Chicken spaghetti recipe is a can't miss pasta dish. It's a freezer-friendly chicken recipe that consists of a cheesy tomato sauce with bell peppers. This version doesn't have any condensed soup, either!
Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
First things first: I have to say this is my mom’s recipe. She made this a lot when I was growing up, and we both still make it today. It’s the most comforting, delicious dinner I make, honestly! Even though one of the ingredients in this dish isn’t something I typically have in my pantry. However, let me explain.
I have a funny rule about Velveeta/ processed cheese in my life. I buy it exactly one time a year, and I buy the big brick of it. The Super Bowl in February is the only time of year I buy it, and I use it to make a big pot of Rotel dip. If you’re not from the South, let me fill you in: Rotel dip is a pound of Velveeta melted with a can of Rotel tomatoes. Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes mixed with green chiles. And if you’re still clueless, green chiles are LIFE, especially here in Texas and the Southwest. Have you made my green chile stuffed chicken or my green chile chicken stew?
Anyway, there are extravagant versions of Rotel dip made with ground beef and sausage, but that’s not how I ate it when I was growing up.
So, as I was saying, I make my family a batch of ‘spicy cheese dip’ to eat while we watch the Super Bowl, and then I have half of a the big block of Velveeta leftover.
This chicken spaghetti recipe is what I make with the remaining half. It is my all-time favorite comfort food meal. Before I had my daughter, my Mom tucked 3 pans of it into my freezer. It was the first thing I pulled out to defrost for dinner when we came home from the hospital with our 7-pound babe.
Why Chicken Spaghetti Works
Chicken spaghetti is essentially spaghetti mixed with a tomato sauce that has melted Velveeta in it. There are more components that give it flavor, mainly chopped bell pepper, onions, and spices. Oh, and don't forget the shredded chicken! It's the most comforting, delicious dinner I make, honestly!
The final dish is just a creamy, cheesy, tomato-y pasta dish with a distinct flavor that everyone loves. I believe one of the secrets to the flavor of this dish is that the spaghetti is cooked in the same water that the chicken is cooked in. The chicken flavor permeates the noodles, and everything blends together so seamlessly at the end.
This is one of my favorite chicken dishes, but if you are looking for alternatives, check out these Chicken Dinners for Two.
Chicken Spaghetti Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- a medium onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 6-oz. can Italian-style tomato paste
- 16-ounces Velveeta cheese, diced
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
- Prep - Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Start this dish by cooking the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to a large pot, and cover with water to cook. Bring the chicken to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chicken is done (165°F in the thickest part). Remove the chicken from the water, but do not drain the pot. Add just enough additional water to cook the pasta in. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the noodles are done, reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. Meanwhile, chop the chicken and set it aside.
- Combine - While the pasta cooks heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and bell pepper until they're tender, about 15 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and the 2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then stir in the Velveeta cheese cubes. Cook the sauce until the cheese melts completely (stirring occasionally). Combine the noodles, chicken, and sauce and spread in this 8x8 dish.
- Bake - Put in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the mixture is heated through.
Tips
- Italian style tomatoes and tomato paste can be hard to find. Just look for one that contains herbs like basil and oregano.
- If you want to double the recipe and store in the freezer, use these 8" square pans with lids.
- It's also a good idea to label your freezer meals with instructions on how to reheat and eat them.
- When you make this dish, you may have some Velveeta cheese leftover. I usually make a batch of Rotel Dip which is a pound of Velveeta melted with a can of Rotel tomatoes. Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes mixed with green chiles. Add ground beef and sausage for a more extravagant version.
How to Store
- Room Temperature - Serve the Chicken Spaghetti warm or at room temperature.
- Refrigerate - Any leftover can be refrigerated until you are ready to reheat.
- Freeze - If you want to freeze this meal, cover the mixture tightly and place it in a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, bake at 375 for 50 minutes from frozen OR cook for 35 minutes if thawed.
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Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
Cheesy chicken spaghetti with tomato sauce and no condensed soup!
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 14-oz. can Italian-style diced tomatoes
- 1 6-oz. can Italian-style tomato paste
- 16-ounces Velveeta cheese, diced
Instructions
1. Add the chicken breasts to a large pot, and cover with water to cook. Bring the chicken to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chicken is done (165°F in the thickest part).
2. Remove the chicken from the water, but do not drain the pot. Add just enough additional water to cook the pasta in. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the noodles are done, reserve 2 cups of the cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, chop the chicken and set it aside.
4. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and bell pepper until they're tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and the 2 cups of reserved pasta cooking water. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then stir in the Velveeta cheese cubes.
6. Cook the sauce until the cheese melts completely (stirring occasionally). Combine the noodles, chicken and sauce. Spread in an 8x8" pan.
7. To freeze this meal, cover the mixture tightly and place in a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, bake at 375 for 50 minutes from frozen OR cook for 35 minutes if thawed. If you wish to eat it right away, bake for 25 minutes until the mixture is heated through.
Notes
Italian style tomatoes and tomato pasta can be hard to find. Just one that contains herbs like basil and oregano.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 569Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 1246mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 5gSugar: 14gProtein: 34g
Michelle says
Argh!!! What in the world is velveeta??? Forget not being from the south I am in Australia!!!! Is it like a processed cheese?? Recipe looks great and I’m always looking for meals to drop into friends with new babies! Thank you
Christina Lane says
Yes, processed cheese. It's shelf stable. And as I type that, I realize it sounds strange! It's regular cheese, but then they stir the whey back in after making so it's super soft and creamy. Regular shredded cheddar would be a good swap :)
Paula says
This is something I must try for sure. However I plan to use a substitute for Velveeta...2 parts cheese to 1 part cream. It will be an interesting experiment and sounds good!
Nikki says
I'll bet somehow we're related to each other (your mom and I, anyway). I made two batches for my daughter's freezer for her last two pregnancies. My recipe is just a tiny bit different, but looks just like yours. And if you want a bit of a twist, substitute Rotel for the canned Italian tomatoes. You can hardly go wrong with a casserole that has Velveeta in it, but we've stepped away from it a bit. We still make chile con queso--like yours but with onions and extra green chilies. So glad you shared your recipe! It's a winner.
Christina Lane says
Oh Rotel tomatoes sound SO GOOD here, thank you!!! :) Nice to meet you!
Trish says
A nurse co-worker brought a similar recipe(yours is healthier) to a pot luck and I never made spaghetti the same again. I 'll change to this recipe as it 's a healthier version but I'm sure...I'll be grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato! lol Thank you from a southern girlfriend.
Alisha says
This was delicious! I replaced the velveeta with a combination of cream cheese & grated cheddar which worked nicely. Also added some mushrooms and used chopped rotisserie chicken. Boiled the spaghetti in chicken stock and reserved that liquid for the sauce. Usually I try not to make so many changes but this was great and I’m glad I tried it!
Crystal says
The whole family loved this one. I added mushrooms, split it up into three 8x8 foil brownie pans and froze two of the them for future dinners! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
No where in the list of ingredients does it say can of Rotel tomatoes? I want to try the recipe. It is getting great reviews and mentions Rotel, so I am obviously missing something. I just see Italian style canned tomatoes. Thanks a bunch.
Christina Lane says
Hi Lisa,
For this post, I just wrote about the two ways my family enjoys Velveeta--one way is with Rotel tomatoes to make the cheese dip and the other way is in the chicken spaghetti recipe.
Does that make sense? My post doesn't actually say that I use Rotel tomatoes in this recipe, but you can substitute it for the can of tomatoes, absolutely! Sorry for the confusion. Maybe I shouldn't have even mentioned it.
Lindsey Selucky says
I am trying your recipe tonight! This is a different variation of the Chicken spaghetti that my mom made where hers had the rotel in it. Yours is Italian so I can't wait to see how we like this version. What are some good sides to go with this?
RC* says
If I doubled this recipe, could I use a 9x13 pan? Thank you. 12/22/22
Steve says
I don't care to use Velveeta and I don't care for cheddar. What other cheeses could I use? Shredded swiss? Any other suggestions?