There are a few foods that have the ability to make you feel like a kid again - pure joy in each bite without worrying about carbs, calories, or salt intake. This cheesy chicken spaghetti with RoTel is one of them - at least for me. Gooey cheese, tender pasta, juicy chicken, and plenty of tomatoes and chiles for flavor. This is southern food Texas style, y'all. Welcome to my table.
Shopping list
There are times when you want to make every blessed thing from scratch - but there are times when a can of cream of chicken soup is a blessing from God. This recipe uses cream of chicken soup for ease and speed.
- Cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
- Cream of chicken soup
- RoTel diced tomatoes and green chilis
- Onion
- Mild Cheddar
- Cream cheese
- Heavy cream
- Garlic powder
- Spaghetti broken into pieces
Make it stretch
This is simple to make a bit more budget friendly -
- Use more pasta and less chicken
- Use pinto beans with the chicken
- Use pinto beans (or other beans) instead of chicken
- Add broccoli or cauliflower
- Cut back on the cheese
- Use milk instead of cream
Instructions
This is such an easy recipe! Try it once and chicken spaghetti will be on your dinner rotation a lot!
- Break the uncooked spaghetti in 2 inch pieces.
- Bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.
- Meanwhile mix the cream of chicken, the RoTel, and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, stirring often, until it's all melted together.
- Stir in the cheese to make a smooth sauce.
- Shred the cooked chicken and set aside.
- Add enough cream to the sauce to make it spoonable but not too thin.
- Stir in the chicken.
- Pour over the spaghetti and stir well.
- Spoon into an oiled casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake.
Tips
Chicken spaghetti casserole is super easy to make - and this version is a little different from the bland recipes you often see. The tomatoes and chiles add a sharp, mildly spicy flavor that cuts the richness of the cheese and creamy sauce and balances it out nicely.
- You can assemble this up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.
- This casserole freezes well for up to 6 months.
- Put plastic wrap, parchment, or waxes paper over the top before sealing with aluminum foil or the acids from the tomatoes will react with the aluminum and it will taste awful.
- Break the spaghetti up in 2 to 3 inch pieces before cooking - it's traditional!
- Cook the pasta just until done. It will cook more (and soak up more flavor) as it baked.
- You can skip the baking and just mix it all up in a skillet if you like.
Variations
Chicken spaghetti with the RoTel in it is my favorite but this is a versatile dish with lots of potential variations!
- Turkey, ham, and cooked ground beef are ALL good in this versatile dinner recipe.
- Stir in pimento.
- Saute some Bell peppers with the onions.
- Top with breadcrumbs, crushed tortilla chips, or potato chips.
- If you want to use a slow cooker you can. I'll add those instructions in the recipe below.
Related recipes
I love this dish for church picnics and potlucks! Here are some more of our family favorites.
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole recipe is super quick and easy. Chicken, Ro*Tel, and onion are mixed with a creamy sauce and layered with corn tortillas and cheese.
- Alfredo Chicken Lasagna is rich and creamy with a homemade Alfredo sauce and pieces of tender, grilled chicken throughout. It’s simple to prepare but the flavors really shine. Save time and use canned Alfredo if you like.
- Easy Chicken and Noodles says comfort food in big, flashing, neon letters
Equipment
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Y'all. A casserole carrier is EVERYTHING! It keeps your casserole hot, it keeps it from sloshing all over your Sunday best and your car, and ultimately it makes you look super put together and cool. I don't know what I ever did without it.
Bonus? My car doesn't smell like casserole gravy anymore. Booyah!
Kaffeeklatsch
Homemade chicken spaghetti with the tangy flavor of RoTel is one of my favorites. It's creamy, rich, gooey, and cheesy - everything comfort food should be.
This wasn't one of those things that my mom made, though. This is a recipe that came from one of my neighbors when my kids were growing up -- I guess she took pity on me and my nightly dinners for 10 people or more.
She brought a foil covered pan of this to my door one afternoon when I was SO exhausted, SO ready to quit, and SO full of "woe is me" that I was ready to bust.
It changed my entire day.
It's that simple. One dish, one knock at the door at the right time, and someone suddenly has the energy to go on with life. Someone feels cared about. Isn't that what makes life worth living?
I think so!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📋Recipe
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with RoTel
Print Add to CollectionIngredients
- 1.5 pounds Chicken breast, or more if desired - boneless, cooked and shredded
- 16 ounces Spaghetti, broken in 2-inch pieces
- 29 ounces Cream of chicken soup, 2 14.5-ounce cans condensed
- 10 ounces RoTel tomatoes and chiles
- 6 ounces Cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided use
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream, you can use milk if you prefer
Instructions
- Cook the chicken breast, dice or shred it, and set aside.
- Break the spaghetti into 2-inch pieces and cook until tender in boiling, salted water.
- Drain and set aside.
- Mix the soup, RoTel, and cream cheese in a microwave safe dish.
- Heat, stirring every minute, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Stir in the garlic powder and 2 cups of the cheese.
- Stir until smooth. You may need to add some milk or cream to thin it down if it seems to thick.
- Stir the chicken into the cheese mixture.
- Stir the pasta into the chicken and cheese mixture.
- Spoon into a greased casserole dish.
- Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake at 350F 20 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.
Slow Cooker
- You can leave the chicken breast raw for this version.
- Add all of the ingredients except the spaghetti to a slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Shred the chicken and add back to the slow cooker.
- Cook the pasta, drain, and add it to the chicken mixture in the slow cooker.
- Cook for another 30 minutes.
Notes
- You can assemble this up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.
- This casserole freezes well for up to 6 months.
- Put plastic wrap, parchment, or waxes paper over the top before sealing with aluminum foil or the acids from the tomatoes will react with the aluminum and it will taste awful.
- Break the spaghetti up in 2 to 3 inch pieces before cooking - it's traditional!
- Cook the pasta just until done. It will cook more (and soak up more flavor) as it baked.
- You can skip the baking and just mix it all up in a skillet if you like.
- Turkey, ham, and cooked ground beef are ALL good in this versatile dinner recipe.
- Stir in pimento.
- Saute some Bell peppers with the onions.
- Top with breadcrumbs, crushed tortilla chips, or potato chips.
Elizabeth
I love chicken spaghetti! Your version is a little different than mine (mine uses Ro-tel and Velveeta, cream of mushroom soup and chicken bouillon powder); I'm looking forward to trying your version! I always have cream cheese and cheddar, colby or longhorn cheese in my fridge...Velveeta is usually a special purchase only when needed for a particular recipe.
Thanks for all your hard work, from a fellow Texan!
Marye
Elizabeth, let me know how you like it. I just really like staying away from Velveeta when I can.