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Easy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

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5 from 2 reviews

This hearty chicken spaghetti casserole recipe comes together in just 45 minutes and is loaded with diced bell peppers, rotisserie chicken, and al dente spaghetti tossed in a cheesy sauce. The best part is that it requires NO condensed soup and is made with all real ingredients!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. spaghetti
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1.5 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • 12 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • sliced green onion and chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta until al dente. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
  4. Add onion, bell pepper, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
  5. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and Lawry's seasoned salt and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
  7. Sprinkle flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. 
  8. Slowly pour in about half a cup or so of the chicken broth, stirring everything together until the chicken broth cleans the bottom of the pan. 
  9. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining chicken broth and heavy cream until well combined, smooth, and creamy. Add a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
  10. Stir in about 2/3 of the cheese (about 2 cups) until it completely melts into the sauce.
  11. Stir in Rotel tomatoes (DON'T DRAIN!) and shredded chicken.
  12. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  13. Carefully add pasta and toss to coat evenly in the sauce. Mix until well combined.
  14. Top casserole with remaining cheddar cheese. 
  15. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  16. Garnish with sliced green onion and parsley and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • Don’t drain the Rotel tomatoes! The liquid from the tomatoes is loaded with all the flavors and spices and it also helps to loosen up the sauce a bit.
  • This recipe fills this large casserole dish all the way up to the tippy top but if you don't have one of those on hand, you can make the cheesy veggie sauce in a pan on the stove and then transfer it along with the pasta to a 9x13 baking dish. Just be sure it's a baking dish with tall sides so that it holds the entire casserole.
  • You don't have to bake this easy chicken spaghetti recipe! Feel free to make it in a Dutch oven and serve it straight from the pot instead of covering it with cheese and baking it. The flavors will still be delicious and it will save you about 25 minutes or so of cooking time.
  • Feel free to top the casserole with more cheese. I usually buy a 16 oz. block of cheese, shred the whole thing and then use about 2 cups for the sauce and about 1.5 cups for the top, then I'll save the remainder for a homemade quesadilla later in the week.
  • If you can't find a 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth, use just under 2 cups of broth instead.
  • If you're serving this casserole to kiddos, feel free to break the uncooked spaghetti into 2-3 inch pieces before boiling it. This will make it easier for smaller kids to get a nice forkful of casserole.
  • If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, replace the tender chicken with a can of drained chickpeas instead!
  • The cheese sauce has a bit of a kick from the green chilies but if you want to make this casserole spicy, add a couple pinches of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/easy-cheesy-chicken-spaghetti-casserole/