Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is the one dish my family most often requests! This comfort-food casserole consists of creamy, cheesy chicken and pasta with accents of red and green bell peppers in a light cream sauce! Chicken Spaghetti is a simple “comfort food” recipe you can make in advance and is a great dish to take to potlucks! Serve with a crispy Caesar salad!
Should I Use White or Dark Meat?
I prefer a combination because the dark meat seems to deepen the flavor of the dish. I use chicken thighs (boneless and/or skinless) and chicken breast.
How Do I Cook the Chicken?
There’s two ways to prepare the chicken: Boiling or Baking.
I prefer to lightly salt and pepper the chicken and bake it in a lightly oiled dish, covered with foil. However, you can boil the chicken, too. Either way, just make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches a minimum of 165°F.
Can I Use a Rotisserie Chicken from the Deli for this Chicken Casserole?
Rotisserie deli chicken meat works great in this casserole! Be aware that sometimes the deli chickens are small and do not yield enough meat. (This recipe calls for 2 lbs. of meat.) Remove the skin from the chicken, shred the meat and add it to the skillet with the onions and peppers.
Can I Make This Recipe Without Using Condensed Soups?
If you prefer not to use condensed soups, make a roux, add milk, chicken bouillon, celery salt and pepper to taste.
Freezer Suggestions
Assemble the chicken spaghetti in a parchment lined baking dish and freeze. After it’s frozen, cut the casserole into portions and place in freezer bag or container. When ready to reheat, simply remove from freezer, place in baking dish and bake until it’s warm throughout and the cheese is melted.
Craving More Family Favorites? Try Mom’s Classic Meatloaf or Easy Chicken and Dumplings!
Cheesy chicken spaghetti with red and green bell peppers, shredded chicken in a creamy sauce!
- 1 lb. pasta (spaghetti)
- 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs OR
- 2 lbs. chicken breast and/or thigh
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup green and/or red bell pepper chopped
- 1 can cream of chicken soup condensed
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 5-8 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
- 5-8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons cumin ground
- 1 tablespoon paprika smokey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Place chicken thighs (or breasts) in a large pot and cover with water; bring to boil; allow chicken to come to 165ºF; remove chicken and set aside - OR-place chicken on lightly greased baking dish, season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake
While chicken is cooking, chop onions, celery and bell peppers
Once chicken has cooled, remove skin and pull meat from the bone. Use two forks to shred the meat.
Add oil to skillet, place onions, celery and bell peppers in oil; cook about 15 minutes on medium - medium/high heat
Once onion mixture is done, add condensed soup, sour cream, broth, cumin and paprika; allow to cook for about 5 minutes
In another big cooking pot, cook pasta as indicated on packaging (usually about 9 minutes) Drain pasta
While pasta is cooking, remove the skin from the chicken and add it to the mixture of onions, etc. Combine well
Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish; add pasta and onion mixture to baking dish; combine well
Add 1/2 of the cheese to the pasta and onion mixture; combine well
Top with remaining cheese; cover with foil and bake about 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and casserole is bubbly.
- The beauty of this dish, other than being delicious, is that it serves a crowd without breaking the bank.
- I make this dish with dark meat because I think it's more flavorful, however, if you prefer white meat, then get two pounds of chicken breast. Cook them as indicated in the recipe
- Try adding chopped black olives
- Pair with a green salad or sugar snap peas
- If you buy skin-on chicken, I've found it's easier to remove the skin prior to cooking the chicken.
Got Comments or Questions? I’d Love to Hear from You!
This post was updated July 24, 2019. The recipe did not change.
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