Chicken Spaghetti

By Becky Hardin

Updated May 20, 2025

Chicken spaghetti in a bowl with a fork. - 2

Chicken spaghetti in a baking dish with the text chicken spaghetti easy dinner recipes. - 3

This creamy Chicken Spaghetti is a delicious and hearty baked spaghetti casserole. It’s simple to make and perfect for an easy weeknight meal. Made with everyday ingredients and a wonderfully crunchy, cheesy topping, this dish is pure comfort food.

Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

This Chicken Spaghetti will hit the spot any day of the week! It’s a super satisfying main dish, and a breeze to whip up. Succulent chicken mixed with a creamy sauce, all topped with a layer of crunchy cheesy goodness! It’s one of my family’s favorite chicken casseroles. Not to be confused with Chicken Tetrazzini , which calls for fettuccini noodles instead of spaghetti.

It’s easy to modify this spaghetti casserole to suit your tastes. As is, it has a bit of a Mexican flair. If you’d like to make it more Italian-style, use an Italian cheese blend and swap out the diced tomatoes and green chilies for regular diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes. This will also make the casserole less spicy.

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the Topping

▢ 2 cups breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (¼ stick)
▢ ¼ teaspoon dried basil
▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ ¾ cup shredded cheese such as cheddar, Mexican, Gruyere, or a blend

For the Casserole

▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ ½ yellow onion finely diced
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 32 ounces chicken broth or stock (1 carton)
▢ 1¾ cups water
▢ 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
▢ 16 ounces dry spaghetti broken into thirds (1 box), white, whole wheat or gluten free
▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil plus more for garnish
▢ 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies (1 can)
▢ 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup (1 can)
▢ 4 cups shredded cooked chicken rotisserie is fine
▢ 1¼ cup shredded cheese such as cheddar, Mexican, Gruyere, or a blend

Video

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Add the oil and onion to a large Dutch oven. Set the pot over medium heat and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and has softened. 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ yellow onion
Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, stirring often. 2 cloves garlic
Add the chicken broth and deglaze (click for how-to) the pan. 32 ounces chicken broth or stock
Add the water, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. 1¾ cups water, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Add the dry spaghetti (broken into thirds), reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook the spaghetti to al dente (according to package directions). 16 ounces dry spaghetti
Add the basil, tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, chicken, and 1¼ cups cheese. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies, 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup, 4 cups shredded cooked chicken, 1¼ cup shredded cheese
Bring the mixture just to a low boil and remove it from the heat.
Pour the chicken spaghetti into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the topping ingredients evenly over the top. 2 cups breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¾ cup shredded cheese
Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, or until hot throughout and cheese is melted. If the cheese is browning too quickly, tent with sprayed aluminum foil.
Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped basil if desired.

Equipment

9×13 Baking Pan
Dutch Oven

Becky’s Tips

You can use any vegetable you want. Add harder vegetables ( think root veggies like carrots and parsnips ) earlier on with the onions.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

How to Make Chicken Spaghetti Step by Step

Prepare the oven and pan : Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the onion : Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 yellow onion to a large Dutch oven. Set the pot over medium heat and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and has softened.

A pan with onions and garlic in it on a stove top. - 7

Add the garlic: Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds, stirring often.

Deglazing the pan of onion and garlic. - 8

Deglaze the pan : Add 32 ounces of chicken broth and deglaze the pan.

Add water: Add 1 3/4 cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir and bring to a boil.

Pot of broth, water, and aromatics with uncooked spaghetti. - 9

Mix in the spaghetti: Add 16 ounces of dry spaghetti (broken into thirds), reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook the spaghetti to al dente (according to package directions).

Pot of ingredients for chicken spaghetti. - 10

Stir in remaining ingredients : Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies, 10 ounces cream of mushroom soup, 4 cups shredded cooked chicken, and 1¼ cup shredded cheese. Bring the mixture just to a low boil and remove it from the heat.

Chicken spaghetti with breadcrumb topping. - 11

Pour into baking pan : Pour the chicken spaghetti into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle 2 cups of breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the top.

Bake the casserole : Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, or until hot throughout and cheese is melted. If the cheese is browning too quickly, tent with sprayed aluminum foil.

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Transfer, cool, garnish, and serve : Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped basil if desired.

How to Store

Store leftover chicken spaghetti tightly covered with aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat (covered) in a 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes, or until warmed through.

Chicken spaghetti freezes exceptionally well, so go ahead and make it in advance. Once you place it in the casserole dish, you don’t need to bake it first, just freeze for up to 4 months. Line your dish with parchment paper and let it freeze solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. That way you don’t have to tie up your casserole dish for months. The chicken spaghetti is already pre-formed for the dish, so all you have to do is slide it back in when you’re ready to reheat.

You can cook this directly from frozen (but be careful, most glass dishes cannot go from freezer to oven). Cover it in foil to prevent the cheese topping from overcooking. Cook at 350°F for about 1 hour, or until it is piping hot throughout!

Chicken spaghetti in a pan garnished with fresh basil with bread on the side. - 13

Serving Suggestions

Baked chicken spaghetti is rich and super filling, so it doesn’t need heavy side dishes. You can enjoy it with Breadsticks or Garlic Bread , and a refreshing Cucumber Salad or a simple Green Goddess Salad .

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close up of baked ziti in a baking dish with a spoon. - 21

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Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

Equipment

9x13 Baking Pan
Dutch Oven