Not your Momma’s chicken spaghetti
This recipe for Creamy, Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is one I’ve been meaning to share for a while. But it was a recipe that needed to be tweaked. The original recipe I had for it was, well, kinda bland. It tasted fine but it wasn’t anything to get excited over. I kept thinking that it needed a little more kick of flavor but I still wanted it simple to make. That’s the beauty of this recipe. It is super simple and it makes enough to feed your family and still have enough for leftovers. And it is so flippin’ good!
Tweaking ain’t easy!
Voila! The best is born!
So, I decided I would switch out the can of Rotel (which is basically tomatoes and green chiles) and replace it with salsa. Now I was onto something! That really added some yummy flavors. With just a bit of taco seasoning added – it took this dish from bland to BOOM! This is my original recipe – you won’t find another one like it for chicken spaghetti on the internet!
Ingredients:
8 oz. angel hair pasta (1/2 box)
2 cups diced, cooked chicken*
2 (10 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup salsa
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, divided use
1 tbsp. taco seasoning
dried parsley, for topping (optional)
*Cook’s Notes: For the chicken, to make it quicker, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken or the pre-cooked/pre-grilled chicken in the refrigerated section and freezer sections of your grocery store. I love Tyson’s Grilled & Ready Southwestern Style Chicken Breast Strips!
Directions:
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).
Serve with some Mexican cornbread and a salad! 
Enjoy!
- 8 oz angel hair pasta 1/2 box
- 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
- 2 10 oz cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend divided use
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- dried parsley for topping (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350f degrees.
- Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook 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 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 (until hot and bubbly.)
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.
This is for sure a keeper my family loved it !!!
So glad it was well loved! It is a keeper!!
Gm. I want to do this for my family for Christmas whould it be fine if I prep it Saturday and then on Sunday heat it up?
What is the serving size for the nutrition facts plz?
I made this recipe today for my family and they loved it, even the picky eaters gobbled it down. It’s going in my special recipe book for regular rotation. I call it my vault of recipes. Thank you for posting this delicious meal.
Can use taco sauce instead of salsa?
I just made this ❤️❤️❤️
I did add more pasta and I used canned chicken breast as that’s what I had on hand. I used linguine too as I prefer that to angel hair pasta !
Will make this again !!!Super easy!
I love chicken spaghetti and I am always looking for new variations. I will have to try this one as it sounds delicious and even better easy!
Enjoy!
That looks creamy and delicious! We are always happy to try a different pasta dish, so we'll have to give this one a go.
I hope it is a hit!
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze it, and then thaw to cook it?
I haven't tried doing this yet but I can imagine it would work just fine! If you do, make sure you come back and let us know how it turned out for you.
I make the same Chicken Spaghetti using Rotel tomatoes in place of the creamy soup,. I will try this. I do split the spaghetti after making it into 2 8×8 glass dishes. I cook 1 & freeze the other for later. Then thaw & cook like you would if it was fresh. Just as good…
Omg I just made this recipe and it came out so good! My family loved it. Plus is so easy 🙂
Yay, so glad it was a hit with the family!
Looks amazing and easy!! Will have to try this tomorrow after church ❤️
It will knock your socks off! Hope you enjoy!
Is this something to can make up ahead and then put it in when you get home?
I think it would be just fine
Oh my gosh this is the best thing I've ever made! My husband has always said "it's alright" when I've asked him if something I've made was good but for the first time in 18 years he said "it's good"! Just needs a different name. This is way better than any chicken spaghetti I've ever tried. Thank you!
So happy to hear it met his approval! It is so good, its just crazy!
How many servings is this .. I'm feeding 8 people so should I double everything ?
I would double to be on the safe side. Besides if you have extra, you have leftovers!!
You're a genius! This was a huge hit in my house. My kids are super picky so to have them ask for seconds was music to my ears. Thank you so much for sharing!
Score one for Mom!! So glad they enjoyed it so much.
Big hit household. I did add some diced bell pepper and for a little crunch; I added some sliced / diced water chestnuts; drained well.
I am currently on a Paleo diet so I substituted Spaghetti squash for the pasta spaghetti. It was a big hit and I love the "tweeking" that you did. Thanks.
That is awesome, so glad you were able to make it work for you!
Great idea on switching out the soup for rotel. Love your variation.
I use 16 oz.of thin spaghetti when I don’t have angel hair to the other tweeks above.
How can I print this recipe…. looks so yummy!
At the bottom of the post you will see "Printable Recipe Here" Just click it and you will be able to print.
I cannot wait to make this. I've made chicken spaghetti, but it didn't include some of the ingredients this recipe has.
I commented earlier but forgot to add that in a pinch I used two cans of all white meat chicken in water, drained well and it was just as fabulous.
lovely post. thanks
This was delicious! My kids call it chicken taco spaghetti because of all the taco-like flavors we also put some crispy southwest style tortilla strips on it for crunch yum yum! Will make again
Does the chicken have to be pre cook before mixing it with the other ingredients?
Yes, you will want to use cooked chicken.
If you use the Tyson precooked you suggested do you heat up according to package before dicing and adding to pot?
I made this amazing meal and I put my own twist on it, It came out great but one problem I don't remember all of the twist that I put in it ????….. Oh well it will be better next time my family loved it….. Thank you for the new way to cook Chicken ☺
So glad it was a hit with your family.
When I made this is knew it was good because my children devoured it all
Love it! That is definitely a good sign.
It's not too salty with the can of soup and taco packet?
Mine was exactly right. You don't add the entire taco packet though.
epicure makes taco seasoning in a jar, perfect for this!
This was great!!!I made it last week and my 8yr old son asked for it again last night!! Definitely a keeper. So sad I can only have a little taste because of the spaghetti.
Love it! When they ask for it, you know its a good one!
Just wanted to comment if you mix 1/2 spaghetti squash 1/2 pasta you can have a full serving with half the carbs my family doesn’t notice the change
Can cream cheese be used instead of sour cream?
I have never made it with cream cheese but if you try it, let us know how it turns out.
Heck yes! I also add chopped up roasted red peppers from a jar. Really makes it wonderful
Does the mixture go on top of the spaghetti in the baking dish or do you mix in the pasta?
You mix it all up. Hope you get to try it and love it.
I made this tonight. I really liked the flavor and how filling it was. I did add frozen corn, maybe a handful to strainer and then poured the spaghetti and water over it. I did add dried cilantro over the top rather than parsley. Thank you for sharing, very tasty P.S. I froze portions of the dish after it cooled Used a spatula to cut and lift easily into dishes.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Made this today…simple and delicious!
I made this and it was an awesome fast, easy meal! My husband and I got 3 full meals off of it! I may cut the recipe in half next time. Loved it!
I think this would be good with a can of green chiles in place of the salsa. Sounds yummy for a hot lunch, either way.
In a world full of pinterest fails, thank you soooo much for this pinterest hit! My pickiest eater (the hubs) loves it! He even told me that I could make it again. (Highest compliment from him!) Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this.
I made this. This was a hit. Used Rotel original, curly pasta, green peas, can of chicken because that's what I had on hand. Very good. Will make it again with few more adjustments. Leftovers for another meal.
I made this last night following the recipe exactly and thought it was very good. Only baked part of it and put the rest in small casseroles and froze for later. I did bake longer than 25 minutes as I like it really nice and bubbly and it didn't seem enough at 25 minutes. Thank you a bunch. Love your recipes.
Followed this exactly except for giving it a few extra minutes uncovered in the oven. It was delicious!
Can you cook it in the crockpot?
Does it have to be baked or can it just be mixed up on the stove and served like that?
In my opinion it would be better if it was baked.
While cooking the chicken do you add any seasoning to it? Or is it just cooked alone? Any salt or pepper?
Cant wait to try it. My son said it sounds yummy
I hope it is everything you hoped for! Enjoy!!
Making this tonight. It looks wonderful.
Super excited to try it tonight, looks wonderful! Plus it's coming from another Brandie w/ an "ie" so I know it will be great!
How can I print your recipes?
What kind of salsa do you use? Tostitos in a jar or fresh from the produce section?
Hi Kim! Not sure if you can see in my ingredient picture up there but I use Herdez. It’s my favorite 🙂
Hi! I’m hoping to make this tonight, it looks absolutely amazing! Is the Herdez mild salsa really spicy? Spicy food truly irritates my stomach. If so, any suggestions for replacements?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Xiomara! I get have pretty bad acid reflux so I can say with all honesty that the Herdez mild is very mild and doesn’t upset my stomach. I know everyone is different with that though! You could always use diced tomatoes if you are super concerned 🙂
I just made this with gluten-free spaghetti and homemade gluten-free cream of chicken soup. Can’t wait to try it.
Made last night and it was amazing!! New favorite dish!
That’s wonderful Shelby! So glad you have a new recipe to add to the rotation.
Made this EXACTLY for a Church Potluck. No leftovers!
That is wonderful Lisa! So glad everyone enjoyed it.
Very pleasantly surprised by this recipe! I only made minor changes such as only using 1 can of cream of chicken (all I had on hand) and used Rotel instead of salsa. I did take the foil off and baked another 5 minutes. My husband and I liked how the taco seasoning made its presence known without being overwhelming. I just wrote this recipe in my keeper book! Thanks for this wonderful, yummy gift!
Thank you for coming back to let me know Jen! So happy it was a winner for ya!
My husband and I weren’t fans of this. The combination of taco seasoning, salsa, spaghetti and cream of chicken weren’t right. :/ Next time I will use Alfredo plus parmesan on top and make it Italian.
wanted to switch from my traditional chicken spaghetti and made this one last night…BAM!! Everyone loved it!! We only have a little left and that will be my lunch today! This was really quick and easy…I haven’t used those frozen chicken strips before but it was SOOOOO much better than stripping a rotisserie chicken!! Thanks for sharing this!! We have it on our favorites list!!
Yep, it was delicious. My picky family loved it. I did rename it Mexican Spaghetti Bake for my recipe card. For real, this made it into my recipe box! Thanks a bunch for sharing!
Made the mistake of using the whole packet of taco seasoning instead of just a tablespoon. However, everyone loved it still. Only other thing I did different was to use mini penne pasta instead of angel hair since the penne is easier for the kids to handle. Thanks for a great recipe!
This sounds wonderful, but I’m not a big fan of Cream of Anything soup. Is there a substitution I could use? I saw in the comments that someone used Rotel, but would that be in place of both cans? Plus the salsa? Sorry for all the questions!
Hey Becky – I have only made it this way. I know a lot of folks are against cream soups these days, but personally, I think it adds to not only the creaminess but to the awesome flavor. I personally have never substituted so I can’t really help you there. Perhaps you could make your own cream of chicken soup? I’m sure there are tons of recipes for it on the internet. 🙂
Thanks for your reply, Brandie! I just don’t care for the taste, but maybe the other ingredients will taste so good together that I won’t even notice the soup! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh ok – gotcha! Well, if it isn’t because of an allergy then I think you should definitely give it a go. I really think you will love it! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love cream of chicken soup and for those who don’t like cream of anything soup, we bought some all natural cream of mushroom soup by Pacific. They must make cream of chicken too. I like Campbell’s.
Anyway, I don’t like Salsa but love diced tomatoes, especially Fire Roasted. Even mild is to spicy for a super taster like me. I also don’t like sour cream but I can leave it out. Otherwise, the rest of the recipe, especially the angel hair which we love, sounds so yummy! I can’t wait to try this. When my mom feels better we will try this for sure. I don’t know if her stomach can handle it right now.
Hi! I made this tonight and it was a hit with my picky family. I have two teenagers and a hubby that is allergic to any and all fruit for finding a recipe that pleases all three of them if a difficult task. My daughter (14 yrs old) had 2nd and 3rd helpings. My hubby had 2nds. Even my 17 yr old son that doesn’t like his food to touch each other really enjoyed it. Thank you so much! I will be making this again for my family, I’m sure.
That makes my day to hear Jessica! I know ALL about those picky eaters – ha! Thank you so much for leaving me a sweet comment!
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
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.
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!
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!
Sounds great.
One question though–could i use thin noodles?
Angel pasta never turns out well for me.
Of course you could! 🙂
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!!!
Could you leave out the sour cream?
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!
OMG this is for sure a keeper!!!
I just added one thing.. Roasted
Garlic and everyone loved it!!
Thank you so much!!!
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!!!
Is there any way to reduce the calories? This recipe looks yummy!
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!!
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.
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!!!
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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
Can you prepare in morning and refrigerate and. Bake in the evening
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! 🙂
Made this last night for my husband and I. Turned out DELICIOUS! Thank you for this easy and yummy recipe! Definitely a keeper!
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
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. ????
Can I double the ingredients if I’m making for a larger crowd?
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!
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!
Do I need to cover it with aluminum foil? What will happen if I don’t?
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
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!
Quick delicious and oh so creamy. My family loved it and the hubby Is sold.
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.
My substitutes:
Frozen chicken fajita meat
Frozen red, green pepper, onion
Blend (chopped)
Quick, easy, and oh so tasty!
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 🙂
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?
I just made this tonite for supper…….only thing I left out was taco seasoning. It is SIMPLY DELICIOUS.
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!
One of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.
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 !
I forgot to rate – 5 stars !
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.
Can you make a double batch at freeze one?
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.
Is the taco seasoning optional on this recipe?
Could I use regular spaghetti, I want to make it for grandkids, they love pasta.
Was very good! Loved it!
I’ve made other Chicken Spaghetti recipes and this by far has to be the best one yet!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Made this for supper tonight. Oh goodness! Absolutely delicious!
Can this be frozen and thawed over night?
What can I substitute sour cream with? Don’t have any on hand but really want to make it!
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!
Made this for dinner last evening. I didn’t have salsa so I used diced tomatoes and added Cajun seasoning. this was a huge hit. I will be making this again.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I think I’m going to try this tonight for dinner
I made this dish tonight it was very good plan to make it again . Somehow when I looked at the picture it didn’t look like a Mexican dish.