Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Stick-to-your-bones casseroles are a Southern cooking staple, and this chicken spaghetti casserole is no exception. Featuring melty cheese, creamy soup, and hearty chicken and pasta, it’s the perfect meal to serve a hungry crowd.

Learn everything you need to know about this tasty chicken casserole, and enjoy serving chicken spaghetti casserole to your family soon.

What Is Chicken Spaghetti Casserole?

Chicken spaghetti casserole was made almost exclusively in Mississippi until famed food writer Craig Claiborne included a recipe for the dish in his cookbook Craig Claiborne’s Southern Cooking, published in 1987.

With chicken, vegetables, and pasta all held together by a creamy sauce, this casserole is a well-rounded, family-friendly meal. It combines cooked chicken, cooked spaghetti, and sautéed vegetables, plus cream of mushroom soup and shredded cheese. Then everything bakes together to hot and gooey perfection. 

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole Ingredients

There are a few basic ingredients you need to make chicken spaghetti casserole, though there is a fair amount of flexibility when it comes to the specifics. Here’s what you need to get started.

• Chicken: Our recipe calls for a whole chicken that you boil until tender, but you can cook your chicken however you like—or even pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.
• Spaghetti: You’ll break the spaghetti into smaller pieces before cooking it.
• Onion, bell pepper, and celery: Fresh vegetables add brightness and filling ingredients to the casserole.
• Diced tomatoes: Tomatoes have a mild, slightly sweet flavor, but you could also use diced pimientos, roasted red peppers, or diced tomatoes with green chiles for more of a kick.
• Cream of mushroom soup: This is what gives the casserole its creamy, decadent texture. If you can’t find cream of mushroom, cream of chicken or cream of celery soup would also work. 
• Shredded cheese: We like to use Cheddar, but you could also use a combination of Cheddar and Velveeta or Monterey Jack for more heat.
• Salt, pepper, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and butter: Make sure you have these pantry staples on hand for cooking and seasoning.
  

How To Make Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

The full recipe for chicken spaghetti casserole is below, but before you get started, here's a brief recap so you can be prepared.

• Step 1. Cook the chicken: Whether you boil or cook it another way is up to you.
• Step 2. Cook pasta: Don't dump the leftover broth. Cook the pasta in it. Drain when the pasta is cooked.
• Step 3. Sauté vegetables: Cook and soften onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic. Add to the drained pasta when done.
• Step 4. Complete spaghetti: Add cream of mushroom soup, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire and hot sauces, and black pepper to the pasta.
• Step 5. Add pasta to dish: Pour the spaghetti mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese
• Step 6. Bake: Put the casserole dish in the oven, and bake until cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through.

Ways To Serve Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

As is, this is a great one-dish dinner, but if you want to round out the plate, consider adding garlic bread, a salad with homemade thousand island or ranch dressing, or roasted asparagus.

How To Freeze Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Casseroles are a great make-ahead meal that you can prep on the weekend and pop in the oven for a home-cooked supper on a busy weeknight. If you want to freeze your chicken spaghetti casserole, complete steps 1 through 3 of the recipe, then cover it tightly and freeze it for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge. Finish with step 4, and serve it hot.

Editorial contributions by Alyssa Sybertz.