My chicken spaghetti with Rotel recipe is a zesty, cheesy, and creamy baked spaghetti recipe that the whole family will love! Quick on time, simple on ingredients, and PACKED with flavor, this recipe is a dinner knockout!
There are many well-loved and used spaghetti recipes in my house, but my family particularly loves this one! Loaded with noodles, cheese, and juicy chicken, it goes beyond classic chicken spaghetti with that POP-ZING of Rotel!
You might like my chicken spaghetti casserole, it has fresh poblanos and a really deliciously and different seasoned cream sauce. My crack chicken spaghetti bake is flavored with ranch seasoning and bacon so you know your family will love it!
Let’s make this!
What I Love About This Recipe
Every oven-baked dinner instantly earns a spot in my Favorite list — but what makes this chicken spaghetti with Rotel so special?
- ZEST! Rotel is unbeatable
- Belly-filling and hearty
- Perfect for chilly nights
- Make-ahead magic!
Chicken Spaghetti With Rotel Ingredients
- Spaghetti: I like to use the brand Barilla. It holds up very well when cooked and then baked in a casserole. Just be sure to only cook it to al dente.
- Chicken: I use chicken breasts but chicken thighs work equally well.
- Salt + Pepper:
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil or even butter.
- Onion: I like yellow onions best.
- Garlic: Use fresh not the pre-minced stuff in the jar. It’s preserved in a liquid that gives it a funky taste.
- Dried Herbs: I like a combo of oregano, cumin, chili powder, and coriander. Typical flavors in many Tex-Mex and Mexican foods. The herbs are toasted in the pan after the aromatics are If enhances their flavor tremendously.
- Rotel: I use the original.
- Soup: I like cream of chicken in this recipe but you can switch it up with other “cream of soups.”
- Sour Cream: I use regular full-fat sour cream.
- Milk: I use whole milk.
- Cheese: Couldn’t find Pepper Jack Cheese, or just want to try something new? Pepper jack cheese is just Monterey Jack cheese (the creamy white cheese popular in supermarkets) with chili peppers. Shred some Monterey Jack and toss it in some chili powder or your favorite chopped peppers.
How To Make Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel Recipe
-
Saute onions and garlic. Add the spices and herbs.
- Add cooked chicken, onion mixture and soup mixture to pasta.
- Toss well to combine.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with Pepper Jack. Bake.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once baked, your chicken spaghetti with Rotel will be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days. After that, the pasta will absorb too much of the sauce, and you risk bacterial growth too. I love dishing out casseroles into pre-portioned sizes so I have grab-and-go lunches all week!
- Can You Freeze This? While many casseroles are amazing frozen, this recipe is not one of them! The dairy in the sauce will separate in the freezer, leaving you with a lumpy, unappetizing dish. If you really want to freeze it, I suggest making everything except the cream sauce and freezing it. Then, when you’re ready to bake it, whip up the cream sauce, add it to your thawed goodies, and bake.
- Make-Ahead Tips: My chicken spaghetti comes together in four sections: chicken, veggies, cream sauce, and pasta. This means you can make each section individually, store them, and combine them when you’re ready for your spaghetti casserole!
- I recommend making the chicken and veggies and storing them together in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. The cream sauce will last for up to 4 days as well. The spaghetti is the only part I recommend making fresh, as refrigerated pasta can get stiff and sticky.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
We love this with my roasted green beans with pancetta and shallots, easy roasted broccoli, buttery sautéed asparagus with lotsa garlic, or brown sugar glazed carrots.
A side of butter swim biscuits, jalapeño cornbread, crescent rolls, or Lion House rolls makes any meal better!
Dinner, DONE!
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Riggies
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Turkey Tetrazzini
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Tried This Recipe?
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Chicken Spaghetti With Rotel
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 4 raw chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- salt
- black pepper
- vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel, drained
- 2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Cook the pasta (16 ounces), in well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain pasta and dry out the pasta pot. Return pasta to pot.
- In a medium mixing bowl, toss chicken with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper until pieces are evenly coated.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. When hot, add chicken in batches, allowing pan bottom to be visible between pieces, and brown on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate; set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken and add more oil if needed.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to skillet and saute onions (1 1/2 cups) and garlic (4 cloves), over medium-low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano (2 teaspoons), cumin (3 teaspoons), chili powder (3 teaspoons), and coriander (1 teaspoon), and continue to saute until spices are fragrant about 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, stir together Rotel (1 can), chicken soup (2 cans), sour cream (1 cup), and milk (1/2 cup) until evenly combined.
- Add chicken, onion mixture and soup mixture to pasta and toss well to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with Pepper Jack (2 cups). Place in preheated oven and cook until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted about 30 minutes.
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Hi, do you have to finish off in the oven? Can you just cook it in the pan for a little longer then serve and sprinkle the cheese over once on the plate? Thanks!
Hi Donna. I’m sure that will work too!
Can this be frozen?
Hi, Paula! If you want to freeze it, I suggest making everything except the cream sauce and freezing it. Then, when you’re ready to bake it, whip up the cream sauce, add it to your thawed goodies, and bake.
Good recipe!
Thanks, Erica! 🙂
Delish. Even though I had to cut recipe in half because I am a family of 1.
Hey, Mary! I’m so glad you cut the recipe in half and made it just for YOU! This is such a huge favorite in my family! Glad you got to enjoy it <3
This is a very awesome recipe… the taste is very good.. reheat’s very well…
Thank you so much for your positive feedback, Deborah!
We loved this recipe! We are thinking about adding corn and black beans next time we make it! Thank you!!!!
Hi, Kara! So happy you loved this spaghetti. I’m sure it’s yummier with corn and black beans! 🙂
Can you make this without onions?
Yes, Ma’am!
Can you use shredded chicken instead of cubed? I have that on hand
Yes, you can use shredded. Enjoy! 🙂
I’m making this tomorrow and we love real Creamy Pasta..I’m adding a Half a box of
Cream cheese also. And a little extra sour cream..Adding a small amount of Broth.
Creamy Rotel Oven Pasta..Can’t. Wait.Yum.
Hi, Babe! That sounds perfect! I hope you like it! 🙂
I made this and it was delicious! We have so much left over that we want to have it again for dinner. How do we go about reheating it up after it’s been in the fridge?
Hi Sarah! You can just reheat it in a microwave if you store it in small batches. Otherwise, reheat it inside the oven for 20-30 minutes around 325 degrees. Hope this helps! 😀
Do you cook the chicken and pasta before putting it in crockpot?
Hi Heidi! For the chicken, you brown it first before adding to the crockpot. You put in the pasta an hour before the cooking is done. Check out my Crockpot Spaghetti recipe for some inspo. Happy cooking! ❤️
so yummy. I’ll let you know once I’ve tried this