Baked Chicken Spaghetti – Spaghetti is tossed in a creamy sauce, along with mozzarella cheese and diced chicken and then baked to make for a perfect weeknight one-pot casserole.
Happy New Year! My December was jam-packed with sugary sweets so I am actually looking forward to moving past the holidays and back into more savory cooking and baking this month. But not to fear…February (i.e. the month of chocolate) will be here before we know it and we’ll be back on the sugar track again.
But before that time comes, let’s enjoy a new idea for a weeknight dinner. This came about because I wanted a new recipe for chicken. I stumbled upon a recipe for a Baked Chicken Spaghetti and I thought it looked and sounded so tasty. After a few attempts, I made my own version and it’s got everything your family will love: familiar flavors, creamy texture, and comforting pasta.
Without further ado, here is my Baked Chicken Spaghetti!
My version of baked spaghetti
This baked spaghetti hinges on the flavors from the chicken, with a little cheese added just to enhance the creaminess of the sauce. All other recipes I saw had TONS of cheese that just added fat but no flavor. In fact, they just took away from the yummy chicken flavor that we worked so hard to layer in. I love cheese as much as anyone, but in this dish, a little goes a long way.
Making this baked spaghetti
The great thing about this spaghetti is that it can all be made in one pot. Yay! I love a yummy meal that takes fewer dishes.
The process for making this baked spaghetti goes like this:
- Cook the chicken – The chicken is cooked first to create a base layer of flavor that this casserole will be built on. The chicken will brown, leaving behind bits of flavor in the pan. That flavor will be scraped off after we add in the liquids for the sauce.
- Make the sauce – The onions and garlic are slightly cooked before adding in the liquids and cheeses. As soon as the cheeses melt, turn off the heat.
- Toss in the cooked spaghetti and chopped chicken – The spaghetti is cooked separately, drained, and then added to the sauce. It’s tossed with the chicken we cooked earlier.
- Bake the casserole – The casserole is moved from the stove to the oven to bake for 20 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
- This recipe is designed to be a one-pot meal. You’ll need a large braising dish to fit all the spaghetti and toss it with the sauce before baking it. If your skillet or braising dish isn’t big enough, simply transfer the sauce to a casserole dish with the cooked spaghetti and combine them there before baking.
- Do not cook the sauce after the cheese has melted. You don’t want it to thicken too much before adding in the cooked spaghetti. Otherwise, the casserole will be too dry.
Baked Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 3 raw chicken breasts patted dry
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 10-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook just before al dente. Drain and set aside until late.
- Add olive oil to a large oven-safe braising dish and set over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to hot pan and cook completely. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chopped onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken broth and stir to break up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in cream cheese and cream of chicken soup. Let sit until cream cheese softens. Stir all ingredients together until smooth. Add mozzarella cheese and stir until melted.
- Cut chicken into small pieces. Add to sauce. Add in cooked spaghetti and toss until completely coated in the sauce. Note: if your braising dish is not large enough to hold all the spaghetti, transfer sauce and cooked spaghetti to a casserole dish and combine there.
- Bake casserole in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until edges start to crisp. remove and serve immediately.
Heidy says
This Baked Chicken Spaghetti recipe came out perfect. Thank you for the awesome instructions and tips. The kids loved it too!
Amanda Dixon says
This pasta is total comfort food! That sauce is perfectly creamy, and it’s super simple and quick to make.
Veronika says
Such an easy and delicious recipe! Made it yesterday and my family ate it all! Going to save the page to make it again soon.
Adriana says
This is a great dish for a weeknight dinner and for using those chicken leftovers. Thanks so much for the recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Chenée says
This spaghetti looks like the perfect weeknight dinner! Love how easy it is to make!
Tammy says
Fabulous weeknight meal for the family! It’s so delicious too leftover the next day! I love no-fuss recipes like this.
Kayla DiMaggio says
This baked chicken spaghetti was so delicious! I loved how creamy it was!
Nicole says
I love that this is a one-pot meal which makes cleanup so much easier. I’ve never made baked spaghetti with a condensed soup, but it makes everything so much quicker than making a white sauce from scratch. This is the perfect week-night comfort food meal.
Lauren Michael Harris says
I love how creamy this baked spaghetti is. Using chicken is a nice change from the ground beef etc that we usually put in ours.
veenaazmanov says
Thanks for such an amazing recipe. I love the cheesy and creamy touch to this dish. Spaghetti is my family’s Dinner favorite any day.
Tisha says
A nice way to change up normal spaghetti! Will have to give it at try!
Kristen Wood says
This looks so comforting! Pinned to make for family this weekend! đŸ™‚
Maria San Juan says
Would love to make this! Thanks for sharing! Will definitely make this for my family!
Mirlene says
Now this is how to start the new year; with a delicious chicken spaghetti. What could be better.
Megan says
This sounds like perfect comfort food for a chilly evening. I know my kids would love it!
Stephanie De Jesus says
This is a good variety to try! We’ve tried so many spaghetti recipes and this one just got added to the list. Thanks for sharing!
Amber Myers says
We love spaghetti so we’ll have to make this version. It looks scrumptious!
Heather Castillo says
This is the perfect option for spaghetti night. It’s different than we usually make so it will make a nice change!