This easy and cheesy chicken spaghetti recipe features shredded chicken, salty bacon and tender pasta all coated in a decadent cheese sauce! Baked until golden and bubbly, it’s a comforting casserole perfect for potlucks, big family dinners, or any time you need to feed a small army!
Why I Love This Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
If there’s one thing that my entire family agrees on, it’s this – bacon makes everything better! This cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole is no exception to that rule. Whether I serve it as a fun weeknight dinner or at a potluck with friends, I almost NEVER have leftovers of this chicken spaghetti! Here’s what makes it so amazing:
- Comforting: Cheesy chicken spaghetti with bacon is the definition of cheesy comfort food, it’s one of those stick-to-your-ribs kind of dinners!
- Flavorful: Tender chicken, smoky bacon, cheddar cheese and creamy soup meld together beautifully to make the very best bite.
- Great for a crowd: One batch of this cheesy chicken spaghetti generously feeds a small family multiple times. Freeze portions for easy dinners later or feed a crowd for a potluck or party. This dish always fits the bill!
- Make Ahead: This is a perfect recipe for preparing ahead of time! You can make the entire recipe up to the baking point. Cool, cover with foil, and place it in the fridge. When ready to cook, sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and then bake as directed.
Some of my other family friendly casseroles that feed a crowd include loaded potato and meatloaf casserole, southern chicken and biscuits, and my favorite creamy chicken and dumplings casserole!
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for chicken spaghetti. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chicken: Use any combination of chicken breasts or thighs. You can also use leftover shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken to save some time!
- Veggies: A simple combo of yellow onions, red bell peppers and green bell peppers create the perfect balance of fresh flavors. You can always feel free to swap the red and green peppers with orange or yellow if preferred.
- Soups: You’ll need both cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup to create the very best thick and creamy sauce.
- Bacon: Cook and crumble this, I love cooking my bacon in the oven, or use leftover bacon from breakfast!
- Cheese: I love using sharp cheddar cheese for this baked spaghetti. For the very best texture and flavor, consider grating it right off the block.
How to Make Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
This is a pretty quick moving recipe, so make sure you have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Boil: Use a stock pot to boil the chicken and pasta. Cook the chicken for about 15 to 20 minutes and then remove to shred. Immediately add pasta to the same pan of water, adding more water if needed. Cook the spaghetti while you shred the chicken.
- Drain: Use a strainer to drain pasta. Reserve a cup of the pasta water for later.
- Combine: Add the chicken, pasta water, veggies, soups, bacon, and about a cup and a half of the cheese to a bowl. Toss to combine. Season to taste and add the mixture to a prepared casserole dish.
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- Bake: Top your casserole with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350°F. Remove foil, return to oven, and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
- Serve: Allow casserole to rest for about 5 minutes to cool off and set up, then dig in!
Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Don’t overcook your pasta: You’ll want your noodles to be just al dente. Otherwise, they’ll be overcooked and a little mushy after you bake the casserole. This goes double for any kind of gluten free pasta!
- Add more veggies: You can always sneak in some secret veggies into the casserole. Toss in some frozen peas, corn, carrots, mushrooms or broccoli. This is a great trick for those of you who have picky eaters like me!
- Spice it up: Add diced jalapeños, red pepper flakes or cayenne powder. Try using a spicy cheese like pepper jack or habanero cheddar for an extra kick!
- Change the pasta: Spaghetti noodles are great, but you can also use penne, rigatoni, bow tie, or just about any shape. You can also use whole wheat, gluten-free or veggie pasta.
What To Serve With Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
This cheesy chicken spaghetti is a full meal all on its own, but you can always add some extras:
- Bread: Try my homemade crusty ciabatta bread to help sop up any of that creamy sauce.
- Salad: Lighten up your plate with a side salad! Try spinach strawberry salad or loaded pea salad for a touch of fresh flavor.
- Decadent Dessert: For a sweet finish, try another big crowd pleaser like my easy chocolate and peanut butter Texas sheet cake!
Yield: 6 servings
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
This Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti recipe is loaded with tender chicken, pasta, and bacon in a creamy cheese sauce! It's the ultimate comfort food!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, any combo
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 lb thin spaghetti, broken into thirds
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, optional
- black pepper, to taste
- cajun seasoning, or seasoned salt
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 casserole with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a stock pot, add chicken and salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot (do not throw out the water it was cooked it) and shred. Set aside.
- Add additional water to the pot (enough to boil the spaghetti in) and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes.
- Drain spaghetti, but retain 1 cup of the liquid the spaghetti was cooked in.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked spaghetti, the 1 cup of liquid the noodles were cooked in, the cooked and shredded chicken, onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, 1.5 cups of the cheddar cheese and bacon. Stir well to combine. (I find it easiest to use big tongs to do this!)
- Add seasoning to taste, then pour it into prepared 9×13 casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil and let cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot!
Notes
Store: Place any leftovers in an airtight container and store for up to 3 days.
Freeze: To freeze larger portions for later, use a foil pans and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, put the pan directly from the freezer to the oven and cook for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and cook another 10 minutes.
Reheat: For individual portions, the microwave is a great option. Stir halfway through to ensure even heating. For multiple servings, use the oven. Reheat in a covered, oven safe container at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 746kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 50g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 131mg, Sodium: 2005mg, Potassium: 849mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1334IU, Vitamin C: 45mg, Calcium: 306mg, Iron: 3mg
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Chicken Spaghetti for the win!! We used rotisserie chicken it was so easy and delicious we’ve made it 3 times this month.
This was very good. It was also a sinch to make. I’ve made it twice now, this time I mixed in a can of drained corn (gotta sneak in the veggies). It was wonderful both ways. I enjoy your recipes so much. Keep them coming please.
Looks like great recipe. But do you sauté peppers and onions before baking ? Thanks!
You do not sauté them! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Very delicious! Will definitely make again. Yesterday I made this for dinner and it turned out to be excellent!
So glad you enjoyed it Ann! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment how it turned out!
I love bacon but never thought about putting it in spaghetti. Must try!
You forgot to add the chicken!!! Lol!
Oh lord, I need an editor who is not my husband! 😉 I have updated the recipe! Hope you make it, we seriously love it.
Pass me a fork!
What a wonderful flavorful pasta! My kids would love this!
I just ate and I’m still feeling I need this! Wow, it looks SO good!
Talk about pure comfort food! This spaghetti would disappear crazy fast here!
This looks like it would be a huge hit in our home! Perfect for back to school!
I really love this version and I can’t wait to make it for my family! Looks incredible!
This = my childhood. My mom made a version similar to this, and to this day, it’s ine of my favorite meals. All that cheesy creaminess is just ahhhh so good.