My chicken spaghetti bake recipe is the pasta recipe to end all pasta recipes, the chicken recipe to end all chicken recipes, the– okay, you get that I’m excited? Well, you should be, too! I take my chicken spaghetti recipes seriously. They should be tummy-filling without being dense. They should be savory with perfectly cooked noodles. They should elevate the chicken to newfound flavor heights.
Luckily, this recipe fits all those needs! This will rocket to the top of your favorite chicken pasta recipes list. Break out your baking pans, and let’s get to it!
What I Love About Chicken Spaghetti Bake Recipe
In addition to the delicious, oven-baked heartiness, there’s so much to love about my chicken spaghetti bake recipe!
- Fully rounded flavor
- Great for make-ahead meals
- Crunchy cheese topping
- Decadent al dente noodles
Chicken Spaghetti Bake Ingredients
The ingredients in my chicken spaghetti bake recipe are straightforward spaghetti ingredients — well, mostly. It wouldn’t be a signature Gonna Want Seconds recipe if I didn’t throw in a few yummy surprises, eh?
- Chicken: This recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken — my favorite! Not only is it easier, but it also gives you a chance to use the flavor-infused store bought rotisserie chickens. I love my grocery’s garlic and lemon chicken for this recipe!
- Mushroom Soup: Cream of Mushroom has been around for as long as there have been canned foods — but don’t feel like you have to use the old staple! There are so many varieties of cream of mushroom soup now, from organic to gluten-free.
- Chili Sauce: This chicken spaghetti bake recipe gets a great pop of pepper flavor and spice from chili sauce — not hot sauce! Hot sauce is a combination of pepper’s notorious spicy element, capsaicin, suspended in a carrying agent like vinegar. Chili sauce has more bulk to it, using capsaicin as well as the chili pepper flesh and meat, as well as other spices and flavorings.
- Be kind to your mouth and definitely go for chili sauce in this recipe!
- Spaghetti: I like to use Barilla brand.
- Oil: Any neutral flavored oil.
- Onion: I use yellow onion.
- Mushrooms: I like the flavor of cremini mushrooms but white button mushrooms will also work.
- Sour Cream: I use regular, full fat sour cream.
- Milk: I use whole milk.
- Diced Tomatoes: I like the petite diced rather than the larger regular diced tomatoes.
- Cumin+Coriander+Chili Powder: In my humble opinion, this is the perfect spice blend for this spaghetti!
- Black Pepper
- Jack Cheese: Monterey jack or, if you want a little more spice, use pepper jack.
- Parsley: Adds a nice freshness and color to the finished dish. You could use sliced green onions or chopped cilantro instead.
How To Make Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Saute the onions and mushrooms then set aside.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients except the pasta, chicken, and sauteed onion.
- Mix.
- Prepare the ingredients for combining.
- Add the cooked chicken, vegetables, and sauce to the pasta pot.
- Mix.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and top with cheese. Bake.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? My baked chicken spaghetti casserole can sit happily in the fridge for up to five days. That’s a whole week’s worth of workday lunches!
- I can’t think of anything better than knowing that my lunch break comes with a hearty helping of this stick-to-your-ribs treat! It tastes even better paired with some garlic bread or other crusty bread to scoop up the noodles. Yum!
- Can You Freeze This? To stay on the safe side, I store my chicken spaghetti bake recipe like I would a normal spaghetti dish. Since noodles play such a prominent role in the meal, I don’t want to risk them losing their structure in the freezer’s low temps.
- So I carefully cool off the leftovers, seal (either in an airtight container or coated in plastic wrap in the baking pan), and store it in the freezer for up to two months. That way, the noodles don’t go all mushy and wonky on you.
- Also, be aware of the heavy cream presence in this dish. Freezing milk-based sauces can sometimes cause the dairy to separate, but if you freeze your leftovers as quickly as possible (make sure your freezer’s temps are low, low, low!), you should avoid any separation yuckiness.
- Make-Ahead Tips: My favorite way to harness the beauty of make-ahead magic with this chicken spaghetti bake recipe is to make the whole dish through Step 5 ahead of time and freeze it per the instructions above. Then, when you’re ready to eat it, thaw it (in the fridge! This will help prevent milk separation), and bake according to the directions below.
- I love having casseroles like this on hand when I know I’ll have a busy night but still want a home cooked meal. It’s such a great investment to buy some good, solid baking pans that have their own lids for this very reason!
Serving Recommendations
This is great to serve with our 1905 salad, marinated tomato salad, cucumber tomato feta salad, or our Mediterranean salad. Of course, garlic bread, crescent rolls, Garlic and Herb Parker House Rolls, or butter swim biscuits are always a welcome addition!
More Chicken Spaghetti Recipes
- Easy Chicken Spaghetti (my quickest version!)
- Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
- Crack Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
More Spaghetti Recipes
- Spaghetti Recipe With Ground Beef
- Spaghetti And Meatballs Recipe
- Taco Spaghetti
- Mexican Spaghetti
- Million Dollar Spaghetti
- School Cafeteria Spaghetti
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Chicken spaghetti bake brings the tender deliciousness of spaghetti into the warmth of a casserole. Your new favorite dinner!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 16 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 2 cans cream of mushrooms soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups jack cheese,- divided
- 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken, cut into 1/2 cubes
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9X13-inch baking dish lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook spaghetti (16 ounces) according to package instructions until al dente and drain well. Return drained pasta to the pasta pot.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Saute the onions (1 medium) over medium heat, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms (16 ounces) to the onions and continue to cook until mushrooms are soft; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine cream of mushrooms soup (2 cans), sour cream (1 cup), milk (1/2 cup), diced tomatoes (1 can), chili sauce (1/2 cup), cumin (1 tablespoon), coriander (1 tablespoon), chili powder (1 tablespoon), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and 2 cups of the jack cheese until smooth.
- Add the cooked chicken (1 1/2 pounds), vegetables, and sauce to the pasta pot and fold until everything is evenly coated. Pour into prepared baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining cheese (2 cups). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley (2 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 867kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1503mg | Potassium: 856mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1546IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 678mg | Iron: 4mg
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We paired this with garlic bread. It’s a 5/5!
Oh that’s so perfect! Thanks Brenda 🙂