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 ahead to be a freezer meal.

Why Chicken Spaghetti Is a Family Favorite

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! It’s a great meal for groups of people too!

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!

Here’s what you’ll need to make this dish:

• Spaghetti or thin spaghetti noodles – I prefer to use whole wheat.
• Cream of mushroom soup – Use organic soup, if possible, to avoid additives and preservatives. Or, use our Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup instead.
• Cooked chicken – Use store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time.
• Chicken broth or stock – Here is how to make your own.
• Chopped veggies – Chop them finely by hand or in a food processor, if they will throw picky eaters off.
• Cheese – Here’s why you should shred your own cheese.
• Seasonings – You probably have all of these in your pantry.

Ingredients ready? Let’s do this.

Step-by-Step Overview of the Recipe

This is a great beginner recipe or weeknight dinner when you don’t have much time. Here’s how to make it step-by-step.

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 it cooks, preheat the oven and grease the casserole dish(es) with cooking spray.

While that pasta is cooking, this is also a great time to chop and saute those 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, chopped/shredded chicken, veggies, seasoning, and only 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.

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 divide the mixture 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.

Bake in a 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are bubbly. If the top begins to get too brown, cover with foil. Remove and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

In our 15+ years of freezing cooking experience and recipe testing for our cookbooks, we’ve learned that casseroles like chicken spaghetti work very well to freeze. However, make sure to use our pro tips to ensure it comes out tasting just like a fresh meal.

Tip #1: Freeze Before Baking

While you can freeze a casserole after baking, we highly recommend the opposite. Prep the casserole up until the point of baking and then freeze it, if you want the dish to taste fresh after being in the freezer.

Tip #2: Reduce Air Exposure

We always teach that air is the enemy of good freezer meals. So be sure to wrap your casserole very tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and/or foil. If using an air-tight lid on your casserole dish, we recommend placing a layer of foil over the surface of the casserole, as well. Packaging a freezer meal well will result in a great dinner on the other end of it’s stay in the freezer.

Tip #3: Thaw the Right Way

Lastly, thawing the meal fully in the refrigerator will yield the best results. Give your casserole at least 24-48 hours to thaw completely. Then, when you’re ready to bake it, set it on the counter for about 30 minutes before placing in the oven to help it come up to room temp.

If you want the quick version of how to make it a freezer meal kit, use the following instructions.

Be sure to throw Chicken Spaghetti on your menu plan soon and remember to double it so you can have one in the freezer for later. Done and done!