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Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Hen Spaghetti – WellPlated.com


Whether or not you realize it as Hen Spaghetti or chickenetti, this consolation meals casserole is a creamy, tacky crowd-pleaser! Excellent for potlucks and household dinner (it serves 10!), my model skips the canned soup and layers in some Tex-Mex flavors to make it additional delicious.

A spatula serves cheesy baked chicken spaghetti with diced tomatoes from a white casserole dish.

A basic Midwestern casserole with some Nicely Plated twists.

cookbook author erin clarke of well plated

Hen spaghetti is an Amish casserole made to feed a crowd on a price range.

And, because it goes with most Midwestern casserole recipes, the unique model is made with numerous canned soup and cheese.

I’m not going to skip the cheese (worry not!), however I’m going to show you to swap in a do-it-yourself cream sauce that’s nonetheless simple, however not as excessive in sodium.

After which we get slightly bit sassy and switch it right into a real-deal meal…

  • We are including veggies with onion and pink bell pepper, together with a hefty 3 garlic cloves to infuse the rooster spaghetti casserole with extra taste (and a pop of colour too).
  • Diced tomatoes with inexperienced chiles, pimentos, cumin, and paprika add unimaginable taste to the sauce and provides this old school casserole slightly Tex-Mex spin.
  • Complete wheat spaghetti offers the casserole some additional heartiness and a delicate taste enhance.
Plate of creamy chicken spaghetti with diced red bell peppers, served with a side of leafy green salad and a fork.

Key Substances

This isn’t the complete listing of elements! You’ll discover that within the printable recipe card on the backside of the web page. However right here you’ll discover a fast abstract of the important thing gamers and a few notes to remember.

  • Spaghetti. As talked about above, I like to make use of complete wheat spaghetti, however common spaghetti is simply high quality too.
  • Greens. I exploit yellow onion and pink bell pepper, together with garlic. You should use a yellow or orange bell pepper as an alternative of pink for the same candy taste, or attempt inexperienced bell pepper for slightly extra chew.
  • Low-Sodium Hen Broth. The bottom of our cream sauce. I like to make use of low-sodium as a result of it offers me extra management over the salt stage.
  • Complete Milk. I like to recommend sticking with complete milk and never swapping in a decrease fats selection. This helps make the sauce wealthy and creamy.
  • Cream Cheese. You should use full-fat or reduced-fat. Let it come to room temperature so it melts extra rapidly into the sauce.
  • Diced Tomatoes With Inexperienced Chiles. HELLO FLAVOR! This straightforward addition provides so many layers of taste, beginning with the intense acidity of the tomatoes, which may be very welcome in such a wealthy casserole.
  • Pimentos. Tender, tangy, and candy. Not a fan? Chopped roasted pink peppers would work too.
  • Cheese. I exploit a mixture of cheddar (for taste) and mozzarella (for a superior soften).
  • Spices. Floor paprika and cumin; I exploit common (candy) paprika, however you should utilize smoked paprika for slightly smoky oomph.
  • Hen. Maintain it simple and decide up a rotisserie rooster for this recipe, or use cooked rooster. It may be cooked and cubed (attempt my Baked Hen Breast or Air Fryer Hen Breast), or use Crockpot Shredded Hen.

My Suggestions for the Finest Hen Spaghetti

  • Prepare dinner the Pasta to Al Dente. That is essential! Should you don’t need your pasta bloated and ugh, you could undercook it barely. It can end cooking within the oven.
  • Shred Your Personal Cheese for the Finest Soften. The basic model of rooster spaghetti makes use of Velveeta and irrespective of your ideas on this controversial topic, Velveeta melts BEAUTIFULLY. Retailer-bought shreds? Not a lot—it’s coated with an anti-caking agent that impacts its potential to soften easily. So in order for you that ultra-smooth, velvety soften, shred the cheese from a block.
  • Work It Into Your Meal Plan. Once I’m making a rooster casserole like rooster spaghetti, I prefer to make rooster for dinner the evening earlier than and plan for leftovers. I put aside what I would like for the casserole the following day and we eat the remaining for dinner. 
Baked cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole with shredded chicken and peppers in a white dish, topped with melted cheese and black pepper.Baked cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole with shredded chicken and peppers in a white dish, topped with melted cheese and black pepper.

Recipe Variations

There are MANY methods to make rooster spaghetti. Right here’s some inspo.

  • Make It Italian Type. Use diced tomatoes with Italian herbs and swap the pimento with sun-dried tomatoes. Use 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan. As a substitute of paprika and cumin, use Italian seasoning.
  • Add Mushrooms. Swap out the pink bell pepper for Sautéed Mushrooms.
  • Wilt in Some Spinach. Stir a bundle of child spinach into the sauce for some additional veggie goodness.
  • Add Some Crispy-Crunch. Mix panko breadcrumbs with melted butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle this combination over the rooster spaghetti earlier than baking.

Stop your display screen from going darkish

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided, plus further for cooking the pasta
  • 12 ounces complete wheat spaghetti or common spaghetti
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus further for the pasta
  • 1 small yellow onion diced into ¼-inch items (about 1 cup)
  • 1 pink bell pepper diced into ¼-inch items (about 1 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves minced, about 1 tablespoon
  • 1 ¼ cups low-sodium rooster broth
  • 1 cup complete milk
  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (alright to swap decreased fats; don’t use fats free)
  • 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with inexperienced chiles of their juices
  • 1 4-ounce jar chopped pimentos drained
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
  • ½ cup shredded complete milk mozzarella cheese
  • ½ teaspoon floor paprika
  • ½ teaspoon floor cumin
  • 4 cups chopped rotisserie or cooked rooster or use cooked, shredded rooster

  • Place a rack within the middle of your oven and warmth to 375°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

  • Convey a big pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare dinner the pasta to al dente based on the bundle directions. Drain and return to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to stop sticking.

  • In the meantime, in a big skillet, warmth 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium warmth. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook dinner, stirring, till starting to melt, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and cook dinner for 1 minute. Switch the vegetable combination to the ready baking dish.

  • Return the skillet to medium-low warmth and add the broth, milk, and cream cheese. Whisk till the sauce is scorching and the cream cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Add the undrained can of tomatoes, pimentos, ½ cup cheddar, mozzarella, paprika, cumin, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Convey to a low simmer and cook dinner, stirring often, till the sauce has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.

  • Add the cooked spaghetti, rooster, and cheese sauce to the baking dish with the greens. Stir to mix. Prime with the remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar.

  • Bake uncovered till effervescent and golden on prime, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for five minutes earlier than serving.

  • TO STORE: Switch leftovers to an hermetic container or wrap them within the unique casserole dish. Refrigerate for as much as 4 days.
  • TO REHEAT: Heat particular person parts of the rooster spaghetti within the microwave, or reheat it in a baking dish coated with foil in a 350ºF oven.
  • TO FREEZE: Switch leftovers to an hermetic container and freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating.
  • FREEZER MEAL PREP: Freeze unbaked with out cheese topping for as much as 6 months. Prime and bake for a further 10 minutes; cowl for all however the final 10 minutes. 

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