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!
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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
- 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 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, 1/2 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 and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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 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.
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! 🙂
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!
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!
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!!
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.
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!
Made this EXACTLY for a Church Potluck. No leftovers!
That is wonderful Lisa! So glad everyone enjoyed 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.
I just made this with gluten-free spaghetti and homemade gluten-free cream of chicken soup. Can’t wait to try it.
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 🙂
How much is one serving??? Half cup? Cup?
How can I print your recipes?
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!
Making this tonight. It looks wonderful.
Cant wait to try it. My son said it sounds yummy
I hope it is everything you hoped for! Enjoy!!
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?
Can you cook it in the crockpot?
Followed this exactly except for giving it a few extra minutes uncovered in the oven. It was delicious!
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.
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.
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 think this would be good with a can of green chiles in place of the salsa. Sounds yummy for a hot lunch, either way.
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!
Made this today…simple and delicious!