Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole – chicken, spaghetti, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, butter, seasonings, Parmesan and cheddar cheese -THE BEST! We make this once a month! Makes a great freezer meal!
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Pin This RecipeThis recipe is from Plain Chicken reader, Jennifer Colson. She calls the recipe chicken tetrazzini. I already have a couple of tetrazzini recipes, so I call this Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. We thought this was great. It makes a ton. This would be a great potluck dish. You can make this casserole of time and freeze or refrigerate for later.
I suggest dividing this into two 9-inch pans and freezing one of them for later. Each pan would serve about 5 or 6 people. This is good reheated for lunch or dinner the next day. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us Jennifer!
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked chopped chicken (1 whole rotisserie chicken)
- 12- oz spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 2 (10.5-oz) cans Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup (I used 98% fat free)
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 16- oz sour cream (I used light)
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup dried parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1½ to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Combine first 12 ingredients. Spread into a lightly greased 9×13-inch dish (or 2 9×9-inch dishes). Top with cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes, until bubbly.
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 ahead of time 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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Looking forward to making this. Quick question…….is the parmesan cheese the grated kind out of the green container or do you use shredded parmesan in this recipe?
Either is just fine. I use freshly grated parmesan off the block.
Delicious, rich, creamy, comforting casserole. Freezes and reheats very well. So happy.
This is fantastic 😋😋 and I was very surprised at the amount it makes and that’s a good thing because I also feed others that don’t have any money and are going through some really tough times financially. I myself live on a disability pension so I can imagine what it would be like to not be able to afford much food. I definitely don’t charge anything for the food I prepare and I’m just happy knowing that I can help others who are down and out and the gratification of knowing that they all love whatever I make them is enough thanks for me and it touches my heart and when I double this recipe I know that I have enough for quite a few people. So thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe and I look forward to cooking up more of your recipes. If someone needs help then help anyway that you can. Just remember, what goes around comes around. Thank God for karma and wonderful recipes like this one 💙💜💙💜
I made it mostly as written (only had one can of cream of chicken, so also used one can of cream of mushroom.) It is very good. I am single and batch cook and then reheat the leftovers for a number of days and this reheats very well.
Now that I have made it as-is, I may try adding some frozen chopped broccoli to it for a bit of veggies. But great recipe!
Love this recipe! I have made it several times already and have used it a lot for camping. I just make it ahead of time and keep it in a foil pan to reheat over the campfire. Very filling and feeds a crowd!
Can you explain how this can be made over stove top instead of baking?
Not sure. I’ve only baked this casserole.
Can the spaghetti be replaced with pasta?
Had the pasta version as-is recipe and it’s amazing. Tastes amazing after you freeze and cook too!
It was great! Would add less parsley and definately add some garlic. The cheese on top didn’t do anything for us, so next time we will just do the crunchy topping! We’ll definately make it again, but cut the receipe in hand. It makes A TON!!
This is one of our favs – I don’t get the negative comments here – just cut back on the butter – I use about half . I cook spaghetti in a deep skillet- drain then put all other ingredients in skillet- add spaghetti last and transfer straight to oven – easy easy
,Family loved this, will definitely be making this again.
I have made this for several guests and they all love it. It is so easy to make. I buy the pulled rotisserie chicken at the grocery deli to make it easier. I do leave out the parsley but everything else as stated. This makes a large amount so sometimes I just make half the recipe or cook in two pans and then freeze one for later. It is so good!!!!!!
In what Nirvana do you live that sells pulled rotisserie chicken? 😳☺️
I almost never buy one because I hate taking the skin, fat, bones, etc. out.
Um…….Costco
Also, Walmart
This is really good – I leave the butter out and use ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs.
So glad you enjoyed it, Trudei!
Put the butter in the crushed ritz crackers. Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but the butter and crushed ritz crackers makes an awesome topping on some other chicken casseroles I make. Husband always wants me to double the topping. Lol
16 oz of sour cream? The video doesn’t look like you used that much.
It did
Was that a typo or do you really use 1/4 cup dried parsley not fresh? I’m about to make this. Thanks!
no typo – use what you want
I made this and it was great. I am making it again for a holiday gathering. We also loved it reheated. Thanks
I microwaved the butter and forgot about it! Hopefully it turns out okay! It’s in the oven now.
Trying to figure out how to divide this recipe to make this for only one person…
1/4 everything.
Made this for dinner last night. It was delicious. Put half of it unbaked in the freezer for another time. Had it for lunch today too! Winner!
I made this as recipe called for. IT WAS GREAT will put it in my menu planner once every mo.or 2. Hubby really liked it to. Hope it freezes well. Freezing leftovers.
I made this Sunday night and my family loved it. I did make a few changes. I used alfredo sauce instead of cream if chicken because i have any and used mozzarella cheese instead cheddar cheese because i have any and i sprsprinkled parmesan cheese on top because i didn't have bread crumbs. My daughter said i should make this more often. I also cut the recipe in half. The next time i be making by the recipe. I will make due have all the ingredients. Thank you for sharing
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oops I'm Sorry I see it
What temp do I bake this at!!
I am making this tonight but i am definately adding some onions!! and 1 can cream chicken soup, one mushroom, and adding fresh mushrooms as well!
Not sure if I misread the ingredients the first time I made this or what but I’ve always done this with cream cheese instead of sour cream, and this is literally the best baked chicken spaghetti recipe there is!!
This has always used sour cream – sounds yummy with cream cheese though.
Delicious! Made this for family and everyone raved. Didn't change a thing. I'm a firm believer in trying the recipe as is the first time, then tweak if needed – no tweaking necessary here!
I do the same thing! SO glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
This is the Bomb❣️ no tweaks necessary. My entire family loves it.
I have made this several times and followed the directions exactly as written and it really was wonderful. The last time I doubled it for a large group. This time I will be making 3 batches for an even larger group! Funny thing though, I really thought this recipe had red pepper flakes in it previously?? I must be going crazy. LOL Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Love this recipe.
My husband doesn’t like chicken but I made this for him and he said, yum put that in the rotation!
Thanks for sharing.
My noodles cooked away and it ended up more like a stew It was good but maybe ill use a thicker noodle or cook less time next time
To cut down on calories could I use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream? love the idea of halfing this dish since there is only the 2 of us.
I use crema here in Mexico. Should be able to find it at a Mexican store in the US. I’m not sure if it has less calories than sourcream or not. If I wanted to cut back on the calories in this dish I would cut the butter in half or leave it out all together.
To cut down on calories could I use plain yogurt instead of the sour cream? Love the idea of halfing this since there is only the 2 of us.
I made this a while back, made 2, one for that night and one for the freezer. Only changes I made was left out It. Seas. because I don't like it and decreased the parsley. I also used 2 large cans of Hormel Chicken because that's all I had and I am too poor to buy a real one,already had the cans. I also used potato chips & crushed cornflakes on the top mixed with a little cheddar. My daughter who hardly eats anything absolutely loved it and begged me a week later to cook the one in the freezer too.! I liked it too. A lot like Turkey Tetrazinni! (this is under my daughter's name can't figure out how I commented under mine before on her laptop? ( I am MDT333 above)
I used less parsley flakes because I am not a big fan of dried parsley. I increased the Italian seasoning so it would still be flavorful. I also used Ritz crackers instead of Italian bread crumbs on top. I can't wait for it to come out of the oven!!!
I used less parsley because I am not a big fan of dried parsley. I increased the Italian seasoning so it would still be flavorful. Also, I crushed Ritz crackers up to go on top instead of the Italian bread crumbs. Can't wait for it to come out of the oven!!!
Pinned this yesterday and made it last evening. Very, very good and we were able to freeze 3 meals from it as well. Not too shabby….4 meals for $16 🙂
Can this be made the day before and cooked the next night? I'm not sure if it will be as creamy and get a little dry. Your thoughts. Thank you!
i made this and it was dry could you tell me how many cups of cooked spagetti to use
I measure pasta in ounces. I used 3/4 of a pound package. Barilla has measurements on their website: http://www.barilla.com/faq?p=measuring
Wish all pasta recipes just called for the full 16 oz. that comes in a box… hard to figure what 12 oz is and what do you do with the little bit left over? Would it be so bad to just use the whole box or would you have to increase the sauce?
Any changes and substitutions to the recipe would be at your discretion.
I used cream cheese instead of sour cream. Great!
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I thought there was way too much parsley and butter so I cut in half the amount. Also the time to cook I felt was to long since everything is already cooked. I cut the time in half as well. Everything turned out perfect! The family loved it! Thanks!
Good to know, I thought a entire stick of butter sounded like a lot. I'll try it this way as well!
Made this for the first time, was really good!! Will make again!!
I thought there was way too much parsley and butter so I cut in half the amount. Also the time to cook I felt was to long since everything is already cooked. I cut the time in half as well. Everything turned out perfect! The family loved it! Thanks!
After reading the recipe & all the comments I find the comments are very helpful. I always tweak recipes I see to my personal tastes, as I think a lot of people do. After reading your comment Jodi, I re-read the recipe, and I think you may be right for my taste. It does sound like a lot of butter and way too much dried parsley, however it may be fine if you used fresh parsley. This reminds me of a dish I make with chicken thighs,cream. of mushroom soup,sour cream and rice. I cook the chicken first with butter,garlic powder,Cavenders and Salad Supreme., then mix 1 to 1!/2 cups rice with soup,sour cream and a little milk. Bake for 45 minutes or until rice is cooked. I would make this recipe like you said , or use fresh parsley and cut butter in half. I think I would add a 1/2 cup of heavy cream or fill one empty soup can with half and half. I like my dishes extra creamy and I think if you were to freeze it, it would need extra liquid to keep from drying up. You could always add a little chicken broth when cooking it out of the freezer. I don't think people replying does any harm or insults the original poster of the recipe, I think all the ideas are helpful when you read a recipe and it has something you don't like but the rest sounds very good to you. My mother made Turkey Tetrazzini a lot growing up and I love anything with pasta in it as long as it doesn't have bell peppers. I want to make this but only have 3 large CANS of chicken or a big pack of thigh/leg quarters and am too lazy to bone and skin them since I just did a whole one for chicken and rice. I wonder how canned chicken would taste? I'm sure not as good as a rotisserie one, but I have less than a dollar in my bank account and my whopping 15 dollars in food stamps for the month is gone on necessities and I still forgot the sourcream!
I made this tonight.. It was delicious. I didn't have broth or shredded chicken & it still turned out great! Everyone loved it. I like the little bit of heat from the cayenne.. Fantastic flavor overall! Served with Garlic bread. Simple fast dinner
Please forgive this ignorant question…..if i were to make this is 2 pans, when you say "freeze the other one", exactly, how is that done? just stick it in the pan, cover with foil and freeze?
I put it in the pan, cover it with plastic wrap and then with foil and throw it in the freezer.
Easy enough! Thanks for that!
I made this last night and boy was it DELICIOUS!! So much so I brought some left-overs to work for lunch today :)The only thing I added was 1T minced garlic. Yummmmmm! Thanks for posting!! xoxo
i'm wondering can the spaghetti be switched out for a different pasta…and would that affect cook time??
Gawd this looks good. Pinned.
This sounds too good! 🙂
Chicken or turkey tetrazzini is one of my absolute favorites. For some reason Trevor doesn't like it as much. Punk kid….
I made this last night, and it was really good. I halved the recipe and made it in an 8×8 pan. The butter I had was salted, and the next time I make it I'll leave out the extra salt.
Eileen – I am not sure how many cups it is. It is 3/4 of the pound package. Enjoy!
How many cups is 12 oz spaghetti?
Try it with crushed Ritz instead of bread crumbs. It gives a great flavor!