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Home » Recipes » Casserole Recipes

Cream Cheese Chicken Spaghetti Bake

Published: Nov 27, 2022 Last Updated: Jan 25, 2023 by Marye 1421 words. | About 8 minutes to read this article.

Baked cream cheese chicken spaghetti casserole is southern comfort food! It gets a kick of spicy goodness from Rotel tomatoes and chiles.
Total time 1 hour 10 minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
A serving of pasta being removed from the dish with a text overlay for Pinterest.

This creamy pasta bake is great for busy weeknights. It can be assembled ahead of time and popped into the oven when you walk in the door.

Finished cream cheese chicken spaghetti casserole.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love it
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 🔪 Instructions
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📖 Variations
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 🍽️ Serve with...
  • 🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends
  • 📞 The last word
  • Cream Cheese Chicken Spaghetti

❤️ Why you'll love it

  • A tasty way to use up leftover chicken
  • The satisfying kick of heat warms you up on cold days
  • Combines everyone's favorite comfort foods: cheese and pasta!

This delicious dinner recipe is easy, ultra-creamy, cheesy, hearty, filling, and a little spicy—in other words, it has all the good things. The only thing difficult about cream cheese chicken spaghetti bake is not loving it.

And definitely try this chicken casserole with Stovetop Stuffing. It's a quick and easy way to get that old fashioned Sunday dinner!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

Labeled ingredients for this recipe.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Step by step images showing how to make chicken spaghetti.
  1. Cook your spaghetti noodles al dente, according to package directions.
  2. In a large pot, melt the canned soup, cheese, and cream cheese. Stir in the Rotel tomatoes, seasonings, and pasta water.
  3. Mix the cooked chicken, sauce mixture, and pasta together.
  4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake.

🥫 Storage

Cream cheese chicken spaghetti will have the whole family competing for the leftovers—I always say the one who cooks gets first dibs!

Let the spaghetti cool to room temperature, then cover it completely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can also portion it into a smaller airtight container.

Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Or, freeze for up to 3 months. Chicken spaghetti bake is one of those guilty pleasure comfort foods that's awesome to just pull out of the freezer, microwave, and enjoy!

Close up of a casserole dish of chicken spaghetti with a serving removed.

📖 Variations

Make this easy chicken spaghetti recipe a family favorite with some swaps and variations:

  • Feel free to boil chicken breasts to shred—boneless skinless chicken breasts are easiest. Or, pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store for use in this recipe.
  • Try homemade chicken spaghetti with ground chicken or ground turkey.
  • If you don't have any Rotel tomatoes, swap 'em for a can of diced tomatoes and add a small can of green chilies.
  • I like the flavor combination of both cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup. However, if you can't find one or the other, you can substitute it with a different cream-of variety.
  • Instead of garlic powder and onion powder, mince the fresh version of both and stir them into the mix!
  • Sharp cheddar cheese works great in place of the Colby-Jack.
  • You can use whatever type of pasta you prefer, though it won't technically be chicken "spaghetti" casserole anymore!
  • Give your creamy baked chicken spaghetti an Italian twist by adding herbs or dried Italian seasoning. Use diced tomatoes instead of Rotel.
  • There are a lot of different things you can stir in to make the cream cheese chicken spaghetti stretch to feed a really large family. Try diced onion, chopped red peppers, green bell peppers, corn, or even green beans!

If you love creamy chicken dishes try this chicken cordon bleu casserole.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Don't skip the pasta water step! The starchy water helps the creamy sauce coat and stick to the noodles much better.

  • I like to place a bowl underneath my pasta strainer before I get started cooking. That way, in the heat of the moment, I won't forget to reserve some pasta water!
  • You can boil your noodles in chicken broth to give them some more flavor. Don't forget to reserve some of the starchy chicken broth, just as you would the water.
  • Make your cheesy chicken spaghetti a little easier to spoon out of the casserole dish by snapping the spaghetti noodles in half before boiling them.
  • The best way to make extra tender chicken is to cook it in the crockpot on low for eight hours or high for four. It practically falls apart!

Not in the mood for chicken but still want creamy? We love this easy ham tetrazzini casserole. It has similar textures and flavors and it's so easy to put together.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Can I chop raw chicken breasts and cook them in the casserole?

Nope, raw chicken most likely won't cook to a proper temperature inside the casserole. If you need to cook the chicken quickly, try putting it in your instant pot!

How do I use sour cream instead of cream cheese?

Sour cream will make the spaghetti casserole slightly less rich. It's also a little more watery than cream cheese. So, if you make the swap, I'd recommend reducing the amount of pasta water you add, too.

Can I replace the soups with a cheesy sauce made from heavy cream/roux?

Sure! If you don't like using "cream-of-" soups, feel free to make your own. This basic white sauce recipe will give you the base for a cream sauce you can use in plenty of popular recipes! You'll want to season it well to match the flavor of the soups in this recipe.

A serving of chicken spaghetti with a thick creamy sauce being removed from the dish.

📚 Related recipes

  • The name speaks for itself in this casserole crossover dish. Million-Dollar Spaghetti is so scrumptious, it tastes like a million bucks!
  • Sometimes you just want good pasta ready when you are—this tangy, creamy, cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti delivers just that.
  • Easy prep, hardly any clean-up, and flavors to make you stop mid-sentence for another bite—One-Pot Taco Spaghetti is the ultimate comfort food!
  • Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole
  • Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork
  • No Peek Chicken Recipe
  • Garlic Bread Casserole

🍽️ Serve with...

  • Southern Cucumber Salad
  • Soft Garlic Bread
  • Kahlua Cake

🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends

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  • 13x9-inch casserole dish
  • large pot

📞 The last word

I love a good, creamy chicken recipe! This million dollar chicken casserole is another one of our favorites - so rich and creamy.

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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Closeup of the casserole dish with a serving removed.
4.75 from 8 votes

Cream Cheese Chicken Spaghetti

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Baked cream cheese chicken spaghetti casserole is southern comfort food! It gets a kick of spicy goodness from Rotel tomatoes and chiles.
Course Main Dish - Chicken
Cuisine American - Southern
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings:8
Calories:570
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • 13x9-inch pan

Ingredients

  • 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
  • 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
  • 21 ounces cream of chicken soup, 2 10.5 ounce cans
  • 10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
  • 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup reserved pasta water
  • 1 cup Mozzarella, freshly grated
  • 1-½ cups Colby Jack Cheese, divided

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Cook spaghetti, for about 8 minutes and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • In a large pot add the cream soups, Rotel, cream cheese, pasta water and mozzarella and 1 cup of the Colby Jack cheese. Apply medium heat to heat up ingredients.
  • Add garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper and mix.
  • Add the spaghetti and the chopped chicken. Fold into the soup mixture evenly.
  • Add this spaghetti mixture to a 9x13” lightly greased casserole dish.
  • Sprinkle the remaining Colby Jack cheese over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

Storage:  
Once the cream cheese chicken spaghetti has cooled completely cover with cling wrap or aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This recipe does freeze well. Store in a freezer safe container and freeze up to 3 months.
Tips:
  • Don't skip the pasta water step! The starchy water helps the creamy sauce coat and stick to the noodles much better.
  • I like to place a bowl underneath my pasta strainer before I get started cooking. That way, in the heat of the moment, I won't forget to reserve some pasta water!
  • You can boil your noodles in chicken broth to give them some more flavor. Don't forget to reserve some of the starchy chicken broth, just as you would the water.
  • Make your cheesy chicken spaghetti a little easier to spoon out of the casserole dish by snapping the spaghetti noodles in half before boiling them.
  • The best way to make extra tender chicken is to cook it in the crockpot on low for eight hours or high for four. It practically falls apart!

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1132mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 756IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 3mg

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

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