Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is a comfort food classic made with chunks of chicken, your favorite veggies, and a simple homemade cheese sauce (instead of Velveeta and 'Cream of X' soup).

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with text overlay.

When you have young children, you may find yourself concocting as many different variations of mac & cheese as possible in a quest to cook dinners that your offspring will actually ingest. And truth be told, if you trade the macaroni for spaghetti, keep the creamy cheese sauce, and throw in some shredded chicken and optional veggies for good measure, the resulting Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti will have kids and adults alike coming back for more!

Everyone has probably had an incarnation of chicken spaghetti before. But there are several factors that make this version the best... 😉

Close-up of serving spoon scooping from baking dish.

From-Scratch Cheese Sauce

Tasty though they may be, a big block of processed cheese and a gelatinous can of creamed soup are ingredients that I prefer to swap out with real foods whenever possible.

As a result, I bring together this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with an easy, creamy, homemade cheese sauce. You can't get more basic than butter, flour, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and milk...that's it, folks!

And if you're feeling particularly wild and crazy, you could even substitute different cheeses, such as pepper jack for a spicy kick.

Aerial view of Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti topped with cracker crumbs.

Any Chicken Will Work

The next ingredient in this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is -- you guessed it! -- chicken!

And as a bonus, this recipe can make use of leftover chicken.

Or you can shred up an oh-so-convenient rotisserie chicken.

Or utilize chicken breasts that have been effortlessly cooked in the slow cooker.

Or whip up some boiled, baked, or grilled chicken.

In other words? Use whatever chicken is easiest for you to make, buy, or that you already have on hand!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti on plate with fork.

Veggie Options

Swap out the vegetables for your favorites.

My family happens to enjoy peas and mushrooms, so that's what I like to use in this dish. However, this recipe is also delicious with other veggie embellishments.

Pimientos keep things classic.

Diced tomatoes and green chiles make for a yummy southwestern twist.

If sauteed bell peppers and onions are your thing, go for it.

Or leave out the veggies altogether for an unadulterated Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti.

The choice is yours!

How to Make It

There are a few steps but I promise that they're all simple!

  1. Boil the spaghetti.
  2. Shred the chicken.
  3. Sauté the garlic and mushrooms.
  4. Make the homemade cheese sauce.
  5. Combine all of the above, transfer to a baking dish, and top with cracker crumbs.
  6. Bake until hot and bubbly!

Yum. Yum. YUM!

Close-up of pasta, mushrooms, peas, and crackers. In summary, this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is like mac and cheese at heart...but all grown up.

It's simple to make, easy to customize, and guaranteed to disappear in a flash of comfort food glory.

Make it soon and make it your own. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti on square white plate.

More Comfort Food Classics

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti on plate with fork.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti is a comfort food classic made with chunks of chicken, your favorite veggies, and a simple homemade cheese sauce (instead of Velveeta and 'Cream of X' soup).
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Calories: 705kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons butter, DIVIDED
  • 16 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, dried, trimmed, and sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces spaghetti
  • 4 cups shredded/diced chicken
  • 3 cups frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 cup crushed butter cracker crumbs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • â…“ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly grated
  • 8 ounces Monterrey Jack, freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

  • Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  • While water is coming to a boil, set another large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and 1 tablespoon butter; once melted, swirl to coat pot. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately five minutes or until mushrooms give off liquid. Increase heat to high and stir frequently until liquid has completely evaporated. Add remaining ½ tablespoon butter to pan, and stir and cook until mushrooms are tender and browned, about five minutes more.
  • Add garlic to pan and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, or until garlic becomes aromatic but not too dark. Season mushrooms with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, and transfer to a plate, draining on a paper towel if they seem too oily. Set aside.
  • While mushrooms are cooking, break spaghetti in half and boil according to package directions until al dente (do not overcook). Drain, rinse well, return to pot, and set aside.
  • Prepare cheese sauce by placing a medium pot over medium heat. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Use a whisk to stir in flour, whisking continuously until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Continue to whisk while slowly and gradually adding milk. Whisk until sauce is smooth and thickened, between 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add grated cheese, ½ cup at a time, stirring until completely melted and smooth before adding more. Once all cheese has been incorporated and cheese sauce is smooth, stir in garlic salt and pepper, to taste.
  • To pot of cooked/drained spaghetti, add shredded chicken, mushroom/garlic mixture, and peas. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir until well combined, seasoning with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer chicken spaghetti to prepared baking dish and top with cracker crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Notes

  • You may use leftover chicken or cook it fresh by poaching, baking, grilling, cooking in the slow cooker, etc. Alternatively, a rotisserie chicken torn into chunks will yield about 4 cups.
  • Instead of regular spaghetti, I typically use whole wheat capellini (thin spaghetti). Whole wheat thin spaghetti doesn't end up tasting "wheat-y" like some whole wheat pasta does.
  • To save on washing dishes, you can boil the spaghetti in the same water that you boiled the chicken (if that's how you prefer to cook the chicken). And as long as there is nothing stuck to the pot where you cooked the mushrooms, you may make your cheese sauce in the same pot without washing it first.
  • Cheese sauce is easy to make but also easy to mess up if you don't follow the directions exactly. Cheese should be freshly grated (the packaged, pre-grated cheese has an additive that keeps it from sticking together but can also make for lumpy melting). Room temperature milk works best (I just zap it in the microwave to take off the chill). Be sure to take the pot off the heat and add the cheese very gradually, stirring well and allowing it to melt completely between additions.
  • If you have fewer mouths to feed and prefer making this recipe in two 8- by 8-inch dishes instead of a 9- by 13-inch dish, you can keep one and share one!

Nutrition

Calories: 705kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 732mg | Potassium: 732mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 23.3mg | Calcium: 557mg | Iron: 3.3mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

 

Cheese sauce adapted from Martha Stewart

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17 Comments

  1. This looks and sounds wonderful. You have a very convincing way of coaxing us to try it. =) Thanks a million for sharing with us at Weekend Potluck. Hope the week ahead is extra good to you.

    1. Thanks so much, Marsha! Blogging is sometimes an exercise in persuasive speaking (writing), right?! 😉 I'm so glad you had a chance to swing by, and I hope that you're having a wonderful week as well. Thanks, as always, for hosting Weekend Potluck! 🙂

  2. I'm actually one of those that's never cooked chicken spaghetti but that's about to change! Love this recipe:) I do use this cheese sauce but have never thought to use it for a chicken spaghetti recipe! Thanks for sharing it.

    1. I hope you love it, Adrian! My family loves chicken spaghetti as much as traditional spaghetti, so it's nice to be able to change things up. 🙂 And I agree that a cheese sauce like this is so versatile...I use it in everything! Hope you're having a great weekend...thanks for stopping by!

  3. I cooked this today for our weekly Saturday night supper gathering and got lots of yums from the group and a big "Thank you, Samantha," from Hubby John! Ditto from me. The is a real family pleasing winner!

    1. I'm SO happy to hear that, Carolyn! I love that you have weekly Saturday night supper gatherings and I'm honored to have one of my recipes featured. 🙂 Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend!

    1. Thanks so much, Melissa! I appreciate the pin and I hope you enjoy this recipe if you have a chance to try it! 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Carol! I've always believed that you can't go wrong with carbs and cheese. 😉 Hope you're having a fabulous week!

    1. Hi there! You should be able to freeze this recipe, but keep in mind that the texture will probably be affected and it will likely be a little drier by the time it's cooked, since the spaghetti will have had extra time to absorb all of the sauce. If you do freeze it, I'd recommend doing so before the step of baking it. Then thaw completely and pour a little milk or chicken broth over the top before baking. Also, don't add the cracker crumbs until right before you bake. It's probably going to take extra time to heat through, so that's will make the pasta softer as well. So ultimately, it should still be fine after freezing, but the taste and texture may not be quite as good as if you had eaten it fresh. Good luck! 🙂

  4. Samantha, this looks like my kind of casserole! I love anything carb and cheese loaded (and thank you for making a less processed cheese sauce--I want to put that on everything)!

    1. I'm not gonna lie, Amy...I make this cheese sauce all the time and put it on all sorts of things. You should, too! 😉 Hope you're having a great week!

    1. Thanks so much, Kristen! Your mom's Cajun Chicken Spaghetti sounds pretty darn good, too! 🙂 Hope you enjoy this if you have a chance to try it...I appreciate you stopping by!

  5. I'm LOVING this one! So different from regular chicken spaghetti, which I love- but we need a change sometimes....this will definitely fill the bill! Thanks so much, Sam. 🙂
    Off to pin it!