Easy Baked Chicken Spaghetti
Easy baked chicken spaghetti is a cheesy casserole with spaghetti noodles, juicy chicken pieces and a creamy, delicious sauce! Easy to make and sure to satisfy, this is perfect for a hearty, comforting family dinner!
Yield: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
- 10 oz. spaghetti (whole grain or regular)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (or milk for extra richness)
- 4 oz. plain cream cheese (reduced fat is OK)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken (see notes)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook spaghetti until just al dente, then drain.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir to combine.
- Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring as you add. Next add the cream cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Stir well to get them completely melted and mixed in.
- Turn off the heat then add the diced tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked spaghetti and rotisserie chicken to the pan with the cheesy mixture and stir well to combine. (Or, if your pan isn’t large enough, mix everything together in a. Separate bowl.)
- Add the chicken spaghetti to the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and the Parmesan cheese.
- Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until the casserole is hot and bubbly.
- Serve hot, with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
Spaghetti: I use whole grain spaghetti noodles, but regular are fine too. You could also use a thin spaghetti noodle; just adjust the cooking time when you’re making the pasta.
Cream cheese: Full fat or the ⅓ reduced fat cream cheese are both fine here. I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese.
Cheese: We have always made this with cheddar cheese (white cheddar cheese to be exact), but you could try it with mozzarella cheese if you prefer.
Tomatoes: This recipe has just a sprinkling of tomatoes throughout. It’s just the right amount for us, but feel free to add another can of diced tomatoes if you’d like more.
Chicken: To make this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, you'll need about 1.5 pounds and there are 3 options for cooking them.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat then add your raw chicken breasts. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through. Chop or shred the chicken and you’re ready to go.
- Preheat your oven to 375. Place your chicken breasts on a foil lined baking dish or baking sheet. Rub with a little olive oil then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, until cooked through. Chop the chicken and you are set.
- Chop up your raw chicken breasts into about ½-inch pieces. Heat a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Reserve the chicken in a bowl, wipe out the pan and use it to make the creamy sauce.
- Cook the spaghetti, make the sauce and prep the chicken.
- If you are going to be baking the casserole later that day or the next day, go ahead and combine everything and put it in your casserole dish. Top with the cheeses, then cover with foil or plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
- Pull the casserole out of the fridge as you preheat the oven so it can start to come to room temperature. Bake as directed, adding an additional 5 minutes if needed to get it nice and bubbly.
- Or, if you are prepping this a few days ahead, I’d suggest storing the noodles separately from the chicken and sauce (which you can go ahead and combine.) That way they won’t get soggy or start to fall apart.
- Bring everything to room temperature, combine the noodles with the sauce and then place in your casserole dish and top with the cheeses before baking.
- You can keep leftovers in the fridge, in a covered container, for up to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, staring with 1 minute and adding additional time as needed.
- You can also freeze the leftovers. Portion into freezer-safe ziptop bags — that are labelled — and keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in the microwave as above.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 593mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
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