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Chicken Spaghetti is a classic cheesy casserole dish that is easy to make and has oodles of comfort. Treat your taste buds with this From-Scratch Chicken Spaghetti that keeps the nostalgia and brings a homemade upgrade to the classic comfort dish.

Chicken Spaghetti casserole in a dish.
Golden, bubbly, and loaded with tender chicken and melty cheese — this from-scratch Chicken Spaghetti is comfort food done right!

This recipe can be enjoyed at any time of year, but it is particularly helpful as school comes back into session and the temperatures start to drop. It takes about 45 minutes to prepare, adds some vegetables, and makes the entire family happy. It shines as a warm, cheesy casserole, particularly in the fall and winter.

I love a good hot dish or casserole, so I decided to add it to my site. Much like my Minnesota Tater Tot Hotdish or my Spam Casserole recipe, I have comfort food for you with this recipe. No matter what you make tonight, make sure to treat yourself!

🍗 Ingredients

Chicken and spaghetti noodles are the obvious ingredients, but it takes a bit more to pull this together.

Chicken Spaghetti Ingredients.
This Chicken Spaghetti recipe calls for chicken, noodles, cream cheese, butter, whole milk, cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, Rotel, olive oil, flour, bell pepper, and seasonings like salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.

See recipe card for quantities.

No Soup Ingredients

We will make our own sauce instead of dumping a can of cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery soup into this chicken spaghetti recipe. Butter, flour, milk, and cheese combine to make a creamy Morney sauce.

We start by making a roux with the butter and flour. It turns into a bechamel sauce when we mix in the milk. Then, when we add the cheese, it turns into a Morney sauce.

It takes a few minutes to combine these appropriately, and the flavor is much better than a dump recipe with condensed soup.

Cheese

Cheddar is my go-to for this recipe, but the recipe lists either Monterey Jack or Colby cheese as the second cheese. This comes down to personal preference or even what you have in your fridge.

Both Monterey and Colby melt really well and work for this recipe. Colby has a bit mellower flavor, but either is great!

Some recipes call for Velveeta. There is nothing wrong with Velveeta, but I tend to save it for one or two recipes a year. Often, it is for a football dip, or I have a killer Velveeta fudge recipe (stay tuned). Shredded cheddar and Monterey (or Colby) are great here. Such a simple change makes it better!

🍲 Instructions

Brown up your chicken with the seasonings and toss in the diced bell pepper for a little color and sweetness. Once that’s cooked through, set it aside so we can build the sauce.

Chicken thigh and green bell pepper in a skillet.
Add your pepper after the chicken cooks for a bit and the seasoning is added.
Cheddar cheese and cream cheese mixing into bechamel sauce.
Build your mornay suace by making a roux, mix in your milk to make a bechamel sauce, and then finally add your cheese for a mornay sauce. Usually, a traditional French mornay sauce would be gruyere, but cheddar is close enough! Cheesy tasty goodness.
A person stirring a pan with cheese and tomatoes.
Add your Rotel after the cheese sauce looks about right.
Dumping spaghetti into cheese mixture.
One of the last steps before heating in the oven is mixing the spaghetti into your cheesy chicken mixture.
Chicken spaghetti in a casserole dish with unmelted cheese on top.
Once you have all the insides mixed, move to a 2 ½ quart casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.

The sauce starts with a quick roux of butter and flour, then slowly whisking in milk until it thickens into a smooth base. From there, melt in your cheeses (and cream cheese if you’re using it) for that creamy texture. A can of drained Rotel gets stirred in to add some zip and balance all the richness.

Now it’s a matter of bringing it all together. Mix the chicken, peppers, and pasta into the sauce until everything is coated, then pour it into your baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheddar, bake until golden and bubbly, and let it sit for a few minutes before digging in. It’s classic comfort food — only better, because you made it from scratch.

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed up.

  • Chicken – I call for skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Chicken breast works great as well!
  • Milk – I use whole milk, but you can use any percent fat milk.
  • Vegetable – You can substitute or add sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach to veggie this up.
  • Cheese – Try some pepper jack to spice it up! Really, any semi-soft, meltable cheese can work in this recipe.
  • Pasta – I use spaghetti noodles, but use what you have!
  • Make it Vegetarian – I have used zucchini instead of chicken, which has worked well!

📦 Storage

Leftover Chicken Spaghetti keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight container and reheat in the oven or microwave until warm. You can freeze it for up to 2 months — just thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

🎓 History tidbit

I found this recipe going back to 1919. It is along the same lines as what I am serving today. There are some slight differences, but they are reasonably close. I also found a few that were earlier, but it looked like they were canning recipes rather than stovetop/oven recipes.

During the mid-1900s, the home kitchen and commercial canning flourished. Modern technology started making dinner time a lot easier. Dishes like casseroles really flourished, and I suspect this went from a recipe people liked and made occasionally to a very popular recipe

❓ FAQ

Can I make Chicken Spaghetti without canned soup?

YES! Make a Mornay sauce similar to a mac and cheese. it really just takes a minute or two extra and makes the recipe better.

What can I serve with Chicken Spaghetti?

This dish is really great on it’s own, but some garlic bread might just send it over the top. A side salad or roasted veggies would be great, as well.

Can I make Chicken Spaghetti ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble the casserole up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, add a few extra minutes to the cook time.

📝 Tips and tricks

  • Fire-roasted tomatoes worked well
  • I have used an 8×8 baking dish, but it was pretty tight. I am using my 2 ½ Quart Corningware
  • Chicken breast works for the meat, too. The thigh is just a tad better and juicier. 
  • Make sure to use a large saucepan. Mixing all the ingredients together fills up space!
Chicken Spaghetti casserole in a white dish.
Creamy cheese sauce, juicy chicken, and spaghetti baked to perfection — a homemade twist on the classic Chicken Spaghetti.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this From-Scratch Chicken Spaghetti recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.

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Chicken Spaghetti casserole in a dish.

From-Scratch Chicken Spaghetti (No Soup, No Velveeta)

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  • Author: Ben
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Category: Casserole
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This from-scratch Chicken Spaghetti ditches the canned soup and Velveeta for a homemade cheese sauce that’s creamy, flavorful, and satisfying. Tender chicken, Rotel tomatoes, and plenty of melty cheese come together in a baked casserole that’s pure comfort food.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 ounces dry spaghetti, broken in half
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh, diced
  • 1 small bell pepper, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoons pepper, to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspons smoked paprika
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese + 3/4 Cup more for topping
  • 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese
  • 1 (10 Ounces) can Rotel, drained
  • 2 Tablespoons cream cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
  2. Grease Baking Dish: Grease an 2 ½ quart baking dish.
  3. Cook the spaghetti: Boil in salted water until just shy of al dente (8 minutes). Drain and set aside.
  4. Heat Oil: While cooking spaghetti, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high.
  5. Add chicken and seasoning: Add diced chicken and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
  6. Cook until browned: Cook and stir until chicken is browned and almost cooked through, about 5–7 minutes.
  7. Add bell pepper: Add diced bell pepper and sauté for another 2–3 minutes until slightly softened.
  8. Remove and set aside: Remove everything from the skillet and set aside.
  9. Make the sauce: In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
  10. Make Roux: Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.
  11. Whisk in Milk: Slowly whisk in milk and stir constantly until smooth and thickened, 3–5 minutes.
  12. Melt in the cheese Add ¾ cup cheddar, all the Monterey Jack, and cream cheese (if using). Stir until melted and creamy.
  13. Add Rotel: Stir in the can of Rotel.
  14. Return the chicken and bell pepper to the skillet. Mix well and taste for seasoning. If pasta isn’t ready yet, turn to low and stir occasionally. 
  15. Combine with pasta Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet and toss until everything’s coated and combined.
  16. Dump and Bake: Pour the mixture into your baking dish, Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese, and bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes until bubbly and golden on top.
  17. Cool slightly, then serve: Let it rest 5 minutes before digging in.

Notes

  • fire roasted tomatoes worked well
  • I have used an 8×8 baking dish but it was pretty tight. I am using my 2 ½ Quart Corningware
  • Chicken breast works for the meat, too. Thigh is just a tad better and juicier. 
  • Make sure to use a large sauce pan. Mixing all the ingredients together fills up space!

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