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!
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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.
Very good. I will make it again but I might use a little less cheese.
I made this for dinner today and my husband loved it! It was delicious! Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow night!
Yay!! Thank. you so much Cynthia!
This recipe is delicious. Is it freezable?
It sure is!
Best baked chicken spaghetti recipe I’ve ever made! Crowd pleaser!
Seriously the best chicken spaghetti!! Tasted so much better than the ones that just used velveeta and Rotel! My new go to for chicken spaghetti.
Made it exactly like recipe states we added a little bit of Texas Pete and Parmesan it was delicious!!!! I used mild pace. I boiled 2 skinless boneless chicken breast, then cubed it. Easy clean up!!
I made this last night for a family get together. I doubled the recipe, making two 9×13 pans of it, adding diced jalapenos from a jar to one of the pans. This recipe turned out really good, and the jalapeno one went over big. This is definitely a keeper. I printed it and added it to my cookbook.
I used a cut up rotisserie chicken and Mrs Renfros habanero salsa . It is now a favorite at my house .
Tried it and it was very good and easy to make. Would suggest adding a brick of cream cheese to it for even more creamier cheese.
Its just me and my hubby so, I halved the recipe and placed it in an 8×8 and it turned out fantastic!
First time I’ve made chicken spaghetti and this is been added to the rotation.
Good, and easy to make. I used left over chicken.
I love this recipe! It is one of my favorites. It has so much flavor and it freezes very well!
This chicken spaghetti is excellent. Even my husband (who is not a spaghetti fan) loved it! He even asked to have the leftovers for lunch the next day. I definitely recommend.
Yay for pleasing picky eaters – ha! Thank you so very much Suzanne!!
I followed the recipe ingredients, but made it in a crock pot since ovens are not common in China. I cooked 2 chicken breasts with broth and butter for 2.5 hours on low. Then I added cooked spaghetti and all other ingredients (only 1 can of cream of chicken though). It was so creamy and delicious I stuffed myself. This is the first time I made chicken spaghetti. So happy to make good comfort food which I miss .
My husband is super picky and this is the only dish he has given in a year with his “seal of approval”…..asks for it every week and LOVES it….easy to make. I substitute Chikn strips by Morningstar or Gardein, and use low fat sour cream. Big hit!
I love this dish so easy and so delicious,going to try your new get tonight5 star
The casserole was delicious!!! I added an extra cup of chicken, used regular spaghetti (not angel hair), and different seasonings instead of taco. In other words, I used what I had at home:) I will definitely make this again!!!
Ha! I love tat you made it your own Sharon! Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
My 19 year old son made this tonight! It was awesome!
Due to getting a late start on dinner last night I did a Hail Mary. I Googled “meals to cook with chicken breast,” this one was the 1st to pop up, I just so happen to have all the ingredients & without reading the steps I started on it. It ended up being super easy & before we even finished my kids asked if we could fix it again. SCORE!
Hey, can I use cream of mushroom instead or cream of chicken? Thanks!
If I don’t have sour cream in my fridge will the recipe work without it?
Hi Taylor – you’ll lose some of the creaminess. Do you have any Greek yogurt by any chance?
I haven’t tried this yet, and this may sound dumb, but is this a garlic bread kinda chicken spaghetti? Or more of a Mexican dish?
Hi Tiffany! Nope – doesn’t sound dumb. I get what you mean. This definitely has more of a Mexican-inspired flavor. Hope that helps!
I make this recipe minus the chicken and it is wonderful!
Making this tonight! Looks and smells delicious. I was planning on freezing half to eat later. How would you cook the frozen portion?
This was my first time preparing and eating Chicken Spaghetti. My family loved it. I loved how easy the recipe came together. I used thin spaghetti instead of “Angel Hair” because that was what was in my pantry.
Thanks for the recipe! It’s the bomb! My husband and I liked it better then the one I do with Velveeta and Rotel. It’s a keeper in my household.
Woo hoo!! Love it!! Thank you so very much Beverly!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! My husband and I are weird about peppers and onions, so I pureed chunky salsa with the taco seasoning and sour cream in my Ninja. He can be pretty picky, but he loved it! I plan on making it again!
Do you thaw that chicken or bake frozen?
I don’t think I have ever commented on a recipe before. For this, I must! This is so good! I scraped the sides of my pot and let me tell you, the mixture makes an EXCELLENT tortilla chip dip too!!
I have never found a chicken spaghetti that I liked until now. This spaghetti is delicious, even my pickiest eater loved it! Great flavor and so easy, perfect for a weeknight.
Love it Christine! Thank you so much! Love hearing that!
It is a delight of spaghetti, my children and husband loved it, the taste of the sauce and that touch of taco seasoning makes it a delight to the palate, it is not an ordinary spaghetti, it is an extraordinary dish, I recommend you try it, no You will regret it, thank you Brandie,for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so very much Gisela!
This is a regular in our home. Everyone likes it which is rare. The only change I make it to use ground chicken and slightly more sour cream and noodles. Husband says it’s even better the next day.
Oh wow – thank you so much Cheri! Love hearing that!!
Can you substitute the sour cream for cream cheese?
Hi Casey, it will throw the texture off…
Love this recipe. I make it all the time. It’s the easiest, cheapest and the greatest meal to feed a family.
WAS DELISH
I made this and thought it was great, very creamy. It was a little spicy. What would the best way to cut out a little spice?
Hi Vickie, the spice will depend on the kind of salsa you are using. So make sure you purchase a very mild salsa. 🙂
I’m doubling my noodles, so do I double my other ingredients? I have a large family to feed and can’t wait to try this!
Hi Jamie, I would say yes. You don’t want to lose any of that other good flavor by adding more noodles. 🙂
Absolutely LOVE this recipe!!! My daughter and I make this regularly subbing out spaghetti squash for the pasta… we could literally eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hi Tamie! I am so happy you mentioned the spaghetti squash. I had a few people ask about that on social media and I honestly wasn’t sure since I hadn’t tried it. So thank you so much!!
I have made this several times and have been tweaking it each time. . My friend whom I give several portions to each time I make it says it is the best he has ever had and his family agrees with him. I use sliced mushrooms and a half pack of sun dried tomatoes browned in butter, (Since I make my chicken ahead of time using a pulled chicken crock pot recipe I found on line, then I vacuum pack 3 cups per package and freeze for when I need it) I thaw the package in the refrigerator and when I have browned the mushrooms and softened the dried tomatoes I add the chicken to that and heat the chicken then I set the covered pan aside till I am ready to add it to the noodles. I also break the noodles (I use either linguine or thin spaghetti) into 3rds, this makes it much easier to serve nice square individual portions and to eat. Other than that I follow your recipe. If I have enough I freeze and vacuum pack any left over squares and it makes a nice quick meal for me when I don’t want to cook. I just thaw and remove from package and heat it up in the microwave. Thanks again. By the way I have never had chicken spaghetti till this year (way past 70). It is great.
Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave such great feedback Tom!
This was so good I had to improv because I had different ingredients I used I can cream of mushroom 1 can cheddar, and picante medium sauce
Love hearing that!! Thanks so much Kate!
Has anyone froze any leftovers?
Can this be made ahead of time?
You sure can. 🙂
This truly is the BEST chicken spaghetti recipe!! A meal the entire family loves and raves over. Comfort food at its best. ❤️
Thank you so much Mary!!
As I said this really looks great and even my “SERVICE DOGGIE” will eat this, she loves chicken and a bit of pasta, and the rest of the ingredients that is in the recipe…
Thank you so very much Marie!
Can you leave the salsa out? Or substitute something without tomatoes?
I haven’t made this yet…I’m a new follower, making Brandie’s Pecan Pie today for our son’s birthday dinner…BUT…if it were me on this recipe, I would maybe sub out canned or jarred chilis or jalapeño peppers? The ones that are pickled but still spicy? I have a chicken/cheese enchilada recipe that uses them and it gives it a nice kick without being too hot for even kids..
~Kat
This is my favorite casserole recipe! I call it Mexican spaghetti because I use refrigerated salsa and plenty of Mexican blend cheese. We like it with sweet cornbread!
That sounds perfect Susan! Thanks so much for coming back to comment. Whenever someone asks which recipe I most enjoy on my website, I always put this one at the top – thank you!
Can you leave the sour cream out ?
My husband and I LOVE this recipe! It’s so easy and cheesy and delish!
Thank you so very much Kelley!!
My family loves this recipe and it is difficult to find something everyone likes! The salsa is a genius addition, giving it a little extra kick.
Yay! Thanks so much for coming back to comment and review Kendra!
Honestly didn’t take long to make and a really easy dish I subbed shredded pack cheese for velveeta and it turned out great everyone has had more than one helping
Will be making this again soon
Thank you so much Brittannie!!
Do you think velveeta cheese will work?
I make mine with Velveeta mixed in and its just as creamy and delicious. I add the shredded cheese on top to extra cheesiness! Great dish!
Thank you
I don’t see why not. Just make sure you shred it and not cut it up into chunks. It won’t distribute properly that way.
Thank you
Condensed soup or regular can of soup?
Can you make this in an crockpot
Hi Holly, I haven’t tested that out yet. I’m sorry!
Yes! I made it in crockpot today, cooking noodles separately. Turned out just fine, in my opinion.
I think any kind of noodle would work. Just make sure you don’t add much, as it could make it too dry.