Comfort Food with a Kick
This creamy, cheesy chicken spaghetti gets a flavorful Tex-Mex twist thanks to zesty Rotel tomatoes. It’s easy, family-friendly, and ready in under an hour—perfect for busy nights or weekend comfort food.
- Creamy, cheesy, and full of bold flavor
- Uses pantry staples and rotisserie chicken (if you’re short on time)
- Makes a big batch—great for feeding a crowd or meal prepping
- Kid-approved, even with a little spice
- Totally freezer-friendly
Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
Spaghetti gets a spicy kick with the addition of cheese and diced tomatoes and green chilies!
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Servings: 6 -8 servings
Calories: 183kcal
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless (or 1 whole rotisserie chicken, cubed or shredded)
- 1 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
- 1 10.75 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 8 oz. brick Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 8 ounces spaghetti cooked and drained
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
If using raw chicken
- Cut 3 chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
- In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add cubed chicken, 1 clove garlic & 1/2 tsp. onion powder.
- Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink.
- Stir in 1 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup, 1 8 oz. brick Velveeta cheese, cubed and 1 10.75 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilis.
- Reduce heat to low, and cook until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
- Stir in cooked 8 ounces spaghetti. Season with Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
If using rotisserie chicken
- In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the rotisserie chicken, 1 clove garlic & 1/2 tsp. onion powder.
- Stir in 1 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup, 1 8 oz. brick Velveeta cheese, cubed and 1 10.75 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilis.
- Reduce heat to low, and cook until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
- Stir in cooked 8 ounces spaghetti. Season with Salt and pepper, to taste.
- Pour into prepared casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 609mg | Sugar: 1g
Keep scrolling for tips, ingredient substitutions, answers to frequently asked questions and more!
Recipe Tips
- Skip the stove: Use a rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken to save even more time.
- Stretch it out: Add a handful of cooked corn, black beans, or sautéed bell peppers.
- Need to lighten it up? Sub in equal amounts Greek yogurt or light cream cheese instead of Velveeta.
- Heat level: Choose the mild, original, or hot Rotel depending on your preference. Add jalapeños or red pepper flakes if you want more spice
Craving More Tex-Mex Comfort?
This cheesy casserole is filling on its own, but a simple veggie side helps round it out. Here are some ideas:
For a fun weeknight dinner, follow it with Banana Bread Coffee Cake for a sweet and cozy finish.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing
Rotel Chicken Spaghetti is just as good the next day—maybe even better:
- To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between. Add a splash of milk if it thickens too much.
- To freeze: Assemble the dish but don’t bake it. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed, adding a few extra minutes if needed.
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
59 comments
Tanya
This recipe was amazing I made chicken spaghetti before and my kids hated it!! but your recipe was so good my kids loved it and had seconds!
JulieBee
Thank you for your recipe Danelle. It looks and sounds delicious. We’re going to be making it tonight for the first time, but I can’t find any spaghetti in the house. All I have is veggie wagon wheel pasta. I hope that is an acceptable substitute. I’m not sure if it may be too firm in comparison. Maybe I should send my son to the store for spaghetti… ?
Danelle
I think you could use almost any kind of pasta in this recipe.
Terri
Made this tonight and it was a huge hit. I used fire roasted Rotel tomatoes and 2% Velveeta cheese because that was what I had on hand. I also added some crushed garlic butter croutons to the top before putting in the oven. It turned out amazing! Also, all I had was frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts so I cooked them in the instant pot with a cup of chicken broth and a couple of frozen garlic cubes and some salt and once they were cooked I cut them into pieces and mixed them in with the soup, tomatoes and melted cheese. Worked great!
Will definitely make again as my husband and kids gobbled it up!
JulieBee
@ Terri – Thank you for your idea of putting the frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot first to thaw and cut up. I have the same thing and not much time, so was not sure what to do. 🙂 However, I don’t have frozen garlic cubes. I’m wondering if that’s something home-made?
Julie
Trader Joe’s for the frozen garlic
Sandra
I used crushed Ritz crackers for a topping. Delicious!
Danelle
Thank you Terri!