh chicken, but this is a great recipe to make with leftover or rotisserie chicken.
- Shred your own cheese from a block, it will melt better and give you much creamier results. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well in soups and sauces.
- Don’t add the cheddar cheese when the base is very hot, or the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy. (This is outlined in the instructions as well.)
- I prefer to use thin spaghetti for this recipe but you can use regular, angel hair, or other types of pasta noodles if that’s all you have.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 192!
Make-Ahead Method
- Assemble the casserole as outlined and place it in a casserole dish. Let it cool first, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10-15 more minutes. Broil at 475° for a few minutes at the end if desired.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Note that the consistency of the sauce won’t be exactly the same when reheated from frozen.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- A 14-inch oven safe skillet is perfect for this recipe.
- Box Cheese Grater– Always shred cheese from a block for creamy/melty results. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose and prevents it from melting as well in soups/sauces.
- 9 x 13 baking dish The perfect size for almost any casserole recipe
- Silicone Spatula– Easy for tossing the chicken as it cooks and for stirring in the sauce ingredients.
- Measuring spoons I love that these are magnetic. They keep my drawer neat.
Try These Next
- Taco Spaghetti
- Baked Ravioli
- Easy Chili Recipe
- Stuffed Shells
- Easy Ravioli Sauce
- Lasagna Roll Ups
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![A white plate with cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with a fork on the side.](jpg/chicken-spaghetti-f-200x200.jpg)
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- Salt/Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 oz. diced tomatoes & green chilies
- 8 oz. Thin Spaghetti
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- red pepper flakes & chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook the Chicken (Optional. You may also use cooked chicken.)
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Pat dry and season lightly with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on each side for 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside. Dice into bite-sized pieces once cool enough to handle.
Make the Sauce
- Reduce heat to medium low. Melt the butter in the same pot and use a silicone spatula to clean the chicken bits from the bottom. This is called “fond” and it gives the sauce a nice flavor.
- Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, until you can no longer smell flour.
- Add the chicken broth in splashes to maintain the thickness of the roux. Stir in between each splash. Add the milk next, a little bit at a time. Whisk until combined and smooth.
- (Now is a good time to start boiling the water for the pasta. Cook it according to package instructions and drain once finished.)
- Meanwhile, let the sauce simmer and reduce while the pasta water heats up. Add the softened cream cheese and stir continuously until melted and smooth. This is more difficult if the cream cheese is cold.
- Reduce heat to low and let the base cool a bit. Sprinkle in the shredded cheddar and stir to combine.
- If you’d like to thin the sauce out at all, add a little bit of the juice from the diced tomatoes, otherwise, drain the juice and add the tomatoes along with the chicken. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the spaghetti. If you’re not using an oven-safe pot, transfer to a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish.
Bake
- Top with mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
- To brown the top slightly, broil it for 1-2 minutes at 475°, watch it closely during this time.
- Remove from the oven. Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh Parsley. Serve with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese.
Notes
- You can also use 2 cups of cooked chicken in this recipe, either leftover chicken or rotisserie. The benefit of cooking fresh chicken in the pot is that it transfers more flavor into the sauce.
- Shred your own cheese from a block, it will melt better and give you much creamier results. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well in soups and sauces.
- Don't add the cheddar cheese when the base is very hot, or the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy. (This is outlined in the instructions as well.)
- I prefer to use thin spaghetti for this recipe but you can use regular, angel hair, or other types of pasta noodles if that's all you have.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 192!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Note that the consistency of the sauce won't be exactly the same when reheated from frozen.
The nutrition information provide is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
This was awesome. Nice way t to get rid of left overs
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Dixie! I agree, definitely a nice use of leftovers. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😃
Loved this recipe and am planning on making a large batch and freezing for later. I am wondering how you reheat this meal. Should it be thawed and baked as instructed or can it be baked from frozen?
Hi Megan! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! I would thaw it before baking again and would do so in a covered casserole dish at 350 for 20-25 minutes or so, the exact amount of time depends on how much you’re reheating. Reheat it in a dish that’s roughly the same size as the portion being reheated so that it doesn’t dry out 🙂
Good MOrning!
What can I substitute in place of Rotel tomatoes as we don’t have that product in NZ?
You can just used regular diced tomatoes! 🙂
Great recipe, a new family fav!
I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit Cassie, thank you so much!!
Thank you for this recipe, it came together exactly as you said and it is rich, creamy and so very delicious! We both love it which is good because I have enough to freeze for at least two more very filling meals of it! I followed the recipe with one small exception, hubby does not care for cooked tomatoes so I used a small can of hot peppers (jalapenos) drained and it gave that little pop of heat but not out doing the rest of the meal. I know I will make this again for us and especially for family! I’ve sent the recipe to my son as well as my daughter. Thank you for all the recipes you post, I’m new to your site but already know I’m going to be a regular. I’m sorry I’ve ran on with this review, was so happy with the meal! Take care… Cheryl
I’m so happy it was a success, nice work Cheryl! My husband would love the little bit of heat from the jalapenos. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
This is my 3rd time making it. It’s definitely a hit in our house we absolutely love it!!!
That makes me so happy Keri! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💖
So delicious and easy to follow recipes
I’m so happy to hear that you’re loving the recipes Maiah! Thank you so much!
Delicious! It’s my family’s favorite dish! Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure April! I’m so happy your family is enjoying it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Not as saucy as I would have liked and VERY cheesy with the 3 different cheeses. I’d increase the chicken broth and milk next time. Otherwise, very tasty.
Hi Ron! Because you live at a high altitude, this poses an impact on how saucy the finished product is, you’ll likely find that you want to add more liquid to many recipes for this reason- something to take note of as you try other dishes! This recipe is actually very saucy as written.
This was tasty. We used cappelini (angel hair) pasta, cooked 3 min.
We liked this recipe also because it contained no canned soup as
most others do. We used shredded Monterey Jack and a combo
of Parm/asiago which Land o’ Lakes makes. Thank you!
Nice work Jackie! One of my favorite family dinners. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!