Chicken Spaghetti
This recipe for the best Chicken Spaghetti calls for sliced chicken, spaghetti that gets lathered in a delicious creamy sauce! A family favorite!
An Easy Family Favorite Dinner Recipe
This recipe is one I’ve been meaning to share for a while but it needed some tweaking. The original recipe I had for it was, well, kinda bland. I know chicken spaghetti usually calls for Rotel but it doesn’t add much flavor in my opinion. So I switched it up for my favorite salsa and I think it made ALL the difference! I also use grilled chicken (store bought or freshly grilled can be used) and that took the flavor up another notch too!
The best chicken spaghetti!! So much more flavor than the Rotel kind. Loved it, thank you!
– Diana
Frequently Asked Questions:
I decided I would switch out the can of Rotel (which is basically tomatoes and green chiles that is in most recipes) and replace it with salsa. That really added some yummy flavors. I also think that bit of taco seasoning really creates a super flavorful dish!
Angel hair pasta does not have to be used. You can use thin spaghetti or regular spaghetti or even fettuccine noodles. Although I haven’t personally tried it, I’ve had readers share that they have used spaghetti squash instead of traditional spaghetti and it turned out perfect.
Save yourself some time by using precooked chicken. Whether it be rotisserie chicken or the cooked chicken that is sold in the deli department. This will make this meal come together easily!
I have never tried it in a crock pot to be honest! Pasta can be really weird in a crock pot sometimes – ha! You could MAYBE try it like I do my crock pot spaghetti and meatballs but you have to had a lot of water for the pasta to cook properly and that might really water down the sauce for this. Or you could maybe put it in cooked, but again, the pasta will still want to absorb any liquid around it and it could turn gummy. If you try it, share how it turns out in the comments.
Sure, if you want even more creamy, cheesy, tasty sauce, add a little more sour cream and some of the water from the cooked pasta, just to make it very saucy!
Store them in a covered container in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Yep! It’s just important to cover it well to protect against freezer burn. It will freeze well for up to 3 months.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- angel hair pasta – I tend to like the thinner angel hair pasta for this but you can use your favorite pasta here like regular spaghetti or fettuccine or linguine.
- cooked chicken – a store-bought rotisserie chicken or the fully cooked grilled chicken you find in the refrigerator section all make this so easy to put together and adds flavor!
- cream of chicken soup – you can also use Cream of Mushroom or even make your own homemade cream of chicken soup. You could even use cream of celery soup if that is what you have on hand.
- salsa – my absolute favorite salsa is mild Herdez – it has the perfect flavor for this recipe but you can also use Rotel if that is what you prefer. I think salsa brings much more flavor though.
- sour cream – this is really going to add a lot of creaminess here. You could use plain Greek yogurt as well.
- Mexican cheese blend – I just pick up the store-bought pre shredded cheese but you can shred your own or use a different flavor blend.
- taco seasoning – you can use store-bought or make your own taco seasoning.
How To Make Chicken Spaghetti:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions (remember, you are only using half the box of pasta.) Once pasta is cooked, drain well. Place pasta back into the pot (with heat turned off).
Add diced chicken and cream of chicken soups.
Stir in salsa and sour cream.
Add 1 cup of Mexican cheese blend and taco seasoning. Stir well to combine (this will take a few minutes.)
Pour combined mixture into your prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and a sprinkling of dried parsley.
Cover with nonstick aluminum foil. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes. Then enjoy!
Craving More Recipes?
Originally published: June 2016
Updated photos and republished: March 2026
The Best Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 8 ounces angel hair pasta (half of a 16 ounce box)
- 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup salsa
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup Mexican cheese blend, divided use
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup Mexican cheese blend
- dried parsley (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook 8 ounces angel hair pasta according to package directions (remember, you are only using half a box of angel hair pasta here.) Once pasta is cooked, drain well.
- Place pasta back into the pot and add 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken, 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup salsa, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup Mexican cheese blend, divided use and 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning.
- Stir well to combine (this will take a few minutes.)
- Pour combined mixture into your prepared baking dish.
- Top with 1 cup Mexican cheese blend .
- Cover with nonstick aluminum foil.
- Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes (until hot and bubbly.) Optional: and a sprinkling of dried parsley
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
As I was reading through the ingredients they sounded very familiar. I realized I used these same exact ingredients to make my favorite chicken enchiladas! Take out the noodles and add tortillas and you have another delicious dinner!
What can I substitute sour cream with? Don’t have any on hand but really want to make it!
Can this be frozen and thawed over night?
Made this for supper tonight. Oh goodness! Absolutely delicious!
I’ve made other Chicken Spaghetti recipes and this by far has to be the best one yet!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Was very good! Loved it!
Could I use regular spaghetti, I want to make it for grandkids, they love pasta.
Is the taco seasoning optional on this recipe?
I’d love to make this but do not have sour cream. Due to the slippery roads I would rather not run out to the store. Do you think I could sub in some small curd cottage cheese (as like in baked spaghetti)?
I think it would be great. One of my favorite lasagne recipes uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta.
Can you make a double batch at freeze one?
I made this last night and it was amazing. I did not have salsa so I used Rotel tomatoes I had on hand and leftover rotisserie chicken. My husband and 7 year old daughter loved it and she’s a picky eater. Thank you for a great recipe.
I forgot to rate – 5 stars !
I was skeptical about the salsa and taco seasoning, but this was AMAZING. it gave it a deep interesting flavor that wasn’t overpowering. I made the recipe exactly as written except I added chopped jalapeno and mushrooms, and it was delicious!! My husband loved it with a side salad. It was exactly what we needed on a cold January night. This will be my new Go-To chicken spaghetti recipe. Thanks !
One of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.
Love it! I cook some chicken breast in a slow cooker until it’s tender then shred it and add it to this recipe. The recipe is completely perfect and I don’t make any variations. Five stars!
I just made this tonite for supper…….only thing I left out was taco seasoning. It is SIMPLY DELICIOUS.
I only have one can of cream of chicken soup but I have a can of cream of celery soup. Any thoughts on using these instead?
This is an absolutely delicious dish! I made it tonight with my husband and it has blown our minds. The only tweaks I made was that I didn’t have Mexican blend cheese so I used mild cheddar cheese, we made our chicken at home and I injected them with prego basil pesto ( it took one breast to make 2 cups) and shredded them and saved the rest of it for later this week meals. I chopped/minced the shredded chicken before I mixed it up and put just about a teaspoon of hidden valley ranch powder to it before we added the angel hair pasta. This is a huge hit and part of our dinner rotations. Thank you so much! I wish I could post a picture because it turned out beautiful too 🙂
My substitutes:
Frozen chicken fajita meat
Frozen red, green pepper, onion
Blend (chopped)
Quick, easy, and oh so tasty!
This was delicious! I didn’t make any substitutes just followed the recipe. My very picky 11 year old daughter even liked it. Thank you for a quick delicious recipe. It was so good I texted the link to my mom.
Quick delicious and oh so creamy. My family loved it and the hubby Is sold.
Aww, man. Just popped this in the oven and Then realized I forgot the cream of chicken soup!! I’m sure it’ll still be tasty!
This was a great variation on the usual chicken spaghetti recipe and we all enjoyed it! Especially quick and easy for those times I am in a hurry. I will be using it down here in Australia to remind me of those potluck suppers, Suzanne
Do I need to cover it with aluminum foil? What will happen if I don’t?
This is my go-to meal for any meal train for families with new babies that I am a part of; even the pickiest of toddlers will want seconds. The only change I do is I buy a rotisserie chicken and shred all the meat off and use that! I think this next time, I’m going to add some broccoli. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this recipe!
I make this dish in the slow-cooker all the time, adding broccoli and diced tomatoes , corn, bell pepper, whatever you want. It never fails to please!
Can I double the ingredients if I’m making for a larger crowd?
I was looking for an easy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti recipe online when I found yours! I cooked it tonight and it was Devine! I followed your recipe to a T but instead of adding the Taco seasoning I added a heaping tablespoon of Ranch Dressing Mix. It was Fabulous! I also sprinkled in some black pepper when I mixed it all together. Oh and when I drained my spaghetti and dumped back in boiler I added a couple tablespoons of smart balance butter to keep the spaghetti from sticking together too much when I was mixed other ingredients. I guess I did Just a little tweeking myself. But will definitely cook this Easy Recipe again. Thank you Very Much for sharing with us all. ????
Looks really good!! I’m horrible at following directions though, I admit I tweaked it a bit. I swapped out one of the cans of cream of chicken soup for a can of Stokes green chili with chicken. I also added chili powder and used less cumin. I also didn’t have parsley so I added fresh chopped chives from the garden instead. Also, I really hate over cooked pasta so I heated up the soups, sour cream, spices, cheese, ect.. in their own pan first while the pasta is cooking. Then I will assemble it directly into the baking dish. That way the whole thing will only be in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese on top and won’t have to heat the mixture through. I’m hoping that by doing this the pasta won’t have a chance to get too soft.
I’m hoping everyone loves it!! My hubby is from North Dakota (land of the hot dish) so I’m willing to bet that he will love this one! <3
Made this last night for my husband and I. Turned out DELICIOUS! Thank you for this easy and yummy recipe! Definitely a keeper!
Ok, so i need buy an 8 oz box of angel hair pasta and use half the box? Thanks!
Hi Desiree! A full box is 16 oz. You want to use half of that which is 8 ounces. Hope that helps! 🙂
Can you prepare in morning and refrigerate and. Bake in the evening
How important is the foil while it bakes? I’m guessing it is only to keep it from browning up? I was going to make this tonight but realized I don’t have any foil
Wow…this was SO delicious!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe 😉 I added extra cheese into the mix…I always end up doubling the amount of cheese that a recipe calls for….LOL
Extra cheese never hurt anyone right? So glad this was a winner for you 🙂
Excellent!!! I have tried several chicken spaghetti recipes over the years and my family was never enthused! One was too cheesy (with Veleveeta)…one was too dry… This was perfect, and everyone loved it!!! Definitely a keeper for the recipe binder!
That is wonderful Kimberly! So glad you have finally found the one to go to over and over again 🙂
Made this tonight! We love it! Since there’s only 2 and 1/2 of us right now there’s SO much left over. Is it good to refrigerate and reheat?? I would love to have this for lunch tomorrow!
I just made this tonight but when I was writing down the ingredients I needed I failed to see that needed two cans of the cream of chicken soup and I didn’t want to go back to the store ,so I used one can of cream of chicken and one can of cheddar cheese soup by Campbell’s that I had in my cabinet and it was amazing!! Otherwise I followed your recipe. Ty so much. My picky 15 yr old is super picky and she loved this!!!
Was just wondering if the Tyson grilled chicken has a weird texture? The other ready cooked. chicken strips I’ve tried did have a strange texture.
Made this for dinner tonight and loved it! This is a definite keeper. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hey Brandy! Woo hoo!!! So, so happy to hear that!!
Is there any way to reduce the calories? This recipe looks yummy!
Made this for dinner tonight it was great. I used a rotisserie chicken. My husband and I both loved it!! My mom used to make chicken spaghetti but this was way better. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!!
OMG this is for sure a keeper!!!
I just added one thing.. Roasted
Garlic and everyone loved it!!
Thank you so much!!!
I made this tonight and loved it! So easy to do. I used a rotisserie chicken and homemade salsa – very good! My 7 year old ate it up and 4 year old who hates food took a couple of bites without fake gagging so that’s success in my book!
Could you leave out the sour cream?
I meant to leave a comment on this a long time ago. This is one of the families favorite now. It really is delicious, easy, and fast to make. Only difference is I use an entire box of linguine. Great recipe!
Thanks!
Thanks you so much Mandy! I sincerely appreciate hearing how much you love it!!!
Sounds great.
One question though–could i use thin noodles?
Angel pasta never turns out well for me.
Of course you could! 🙂
I just made this and it turned out great. My family loved it! Definitely making it again. Thank you so much for all of your great recipes! 🙂
Love hearing that – thanks so much Kimmy!
This was delicious. I just had some periodontal surgery and I can’t really chew much. This was perfect and filling. I was surprised at how much it made. Fed a family of four and there were leftovers.
Just realized that I forgot the taco seasoning completely and it was still so good. ????
Woo hoo!! Love hearing that! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
After cooking the angel hair pasta or directions, does it get too mushy after making in oven for 30 minutes with the other ingredients?
Nope – not at all. You just want to cook the angel hair pasta until al dente. Where it still has a bit of bite to it.
I absolutely loved this! I cut the sour cream to 1/2 cup and used green enchilada sauce instead of salsa. My son and DIL loved it too! Ended up making it again the following week and taking it to my other son. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks!!
Oops. Can’t even spell my own name! lol