Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel is a easy spaghetti casserole dish for weeknight family dinners! Loaded with cheesy deliciousness. The Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream (or cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup), and a perfect use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken!
Rotel Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
My Chicken Spaghetti with RoTel Diced Tomatoes and Diced Green Chilies uses the standard ingredients of this well-loved staple dish, with a few exceptions. I will note my preferences and include instructions for both variations.
Sometimes, I just don't want the canned cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup flavors in my family's dinner. Other times, like anyone else, I'm totally crunched for time and am going to make this quick comfort food meal in 30 minutes or less!
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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
There are so many things I love about this chicken spaghetti recipe! It's an amazingly quick and easy dinner, plus it's versatile - serve it as a stove-top meal or assemble and bake!
You can use leftover chicken (or turkey) for your chicken pasta bake. Raw chicken breasts or thighs can be cubed for quick cooking, and then pan-seared while the pasta cooks. Still quick!!
It's super creamy! The melted Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese all combine with either your canned cream soup(s) or my preferred heavy cream and chicken broth for a silky smooth cheese sauce.
🥘 Chicken Spaghetti Ingredients
The creamy chicken spaghetti sauce is enhanced with a touch of spicy flavor from the diced RoTel tomatoes, and the canned variety of diced tomatoes by RoTel adds the green chile flavor.
You can add even more vegetables like diced red or green bell peppers, celery, green onion, jalapeno, or whatever your favorite vegetables are.
- Chicken - The key to making this quick casserole is to use already cooked chicken (typically chicken breast meat) like leftover chicken or shredded chicken meat from a deli rotisserie chicken. In a pinch, I dice and quickly pan fry some chicken thighs while cooking my pasta.
- Pasta - Spaghetti noodles are the most common pasta to be used in this chicken spaghetti casserole recipe. Other long noodles like angel hair, fettuccine, and linguine also work well.
- Heavy Cream - To skip canned cream soups, use heavy cream as the sauce base. Otherwise, go ahead and pick your favorite - either condensed cream of chicken soup or condensed cream of mushroom soup.
- Chicken Broth - To enhance the chicken flavor and combine with the heavy cream as the sauce base. For additional flavor, the pasta can also be cooked in chicken broth.
- Chicken Bouillon - To enhance the chicken flavor even more! It is my personal preference and completely optional, however, it balances beautifully with the creamy richness of the cheeses used in the sauce.
- Butter - A touch of butter makes everything better. Seriously. Adding a bit of butter will give your sauces an appetizing shine, and adds to the creaminess of the chicken spaghetti sauce.
- Cream Cheese - The cream cheese not only adds to the creamy sauce but also adds richness to the cheese sauce.
- Velveeta Cheese - The standard in luxurious melted cheese, Velveeta makes the cheese sauce insanely creamy and super cheesy!
- Cheddar Cheese - Even more cheese to make this fabulous cheesy pasta bake. Use other cheeses like Monterey jack or pepper jack if desired.
- Rotel Tomatoes - Rotel brand canned diced tomatoes with diced green chilies, the tomatoes add flavor and texture. The green chilies are a zesty touch!
- Seasoning - Salt & Pepper (to taste), I like to add some onion powder and red chili powder.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Chicken Spaghetti
Grab a casserole dish and start your pasta to have this cheesy dinner on the table in no time!
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and butter or grease your 9 x 13 baking pan or 2.5-quart casserole dish.
- Dice, shred, or cube chicken meat. Shred your rotisserie chicken or cube up any leftover chicken (or turkey) breast or thigh meat that you have on hand. If needed, cube up raw chicken meat and pan sear with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through.
- Cook, drain and rinse pasta. Cook the pasta until al denté, usually two minutes short of the boxed package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Start the sauce. Return the saucepan used for cooking your pasta to the stove top. Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, and chicken bouillon cube (or canned cream soup with the broth and bouillon cube). Heat over a medium temperature.
- Melt cheese. Once the heavy cream sauce is warmed, add the butter, cream cheese, Velveeta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and seasoning (salt, pepper, onion powder, red chili powder). Reduce heat to low and stir or whisk frequently until all of the cheese has melted.
- Assemble. Layer the cooked pasta, cheese sauce, diced or shredded chicken meat, Rotel tomatoes and toss to combine in the baking pan or dish. Top with any additional cheese, green onions, and/or crushed tortilla chips that you may want as optional add-ons.
- Cook and serve. Bake uncovered at 350ºF (175ºC) for 15-20 minutes, just enough to heat all the ingredients and combine the flavors. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Can your family patiently wait while this bakes? If not, combine the cooked chicken, spaghetti pasta, and Rotel tomatoes in the heated cheese sauce and serve a stove top version!
🥡 Storing & Reheating
To store any leftover Rotel chicken spaghetti, either leave it in your casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid or cover it with a sheet of plastic cling film. Otherwise, transfer it into an airtight storage container.
*Note that aluminum foil will react with the acids of the tomatoes and leave your casserole with an unpleasant taste. Use cling film instead.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days, however, refrigerated leftovers are best when reheated and enjoyed within the first 1-2 days.
Reheating Chicken Spaghetti
Reheat leftover chicken spaghetti with Rotel in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes or until warmed up to your satisfaction.
To microwave, heat individual portions for 1-minute, stir, then continue heating in 30-second increments. Remove when fully heated and serve.
🐔 More Great Chicken Recipes!
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Avocado Chicken
- Cream Cheese Chicken
- Crock Pot Chicken & Gravy
- Bisquick Oven Fried Chicken
- Chicken Stuffing Casserole
📋 Recipe
Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breast (rotisserie chicken, chicken thighs, or leftover turkey can also be used)
- 8 oz spaghetti noodles (cooked and drained)
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream (or use a can of either cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cube chicken bouillon (I like the Knorr brand large cubes)
- 2 tablespoon butter (salted)
- 4 oz cream cheese (½ an 8 oz package)
- 8 oz Velveeta cheese (cubed)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded or grated)
- 1 10 oz can RoTel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter or grease your 9 x 13 baking pan or 2.5 quart casserole dish.
- Shred your rotisserie chicken or cube up any leftover chicken (or turkey) breast or thigh meat that you have on hand. If needed, cube up raw chicken meat and pan sear with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until cooked through.1 ½ lbs chicken breast
- Cook the pasta until al dente, usually two minutes short of the boxed package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.8 oz spaghetti noodles
- Return the saucepan used for cooking your pasta to the stove top. Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, and chicken bouillon cube ( or canned cream soup with the broth and bouillon cube ). Heat over a medium temperature.1 ½ cups heavy cream, 1 ½ cups chicken broth, 1 cube chicken bouillon
- Once the heavy cream sauce is warmed, add the butter, cream cheese, Velveeta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and seasoning (salt, pepper, onion powder, red chili powder). Reduce heat to low and stir frequently until all of the cheese has melted.2 tablespoon butter, 4 oz cream cheese, 8 oz Velveeta cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, salt & pepper
- Layer the cooked pasta, cheese sauce, diced or shredded chicken meat, Rotel tomatoes and toss to combine in the baking pan or dish. Top with any additional cheese, green onions, and/or crushed tortilla chips that you may want as optional add-ons.1 10 oz can RoTel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- Bake uncovered at 350°F (175°C) for 15-20 minutes, just enough to heat all the ingredients and combine the flavors. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Equipment You May Need
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Cait F says
So good! My pickiest eater had two helpings!
Michelle W. says
This was very good and pretty easy - I followed as is, except I didn't have quite enough chicken, and I used Italian diced tomatoes because i didn't have the Rotel, and it still came out great. My spaghetti was loose in a tupper container and I wasn't sure how much 8 oz. was, so I had to guess. It made so much sauce (I mixed the chicken and tomatoes into the cheese sauce pan and poured it over the noodles), I thought it was going to be runny, but it turned out perfect. After 20 minutes I topped it with Parmesan cheese and broiled for a few minutes. This recipe made a LOT, way too many leftovers, next time I'll cut it in half for 4 of us.