Creamy and cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Cream Cheese is a hearty and comforting meal with tons of flavor. You're going to love this easy recipe!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Three words: Ultimate Comfort Food.
- Super creamy sauce made with cream cheese with al dente pasta.
- Using leftover or rotisserie shredded chicken means you can make this meal fast.
- Rotel tomatoes with just a little heat, or a lot - it's up to you!
The cream sauce for this literally tastes like chicken alfredo, but then there's the spicy tomatoes and the hint of basil. It is just so good
My mother-in-law was sure that chicken and cream cheese do not go together with pasta. She's so used to pasta with red sauce, and this might just be a little too out of her comfort zone. But, as she often reminds me, she'll eat anything so she took one bite and her eyes lit up. She was amazed at the awesome flavors!
Like our Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake, this dish starts with shredded chicken, but you can use shredded rotisserie chicken or pretty much any lightly seasoned leftover chicken.
Whenever you start making a casserole only to find out you don't have a cream of whatever soup, try our quick and easy Cream Soup Substitute instead. It's easy to make using ingredients you already have in your fridge and pantry. Plus, it's way better for you than the canned stuff because you control the ingredients.
Ingredients
Here's what goes into rotel chicken spaghetti:
- butter
- yellow onion
- fresh garlic
- store-bought or homemade Italian seasoning
- flour
- chicken stock or chicken broth
- cream of chicken soup OR cream of mushroom soup
- milk
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar cheese
- diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)
- thin spaghetti
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- shredded chicken
This is meant to be a brief overview of the Chicken Spaghetti Casserole recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, add the butter and diced onions. Cook until they are tender.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and whisk to combine.
- Gently add the chicken stock, whisking the whole time.
- Add the cream soup and the milk. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Then add the shredded cheese and room temperature cream cheese into the cream sauce a little at a time, stirring in between.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold the chicken into the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over thecooked spaghetti noodles and toss to coat.
- Add the mixture to the casserole dish and top with additional shredded cheese.
- Sprinkle with a little bit of dried basil, if you like.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.
Equipment
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- Measuring Spoons and Liquid Measuring Cup
- 9x13 Baking dish
- Skillet and Whisk
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this creamy chicken spaghetti recipe.
Rotel, or Ro-Tel is a brand that makes diced tomatoes with peppers or chilies. It's a great shortcut to use in all kinds of Mexican recipes.
If you do not have cream cheese on hand, substitute an equal amount of sour cream.
⭐ Tips
✔️ For the best rotel chicken spaghetti recipe, be sure not to overcook the pasta.
Storage
To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To Reheat: While this can be microwaved, the best way to reheat it is in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a dash of milk to help the sauce come together again.
I do not recomend freezing this casserole.
(These are my favorite airtight containers.)
📖 Variations
The first time you try any new recipe we recommend that you make it just as it is written on the recipe card since that is how the recipe has been tested. However, when you make our recipe again, you might want to try one of these ideas:
- Rotel comes in several different varieties. I use mild diced tomatoes and green chilies, but you can change up this creamy chicken spaghetti by using a different version of the Rotel.
- If you do not have fresh garlic on hand, use ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Add a little bit of onion powder - this is really personal preferance.
- Use whole wheat spaghetti or gluten-free spaghetti if you prefer.
- Crumble up some tortilla chips and add them to the top of the casserole before serving.
- For more richness, use heavy cream instead of milk.
- Add 1 cup diced green bell peppers to the skillet with the onions and butter.
- Garnish with thinly sliced green onions.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Our cheesy chicken spaghetti bake is a meal all by itself, but you can add a fresh green salad or a green veggie if you like. Try it with a side of Garlic Green Beans or Roasted Broccoli.
You'll love these delicious and easy Italian Bread Sticks or one of these yummy recipes:
😋 More Easy Pasta Recipes
If you love this rotel chicken spaghetti recipe, then you'll want to try one of these delicious recipes next time:
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake
- Sausage and Potato Casserole
- Italian Sausage Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes
📋 Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
This baked chicken spaghetti with diced tomatoes and green chilies is a perfect weeknight dinner. If you're not ready to make it yet, don’t forget to pin the recipe for later!
When you do make it, please come back and comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Cream Cheese
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking dish
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16 oz. thin spaghetti
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, add the butter and diced onions. Cook until they are tender.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and whisk to combine.
- Gently add the chicken stock, whisking the whole time.
- Add the cream soup and the milk. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Then add the shredded cheddar cheese and room temperature cream cheese into the cream sauce a little at a time, stirring in between.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fold the chicken into the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over thecooked spaghetti noodles and toss to coat.
- Add the mixture to the casserole dish and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Sprinkle with a little bit of dried basil, if you like.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden brown.
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Chris David says
Its really a nice recipe - super quick. I like the hot ro-tel tomatoes with habaneros in mine.
Taylor H says
My family loved this! I made it exactly like the recipe says and it came out perfect. Thank you!!!
Janet says
Can I use salsa instead of the rotel?
Ang Paris says
You can definitely use salsa as long as it's not too thin. Enjoy!
Jenny Tbo says
We made it!!! Im not a chillies person so we made it, humorously, without the ro-tel, and chopped tomatoes but then it wasn't quite flavorful enough so next time I'll try adding some taco seasoning I think. But it was delicious! Can't wait to lunch to see how it tastes as a leftover! We will definitely be making this again.
Ang Paris says
The rotel adds a lot of flavors, but if you're not a fan of spicy then definitely try it with the taco seasoning. You could also use an Italian seasoning blend instead. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!