Can I use rotisserie chicken instead?

Yes and it works very well. Skip the long chicken cooking stage and warm the shredded chicken in the sauce before adding the spaghetti and cheese.

Can I make Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti ahead of time?

Yes and it is a good make ahead meal. You can cook the chicken and sauce first and then stir in the spaghetti and final cheese closer to serving time.

What cheese works best in this recipe?

Cheddar gives the classic flavor and color. You can also mix in a little mozzarella for extra stretch or Monterey Jack for a softer melt.

How do I keep the sauce from getting too thick?

Reserve a little chicken broth and stir it in near the end. The pasta continues to absorb sauce as it sits so a splash of liquid helps loosen it.

Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti Easy Family Dinner

Description

This Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti is one of those easy dinners that saves busy nights and still feels like the best comfort food at the table. It brings together tender chicken and creamy sauce and melted cheese for quick and simple ideas you can count on. It is a healthy way to make a cozy weeknight dinner and it also works well for meal prep or a casual potluck when you need something warm and filling to share with family or friends.

Ingredients

Scale

2 breasts boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces spaghetti
2 cans or 21 ounces total cream of chicken soup
1 can or 10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley

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Instructions

Spread the sliced onion in a loose layer and then set the 2 chicken breasts on top with natural spacing and slight overlap. Scatter the garlic and paprika and Italian seasoning and salt and black pepper over the chicken so the tops look unevenly coated and lightly speckled with color. This is the first real visual change because the raw chicken now looks seasoned and the onion starts forming the base under it. Nothing should look perfect and the chicken pieces should sit a little off center with irregular edges showing.
Pour the cream of chicken soup and diced tomatoes with green chiles and chicken broth over the chicken so the sauce lands in uneven pools and leaves some edges exposed. Add pieces of cream cheese across the top so they sit partly above the sauce and partly sink into it. Now the dish changes from a dry seasoned layer into a wet and creamy base with red and white contrast. The chicken should shift slightly from the poured liquid and the sauce should gather more heavily on one side than the other for a natural homemade look.
After cooking the chicken becomes pale and tender and the onion softens into the sauce. Pull the chicken into rough shreds and fold it back through the thickened mixture so strands of chicken drag through the creamy orange tinted sauce and the cream cheese disappears into it. This step creates a major texture change because the large chicken pieces are gone and the sauce turns smoother and more unified. The shredded pieces should be irregular and casually spread with some areas holding more sauce than others.
Add the cooked spaghetti in loose bundles and fold it through the shredded chicken mixture until the noodles are coated but still unevenly tangled. Sprinkle in half of the cheddar so some shreds melt into the sauce while others stay visible as soft yellow streaks. The visual change here is clear because the dish goes from a saucy chicken mixture to a structured pasta casserole style filling. The noodles should not lie in the same direction and the sauce should cling more heavily to some strands than others.
Scatter the remaining cheddar across the top and let it melt until the surface looks glossy and patchy with a few browned spots and thicker cheesy pockets. Scoop a portion onto a plate so the spaghetti twists naturally and the melted cheese stretches in uneven strands over the shredded chicken. This last change gives the dish its finished look because the top turns fully cheesy and the colors deepen slightly. The final portion should look cozy and homemade with rough edges and non uniform color and a little parsley scattered over the top.

Notes

Pro Tips:

Use freshly shredded cheddar when possible because it melts more smoothly into the pasta.
Do not overcook the spaghetti because it will soften a little more after it is mixed in.
Cut the cream cheese into pieces so it melts faster and blends more evenly.
Add a small splash of broth at the end if you want the sauce a little looser.

Storage: Let the pasta cool slightly and then store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken as it sits and that is normal. Reheat in portions with a small splash of broth or milk and stir gently until creamy again. This also freezes well for a future dinner though the pasta will be a little softer after thawing.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving