The Best Chicken Spaghetti (+Video)
The Best Chicken Spaghetti recipe calls for sliced grilled chicken, spaghetti noodles, cream of chicken, salsa, sour cream and cheese. No Rotel!
FAMILY FAVORITE EASY 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 kept thinking that it needed a little more kick of flavor but I still wanted it simple to make. This recipe makes enough to feed your family and still have enough for leftovers
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.
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!
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.
- 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, cream of chicken soups, salsa, sour cream, 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 and republished: April 2019
The Best Chicken Spaghetti (+Video)
Ingredients
- 8 ounce angel hair pasta (half of a 16 ounce box)
- 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
- 2 (10 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 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 ounce 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 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup salsa, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup Mexican cheese blend, 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 and a sprinkling of dried parsley
- Cover with nonstick aluminum foil.
- Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes (until hot and bubbly.)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- You can purchase the pre-cooked or pre-grilled chicken in the refrigerated section and freezer sections of your grocery store to cut down on time.
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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
would this be freezer friendly?
Yep!
delicious and one of our favorites!
All time favorite chicken spaghetti recipe! I’ve been making this for my husband and myself for years and it has become one of our go to meals. I’ve made the recipe as written and it is fantastic, saucy, cheesy, but most of all delicious. I’ve also added a few tweaks for personal taste and a few substitutions when needed, like using cream of mushroom instead of chicken or adding a can of drained diced tomatoes along with the salsa for some extra bursts of flavor. I’ve also made this using regular instead of angle hair pasta and a full 16 oz instead of the stated 8 oz and it comes out just as good. This recipe also freezes really well! Just freeze wrapped in foil and plastic then thaw completely and bake as directed or until warmed through and bubbly. This is a life saver since we became parents to our first little one! I have also found it easier to mix if you breast the pasta in half before cooking. All in all fantastic recipe and I will continue to use it for years to come!!!
This makes my day Lauren! Love hearing that!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and comment!!
This looks amazing!!! Can it be done in a crock pot? If so, How?
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. https://www.thecountrycook.net/crock-pot-spaghetti-and-meatballs-all-in-one/
my hubby is very allergic to toatoes of any kind, could you recommend a replacement for the salsa or could I just add a little extra taco seasoning. Thanks in advance
Oh no! Hmmm…I’ll be honest, that’s a new one on me. Is it all tomatoes or just red tomatoes? Can he eat tomatillo sauce or maybe a green enchilada sauce?
You can leave it out but it does obviously lose a bit of flavor. Try giving it a taste test & play it by ear with the taco seasoning. If you feel like it definitely needs more pop of flavor then add a bit more. 🙂
hatch green chillies!! to just replace tomatoes….and a small can of Verde (green) enchilada sauce. Best chicken spaghetti ever!! tastes like chicken enchiladas!!
This recipe was awesome and so easy to make. Next time I was wondering about adding a little bit of bacon to it. What do you think?
Hi Dana! Personally I’m not a fan of bacon flavors with taco flavors but if you think you would enjoy it then go for it!
I added at the end a ¼ C. Of chicken broth to keep it moist. An amazing recipe. I will pass this on down the family recipes.
I saw the photo of this at the bottom of one of your other recipes (Fresh Peach Cobbler) and it looked very inviting so I saved it and I am going to try it this weekend or next week. I don’t have to make it to tell you that it’s going to be good, just looking at the ingredients tells me that it’s good. Might switch one of the soups with cream of celery. I think that even cream of cheddar soup would taste great! Thanks Brandie!
Very delicious recipe. I changed it up by using a can of cream of jalapeno soup instead of 2 cans of cream of chicken & was awesome. Also have replaced one can of cream of chicken with can of cream of poblano also very good. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
FABULOUS and EASY!! I used 1 can of cream of chicken & substituted spaghetti squash for noodles. WONDERFUL!! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!!
Thank you so much for mentioning spaghetti squash! I actually had someone ask me if they thought it would turn out good using that instead of pasta and I wasn’t sure if it would work. Now I know! 🙂
This was so easy to make, we loved it!!!
Yay! Thank you so very much Brigid!
Sounds delicious
so delicious!!!
Used crockpot salsa chicken, let’s see how this turns out:)
Hi, wondering how crock pot turned out?
Anyone ever top it with Panko bread crumbs?
I love this recipe. Tried it last week and fell in love with it.
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much Jackie
The use of salsa and taco seasoning is the secret to making the chicken richly flavorful. This would make a perfect potluck dish. I shredded my chicken. Would not make it too often simply ‘cause the pasta, cream soup, cheese and sour cream make it an overindulgence I can only afford once in a blue moon. I changed nothing and wouldn’t alter in the future.
I would lighten up by using Campbells 98% fat free soup, lite sour cream and low fat cheese. Still yummy with half the calories.
A family favorite, easy, not as spicy as other recipes. Kids love it. Thought about adding black beans next time. Always serve with guacamole, fresh tomatoes, and cucumbers.
I made this last night. It was delicious! Changes I would make though is, add MORE spaghetti and use less cheese. And maybe even add more salsa! Great meal!!
This is absolutely AMAZING. I haven’t cooked on a regular basis for about 10 years (I know crazy right). Since I found this website I have been cooking about 3 nights a week, which my husband is excited about.
I was reluctant to make this recipe because I don’t like anything spicy, even old is too spicy for me. Sooooo I made a few little changes…I used the Herdez mild salsa, for those of you who have nothing tried this salsa the mild is truly mild, no spicy flavor at all. I also used the Kroger brand mild taco seasoning and linguine instead of angle hair pasta. It was AMAZING!!! My husband even wanted to take some to work to share with a coworker. He has also requested that I maje it again this week.
I’m making the beef stew tonight for dinner and the chicken noodle soup either tomorrow or Monday.
Thank you so much for getting me back to making nice dinners for the man I love. I’ll comment on those pages after we’ve eaten! 🙂
Awwww Trina – thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much it meant to read your sweet note. You are the exact reason that I keep doing this blog. I hope I can continue to bring you lots more recipes that you love!
Could this be made with spaghetti squash for a healthier dish?
I don’t see why not! I haven’t personally tried it but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work!
HEY BRANDI LOVE YOUR DISHES LIKE THE CREAMY CHEESY CHICKEN SPAGHETTI MY BOYS LOVE IT SO MUCH.
That makes me so happy to hear Pamela!
Hi Brandi,
Just made this for dinner tonight .. Everyone LOVED it .. I made it with Rontini (spiral) pasta and it worked prefect!
Thank you for the AWESOME recipe!
Lyslee
P.S. I added a dollop of sour cream and a slice of avocado.
Thanks so much Lyslee! You are so very sweet to come back and leave a review. I really do appreciate it!
It tasted amazing and just zesty enough. My family liked it. I ended up adjusting temp to 425 degrees and time to 45 min at first it was not done at suggested settings and time.
I LOVE this recipe! I use a little more taco seasoning to give it an extra kick. Also I take a rotisserie chicken and shred it! Before I put it in the oven I sprinkle a little bit more of the taco seasoning on top. When it’s done I broil the top uncovered for about 2-3 minutes to give it a nice cheesy crust!
I make this recipe all the time and I love it! But today I’m going to try something different. I’m going to use my leftover taco meat in place of the chicken and see how it turns out!