This Easy Chicken Spaghetti will become a weeknight dinner staple! Our family loves this creamy pasta topped with lots of parmesan cheese. Not only is this spaghetti out of this world delicious, but it’s ready and on the table in just 20 minutes.
Because who doesn’t love an easy, super comforting pasta recipe? This pasta dish reminds us of our equally creamy 15 Minute Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti that uses a rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken to get you started!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
Often when people think of chicken spaghetti they think of the creamy casserole with condensed soup and lots of cheese. As much as I’m down for a big bowl of that, my kids aren’t so much into the real gooey, cheesy things.
So this Easy Chicken Spaghetti is the perfect recipe for them! A couple of chicken breasts, cream cheese, your favorite jar of sauce, spaghetti and parmesan cheese is all you’ll need to make this pasta recipe.
- Easy To Make: As the name implies, this spaghetti recipe is really a breeze to make. In under 20 minutes you can have this creamy pasta dish ready to serve.
- Kid Friendly: Kids devour this spaghetti, which we love because it’s packed with protein and hearty carbs to fill them up.
- Affordable: Whether you make this recipe with chicken breasts or grab a rotisserie chicken, this recipe feeds a crowd with just a few dollars.
- Versatile: You can add SO many things to this recipe; different proteins, vegetables, or different pasta shapes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken, or bake a couple of chicken breasts in the oven while the pasta is cooking. Either way, you’ll only need a few ingredients to get this pasta on the table.
- Chicken Breasts: We use chicken breasts that are simply seasoned and baked. You can also use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken. You’ll need about 3 cups of cooked, shredded chicken.
- Spaghetti: 1 pound of dry spaghetti noodles. You can also swap out linguine but not a thinner pasta shape like angel hair.
- Spaghetti Sauce: Your favorite brand, about 3 cups or a 24 ounce jar.
- Cream Cheese: 8 ounce of cream cheese softened to room temperature.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Since this recipe only uses a few ingredients, make sure they are all good quality. Buy a nutty, high quality parmesan cheese for this recipe.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
How To Make Easy Chicken Spaghetti
Even if you’re starting out with raw chicken breasts, I guarantee this Chicken Spaghetti recipe will be on the table in just 20 minutes.
A trick I like to use is to cut the chicken breasts into strips (depending on the size of your chicken breast, 2 or three) then season them and bake. This allows for the chicken to cook faster and also get more seasoning on the surface of the chicken.
- STEP 1 – Cook The Chicken: Cut chicken breasts into strips and season them with oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, turning over once in between cooking.
- STEP 2 – Boil The Pasta: While the chicken is in the oven, cook the spaghetti according to the packager directions. Drain and return to the pot along with spaghetti sauce, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Stir together until the cream cheese blends into the sauce and spaghetti.
- STEP 3 – Shred The Chicken And Serve: When the chicken is done, shred with two forks and place into the pot, stirring to combine. Serve with extra parmesan cheese if desired.
Variations
Although we think this spaghetti is pretty perfect the way it is, there are many different ways that you can make it your own! Certain ingredients may add time to the recipe, but only a few minutes.
- Different Pasta: You can really make this chicken spaghetti with most any pasta shape, even if it’s not a long noodle. Linguine or capellini work well, but also short tube pasta like ziti or rigatoni.
- Different Protein: Leftover turkey is delicious, but you can also use ground beef or ground chicken instead of chicken breasts.
- Vegetables: Add some vegetables to this recipe for more nutrients. Chopped, cooked broccoli, peas, spinach (fresh or frozen).
- Instead Of Cream Cheese: If you’re not a fan of cream cheese, there are other options. Heavy cream can be used in it’s place. Ricotta cheese or a whole milk cottage cheese adds creaminess and extra protein.
Can I Make This Spaghetti Recipe Ahead Of Time?
This spaghetti recipe is really best served when it’s first made. And since it only takes 20 minutes from start to finish, it’s usually not something we need to get done in advance. But if you’re looking to make it ahead of time there are a few things that you can do to get ahead.
Make the chicken ahead of time, shred it and refrigerate until ready. This step can also be made easy if you’re using leftover chicken or a shredded rotisserie chicken.
Make sure that your cream cheese is at room temperature so that it blends into the sauce easily. Lastly, you can boil the spaghetti ahead of time, rinse it and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready. Warm up the sauce with the cream cheese and chicken. Add the cooked spaghetti and let the warm sauce separate the strands.
What Sides Go Well With Spaghetti?
If you can even break away from shoveling this creamy spaghetti in your mouth, which believe me is much harder to do than you might think, we can talk about some sides!
Head over to our Side Dish Menu for all the side dish recipes that you could ever need, but we’ll list some great side dishes that go with this spaghetti here for you!
- Creamy Caesar Salad
- Garlic Bread
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli
- Cheesy Stuffed Artichokes
- Escarole Bistro Salad
Store And Reheat
Store leftover pasta in a container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheating the pasta is as easy as placing it in the microwave and warming for a minute or two.
Sometimes upon reheating, pasta dishes can tend to dry our as the pasta absorbs the sauce. Add a little more sauce if needed, or a splash of chicken broth to reconstitute the sauce.
Looking For More Pasta Recipes?
- Perfect Baked Ziti
- Classic Beef Lasagna
- Beef & Mushroom Spaghetti
- Creamy Penne Vodka
- Pasta Carbonara
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Easy Chicken Spaghetti
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Easy Chicken Spaghetti is always a hit for dinner! Creamy, delicious and hearty and on the table in under 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 pound package of spaghetti
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (can also use rotisserie or leftover chicken, *see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and place on a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Cutting the chicken breast into strips help it to cook faster and allow more seasoning to get on the surface of the chicken.
- Season the chicken on both sides with the oregano, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken for 12-14 minutes, (depending on the size of your strips) turning over once in between cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven and place onto a board or a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- While the chicken is in the oven, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, then drain and place back into the pot that you cooked it in. Turn the stove on low heat and add the sauce to warm through. Add the cream cheese and the parmesan cheese and whisk the sauce together until blended.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and place into the pot, stirring to combine.
- Taste for seasonings, adjust if needed and then serve in large bowls with extra parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
If using leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken, shred the chicken and then toss in the oregano, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper to season the chicken before adding to the spaghetti. You’ll need 3 cups of chicken for this recipe.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Made this for dinner tonight and it was both super simple and wonderfully delicious. While waiting for the water for the spaghetti to boil, I started my chicken on the griddle. By the time the spaghetti was finished cooking, the chicken was done and shredded. Served it with a freshly baked boule of French bread, sliced and topped with garlic butter. The teenagers loved it, so it is a definite win.