Freezer Friendly Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken spaghetti is an easy, cheesy, make-it-again-soon-please, casserole that your whole family will love. We teach you how to make it fresh AND how to prep it to be a freezer meal. A great meal for groups of people too!
Chicken Casserole: A Family Favorite Dinner
When I made this chicken spaghetti recipe for the first time last week, my husband ate it for about 5 meals in a row and proceeded to ask me to make it again the next week.
My kids eagerly scarfed it down as well. Tonight’s batch ended up on about every area of exposed skin on my 18 month old, but I take that as a sign he liked it. Needless to say, this recipe is a keeper!
While this chicken casserole recipe is baked in a 9×13 dish, I oftentimes split it into two, 8×8 dishes and freeze one for later. More on that soon though!
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
Here is what you’ll need:
- Spaghetti or linguini noodles – I prefer to use whole wheat
- Cream of mushroom soup – use organic if possible
- Cooked chicken – you can use a rotisserie chicken to save time
- Chicken broth or stock – Here is how to make your own
- Chopped veggies – puree them if they will throw picky eaters off
- Cheese – Here’s why you should shred your own cheese
- Seasonings
Ingredients ready? Let’s do this.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, until al dente (slightly undercooked). Undercooking it keeps it from getting mushy while baking. This is especially important to do if you are going to make this a freezer meal.
While that pasta is cooking is a great time to sautee those chopped veggies. Multitasking is your friend for this recipe.
In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the cooked pasta, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, chicken, veggies and seasoning.
Now please take note of this: Add in only 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. I always get moving too fast and add it ALL in at this point. You need some to sprinkle over the top so restrain yourself!
Here it is all mixed up. Yum. Or yuck. Not sure.
Either split it up between two 8×8 dishes or put it all in one 9×13 dish. Top with remaining cheese. Assuming you listened to my warning above about not mixing in all of the cheese, that is.
How to Freeze Chicken Spaghetti
Freeze for Later: Here’s the fun part: If you have split it into two 8×8 dishes, you’ve just made two dinners! To freeze one of the 8×8 Chicken Spaghetti portions, simply wrap it tightly or place a lid (if you have one) on your baking dish. (Here are the freezing containers we use and recommend for recipes like this.) You can freeze it for 4+ months! Even longer if you’ve packaged it well.
Prepare From Frozen: Place frozen casserole into the fridge and let thaw for 24+ hours. Follow step 5!
Done and done.
Here is a Short Video on How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
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This freezer-friendly Chicken Spaghetti Casserole will keep your family coming back for more deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat pasta
- Two (10 and 3/4-ounce) cans organic cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2–3 chicken breasts, fully cooked and chopped or shredded (roughly 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1 small or medium onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (regular will work fine)
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, divided
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish or two 8×8 dishes with cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, until al dente (slightly undercooked). When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander over the sink.
- While pasta is cooking, saute the bell peppers & onions in a bit of olive oil until they begin to soften (about 4-5 minutes).
- In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the cooked pasta with the cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, chicken, sauteed veggies, seasoned salt, cayenne, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Sprinkle it all with salt and pepper, to your preference.
- Place the mixture in the dish (or dishes) and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Bake until bubbly around the edges, about 40-45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too dark, cover with foil.)
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-5 (do not bake). Cover the casserole dishes with a few layers of plastic wrap and foil. Squeeze out any excess air and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw. (Here are three safe ways to thaw freezer meals.) Follow step 6. If it’s still slightly frozen in the middle, you’ll just have to cook it longer than the recipe calls for or defrost a bit in the microwave before baking. Cover it with foil if the top gets too brown in the oven.
What to Serve with Chicken Spaghetti
Here are some recipe ideas that would go well with your Chicken Spaghetti
Do you have any recommendations for replacing the cream of mushroom soup? I’m allergic to mushrooms and I’m not supposed to use cream soups for my daughter. Thanks!
You can use cream of chicken soup to avoid the mushrooms. But if your daughter can’t have dairy, I’m not sure of a great replacement. You might check the health food store for a dairy-free canned option. I bet there’s something on the market now.
I made this and we LOVED it!. I added mushrooms and frozen peas. A full meal all in one.
That’s fantastic. Thanks for sharing, Wendy!
Hi, please disregard my question. I understand now that you cook the spaghetti in the chicken broth that was created from cooking the chicken. Thanks!
Hi! Sounds tasty! The recipe states it calls for 2 cups of chicken broth. Then it states to cook the spaghetti in the cooking broth. I don’t understand how you cook 1 pound of spaghetti in 1 or even 2 cups of chicken broth. When I boil spaghetti, I need to use at least 3 cups of water? Are you saying to cook the spaghetti first, and then cook it for a while in 1 cup of chicken broth? Or do you mean, take the raw spaghetti and add 1 cup of cooking broth. And cook it until the water evaporates? Sorry, I don’t understand what amount of broth you should use to cook 1 pound of spaghetti. Thanks
Sorry for the confusion. I just removed the step to cook it in chicken broth. Just use water!
Thank you for the clarification, Polly. I look forward to trying the recipe out!
Hello! I am trying this recipe for my daughter Rehearsal dinner this weekend. I don’t quite understand what you mean by add some chicken broth as needed (step # 3). What texture am I suppose to have? Thank you!
I took that extra tip out to avoid confusion. 1 cup should be enough!
Can you use regular pasta (not whole wheat) and/or different shaped pasta?
Yes, for sure!
Husband said this was the best meal ! Thank you!
★★★★★
My husband likes it too!
Have you ever tried this with pork? (I’ve made it a few times with chicken and love it, but have to make a meal for a family with a chicken allergy).
I’m sorry to say that we haven’t tried that.
If I were to freeze this which part would I not cook, or just not cook the whole thing?
Never mind found the answer in the comments above 🙂
At point in the process can you freeze?
Follow all of the steps right up until you bake it. Cover it and freeze it at that point.
If you freeze it do you put the cheese on top before you freeze?
I think that would be just fine!
I am also cooking for some students:) Two questions: How much does the big batch feed? I need to make on Friday for Sunday-would it keep in the fridge alright or would I be better cooking and reheating? Thanks.
I’m guessing the batch will feed 12 people easily. Probably more depending on how big of servings you dish out. Yes you can for sure make it ahead of time. I did this a few weeks ago. Just make sure to undercook the noodles a tad.
Can I use bone-in chicken breasts. If so how many? We are not fans of dark meat.
Nevermind, I found my answer in your printed recipe. Looking forward to trying this one.
This sounds great, thanks! Are there other veggies you would suggest for the casserole? Unfortunately, I can’t eat bell peppers.
Chopped broccoli would be fantastic in here!