This Chicken Spaghetti is the perfect quick, easy, family-friendly dinner! It has spaghetti noodles, tender bites of chicken, and veggies all smothered in a chili-spiced cheddar cheese cream sauce.
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If there are three things I love in this world it’s chicken, spaghetti, and cheese. So, naturally, this Chicken Spaghetti is a favorite.
I mean, tender spaghetti noodles, juicy chicken, onion, and pepper all tossed together in a rich and creamy spiced sauce made with melted cheddar cheese? Does it get any better than that? I don’t think so. 😉
This chicken pasta dinner is a meal the whole family will love. And bonus: it’s ready in just over 30 minutes!
You’ll find no velveeta cheese, cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup here! Just real ingredients in this family favorite.
Looking for more ways to make chicken spaghetti? Check out my Healthier Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Bake or my Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe.
Ingredients Needed:
Most of what you’ll need for this recipe you probably already have in your kitchen.
- Oil: use whatever oil you have to sauté the veggies and chicken. I use canola oil because of its low smoke point and neutral flavor, but you can also use olive oil or your favorite neutral oil.
- Veggies: I use a combination of onion, red peppers, and green peppers to add some color and texture.
- Chicken Breast: you’ll need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed into smaller chunks, or about 1 lb of chicken. If you have leftover Crockpot Shredded Chicken or rotisserie chicken, you can throw that in, too!
- Garlic: as always, use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Seasonings: I use a simple combination of salt, chili powder, and paprika for a little bit of smoky spice.
- Flour: a sprinkle of all-purpose flour helps thicken the cream sauce.
- Chicken Broth: a flavorful base for the cream sauce. I use low sodium chicken broth so I can control the saltiness of the sauce.
- Cream: or milk. You can use any kind, but keep in mind the higher the fat content, the richer the flavor.
- Cheese: I melt shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce to create a delicious creamy texture and cheesy flavor. Avoid using pre-shredded cheese as they may not melt as smoothly. Feel free to mix it up and use mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese as well.
- Spaghetti: cooked al dente according to box instructions. You can substitute absolutely any other type of pasta! Angel hair pasta, linguine, or short pasta works just as well.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti
This simple pasta dinner takes just 10 minutes to prep and is ready in just over half an hour! Here are a few step by step photos to help guide you — see the full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card.
- Cook the pasta: Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain.
- Sauté the veggies: Heat oil in a large skillet, then add in onion and peppers. Cook until softened.
- Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add the seasonings to the chicken and cook briefly.
- Stir in the flour until no white remains. This will thicken our sauce.
- Make the sauce: Pour in the broth and milk, then simmer until thickened before adding the cheese.
- Assemble and serve: Stir together the sauce and the spaghetti, then serve.
FAQs
Classic Chicken Spaghetti is made up of, you guessed it, chicken and spaghetti. Both are cooked, then tossed together with a cheesy cream sauce. Often, peppers and onions are added and chili powder and paprika give a bit of heat and smoky flavor in this ultimate comfort food.
Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm on the stove with a splash of broth or cream until heated through.
Place leftover spaghetti in freezer-safe baking dishes (as large or as small as you want!). Cover with plastic wrap and foil or a tight-fitting lid.
I recommend thawing completely before reheating to avoid having mushy pasta. Add a splash of water, broth or cream and reheat in the oven or on the stove, covered.
Tips and Notes
- Cube the chicken. Remember to cube the chicken breast up into smaller pieces so it cooks quickly and incorporates well into the pasta.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Pasta that’s ever so slightly underdone stands up better in the creamy sauce.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses can result in a grainy texture when melted. I recommend shredding your own for the best results.
- Use leftover/rotisserie chicken. This recipe is a great way to use any leftover shredded chicken, Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or leftover Baked Chicken Breast you have around.
Variations
- Add other veggies. Feel free to sauté other veggies with the onion and pepper. Try mushrooms, peas, carrots, broccoli florets, zucchini, you name it! If you want to up the spice, try adding diced canned green chiles or rotel tomatoes (just drain the tomatoes first!).
- Lighten it up. Heavy cream has the richest flavor, but you can make the sauce with any type of milk you like to lighten it up a bit.
- Make it vegetarian. Just leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth!
- Use another pasta shape. Okay, then it won’t be chicken spaghetti but it totally works.
- Try other meat. I know. Then it won’t be chicken spaghetti. BUT this pasta dish works great with other types of meat as well. Try leftover turkey, diced ham, or cooked ground beef. You could also top it off with some cooked and crumbled bacon!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this cheesy Chicken Spaghetti on its own or or bulk the meal up even more with a side dish. Try Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Green Beans, Garlic Bread or Breadsticks, or a simple green salad.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Chicken Spaghetti
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- ½ red pepper
- ½ green pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb – cubed)
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk or cream (any will do! Higher fat will have a richer flavor)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 375 grams spaghetti (about ¾ pound)
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.
- Add onions and peppers, cooking and stirring until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add chicken breast cubes and cook until white on the outside (they don't necessarily need to brown.
- Stir in garlic, salt, chili powder and paprika and cook 1 minute.
- Add flour and stir until no white remains.
- Stir in broth and milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook and simmer until thickened. Stir in shredded cheese and pour over cooked pasta.
Notes
- Cube the chicken. Remember to cube the chicken breast up into smaller pieces so it cooks quickly and incorporates well into the pasta.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Pasta that’s ever so slightly underdone stands up better in the creamy sauce.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses can result in a grainy texture when melted. I recommend shredding your own for the best results.
- Use leftover/rotisserie chicken. This recipe is a great way to use any leftover shredded chicken, Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or leftover Baked Chicken Breast you have around.
- Make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the chicken and using vegetable broth.
- You can swap boneless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
- Any kind of milk or cream will work but more fat will equal a richer sauce.
Nutrition Information
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Dean says
Easy prep. Light and creamy. Loved it!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear Dean!
Michele says
Made this. Very good. Added a light sprinkle of pepper flakes. Next time I will add a little bit more. Great for leftover chicken.
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Michele!
Kimberly Faulkner says
This is also great by adding rotel tomatoes and melted velveeta cheese . My grandmother used to make it that was 40 years ago
The Recipe Rebel says
Great tip! Thanks Kimberly!
Brandy jacobson says
I made this tonight and it was great
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Brandy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hannah says
Hello I was wondering what flavour broth id need to make this?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Hannah! 11th ingredient on the list is “1½ cups low sodium chicken broth”. Hope this helps!
Patricia says
Made this for dinner tonight it was awesome loved it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Patricia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Julie says
I made this for a family birthday party, and it was a huge hit! It was really easy to make and had a delicious flavor! For anyone saying it was bland, always use the spices as a guideline and then add more of any spice you feel is lacking. I thought it was prefect as is! Will definitely make again!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Julie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Neil says
I love these recipes I’m getting better at making them now Will try the chicken spaghetti
The Recipe Rebel says
Enjoy Neil!
Cathy says
Can this recipe be doubled – would be great for card group but usually have about 8 faces to feed
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Cathy, I don’t see why not. Enjoy!
Kaaren says
I didn’t have the red or green peppers so the flavor was somewhat lacking.
Deborah Ann Magnusson says
My family tried this recipe and thought it had no flavor. We were all dumping salt and peper and garlic powder on it get flavor out of it. Won’t be making this again.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry this wasn’t to your taste, Deborah. The flavors have worked well for myself (and others) so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Mel says
This recipe will become a weeknight staple! My picky child gobbled this up. I made it exactly as written. I’m already planning on tweaks to mix it up, but thank you for an easy and delicious recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mel! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Diane says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. We grew up eating chicken spaghetti, but our original recipe included canned soups and processed cheese, so this is a really nice alternative. Super tasty!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Diane! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Jo Ann Anderson says
This recipe is a keeper. Didn’t have peppers. Diced sundries tomatoes. Worked. Made a lot. Just two of us.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jo Ann! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Ana Nelson says
Hey Ashley!
I prepared this meal yesterday and my family and I really love it. I’m learning how to cook and I have to try different recipes, if I’m honest with you I think your recipe is my favorite. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ana! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Malinda says
What kind of cheese would you recommend??
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Malinda, you’ll use cheddar cheese in this dish. Hope you enjoy it!
Ray says
I just don’t see where the 1g of trans fat in your recipe is coming from, as this would be bad for a healthy recipe. What is contributing to that? Other than that, this is fairly heart healthy.
Candy Marsh says
Made this recipe tonite for dinner for the first time & both my husband & REALLY enjoyed it! As he said “this is definitely a keeper”!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Candy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Merle Peters says
Prepared this meal tonight and it was a hit. Tasty and with just enough heat to make it interesting. Total time was a little longer than listed, but that wasn’t a problem. I like prepping and chopping everything first. Easily enough for 3 of us with a couple portions left over.
Instructions were easy to follow. I sous vide the chicken ahead of time so it was pretty much ready to go.
Will definitely make this one again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Merle! I’m glad you liked it!