Monterey Chicken Spaghetti Casserole – my whole family went crazy over this easy chicken casserole!! Even our super picky eaters! Chicken, spaghetti, sour cream, cream of chicken, spinach, Monterey Jack Cheese, and french fried onions. Makes a great freezer meal! This is the most requested dinner in our house. #casserole #chickendinner #chickencasserole
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This Monterey Chicken Spaghetti is THE BEST!!! Chicken spaghetti loaded with spinach, Monterey Jack cheese and french fried onions. Seriously delicious! I wanted to lick my plate this was so good. I’m not a big spinach person, but this was the perfect amount. If you like lots of spinach, feel free to double the amount. I am of the opinion that a little spinach goes a long way!
This spaghetti casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen for later. I usually make it the day before and heat it up for dinner. This makes a lot of chicken spaghetti. You can easily split the pasta between two pans and bake one now and freeze one for later.
We served this pasta casserole with a salad and some garlic bread. This was one of our favorite meals. So yummy and cheesy. I also LOVED the crunch from the french fried onions. Give this a try. I know it will be a hit – even with the spinach haters!
Monterey Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 12- oz dried spaghetti
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 (16-oz) container sour cream
- 2 (10.5-oz) cans Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 (6-oz) can French's French Fried Onions, divided
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, drained spinach, 1 cup cheese, garlic and ½ can of French’s French Fried Onions.
- Stir in cooked spaghetti. Pour into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and onions on top of pasta mixture.
- Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes.
Notes:
- I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon: https://amzn.to/49n4uZE
- Need Gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup? You can buy it here: https://amzn.to/3MtqQ1s
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- Can make casserole in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later.
- If baking after refrigerating, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- To bake after freezing, thaw completely and bake as directed above.
Steph
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This makes a lot! It’s a great extended family dinner or potluck recipe. You can also make it a Make 1 Freeze 1 recipe too for when you don’t feel like cooking. I crushed the garlic instead of mincing it as I think you get more flavor that way. This actually tasted better a few days later when we ate the leftovers!
Absolutely love this recipe. Making a half size for my daughter as I type this comment. Just added salt and fresh pepper. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Awesome recipe! I always use fresh spinach. We are only two so I halved the recipe this time. I added 1/4c Sauvignon blanc and this one beefsteak tomato that wash getting icky (I grated it). We absolutely loved the addition of the tomato cause it added another flavour dimension! Thank you for a great addition to our rotation!
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes
I was wondering when you freeze the recipe after baking, how would you recommend reheating?
There is really no need to bake it before freezing. You are just heating everything up. If you do bake it for some reason, you can reheat it covered in the oven or in the microwave.
Loved this recipe! Made it exactly as written the first time and was supper happy. Made it a second time with a couple substitutions and was still so happy! I spiraled zucchini to replace the pasta and used broccoli instead of spinach. I also added a healthy dose of ground red pepper. We like it spicy in my house! Turned out amazing! I almost wish I added a can of Rotel! It’s so great to find a good recipe that you can play with! Thank you!
I halved the recipe and added a 5 oz. can of evaporated milk as the casserole seemed a little dry upon mixing. Baked up perfectly! We enjoyed the flavor very much and will make again. I am toying with the idea of adding diced jarred roasted red peppers the next time. Thank you for sharing!
p.s. Beyond the cheese, is there any significance to the name ‘Monterey’ in the recipe? Chili’s serves a smothered Monterey Chicken (Colby-Jack cheese, BBQ sauce, bacon, and diced tomato) and I’ve wondered about the name. It puts me in the mind of Monterey, CA (or Mexico, but that’s a double-R Monterrey) yet I can’t quite figure out what’s Californian about it. {grin}
If it bakes for 50 minutes can I use cut up raw chicken?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I made this a month ago or longer according to directions except for adding baby Bella mushrooms. Split into 2 casseroles and froze 1. My husband and I both liked it but he didn’t like the French fried onions. I kept ignoring the one in the freezer thinking it wouldn’t be as good since it was frozen but took it out yesterday so I could clean out the freezer. Baked it today and it was so good. My husband went back for more 2 times lol. I didn’t add anymore liquid than what the recipe called for and it was not dry at all. And clean up today was so easy. Thanks for this great recipe