Chicken Spaghetti
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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.
Dishes that include veggies, protein, and things like rice or pasta all in one are such a time saver! We have several that are kid-friendly, and quick like Chicken Penne Pasta, Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, and Easy Chicken Fried Rice.
Needless to say, this recipe is a keeper! It’s a great meal for groups of people too!
Ingredients for Chicken Spaghetti
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.
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
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.
Chop and Saute the Veggies
While that pasta is cooking, this is also a great time to chop and saute those veggies. Multitasking is your friend for this recipe.
Combine the Ingredients
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.
Place in Casserole Dish
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 the Casserole
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.
Can You Freeze Chicken Spaghetti?
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.
How to Freeze as a Meal Kit
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.
Free Freezer Meal Labels
Keep track of freezer meals the easy way with our printable freezer meal labels.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! While melty shredded cheddar is a standard of this kind of casserole, try experimenting using other cheeses, such as Pepper Jack for a little kick of heat, Gruyere for a more gourmet casserole, or even goat cheese or feta cheese crumbles. This casserole is very forgiving, so don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.
This recipe calls for cooked and diced/shredded chicken (white or dark meat) as an ingredient. Rotisserie chicken from the store is a smart shortcut. One whole chicken usually yields about 4 cups shredded chicken. Or, you can 1) use our fast cooking instructions in the recipe notes, 2) cook chicken in the Crock Pot, or 3) cook chicken in the Instant Pot ahead of time.
This casserole is a great one to prepare in advance. After prepping but before baking it, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I used bell peppers and onion. But, feel free to swap out any of these for what you have on hand. Finely chopped and sautéed carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips, green beans, and more would work!
Absolutely! Like all our freezer meal recipes, we offer freezing instructions for the best result. We’ve learned that it’s ideal to freeze casseroles like this one before baking so they turn out tasting fresh. After putting the casserole together but before baking it, tightly wrap the dish in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil, pressing out any air. Freeze for up to 3 months.
In my 15+ years of freezer cooking experience, I’ve found that cooking casseroles that are frozen solid can yield sub-optimal results. Oftentimes, they turn out dry and overcooked on the edges while still cold in the middle. The best option is to thaw this casserole completely in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours (or in a pinch use the defrost setting on the microwave) and then bake according to the recipe directions.
What to Serve with Chicken Spaghetti
Here are so tasty side dishes to serve with your casserole:
More Chicken Casseroles to Try
If you like this casserole, you’re sure to love some of these other favorite chicken casseroles:
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Chicken and Stuffing Casserole (or Turkey Stuffing Casserole)
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
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!
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Chicken Spaghetti
This freezer-friendly Chicken Spaghetti recipe will keep your family coming back for more deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (sub: Cream of Chicken Soup)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2–3 chicken breasts, fully cooked and chopped/shredded (roughly 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 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, such as Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or use this DIY recipe
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar, divided
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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). Be sure to generously salt the cooking water. When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander over the sink.
- While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmery, add the bell peppers & onions and saute until they begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper as they cook. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, gently stir together the cooked pasta with the cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, chopped chicken, sautéed veggies, seasoned salt, cayenne, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.
- 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.) Let cool slightly and serve warm. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
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.
Notes/Tips
Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
I added Philadelphia cream cheese & sour cream. Calories went way up, but YUM! Oh, also a small can of green chilies, drained.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for the idea.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! My husband and I both had the flu and I finally felt good enough to cook – and this hit the spot for both of us! Froze half to enjoy again later. Will add to my list of meals to take anyone in need. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear you were sick, but thankful you enjoyed this meal and are healed up! Yes, it’d be a great one to take to those in need. Love your heart for serving others. That’s one of our biggest goals with Thriving Home…that our recipes will be a blessing to others.
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!