chicken rotel spaghetti garnished with thyme

Chicken Rotel Spaghetti

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Chicken Rotel spaghetti is cheesy and hearty with a little spice. It’s pure comfort food! And a great recipe with Rotel!

a pan of chicken rotel spaghetti garnished with a sprig of thyme on top

Rotel pasta sauce

You can’t go wrong with southern comfort food. This one has creamy cheesy sauce, pasta, and chicken too. It’s easy to make, you can even use leftover chicken. And it just takes canned Rotel for some kick or you can even make homemade Rotel for even more flavor!

diced tomatoes and green chilies, homemade rotel

This recipe is a great budget saver and will feed a crowd. So it’s perfect for a party or potluck. Or to make a big casserole and have it leftover the rest of the week. It’s a meal complete with protein, carbs, and veggies too! This dish is on our picky eater food list too.

Crack chicken without Velveeta

We do not use processed cheese food in our chicken Rotel spaghetti. We avoid processed food as much as possible. We make our own cheese sauce with real cheese! It’s not hard and you can know you are feeding your family good food.

cooked spaghetti pasta

If you want al dente noodles, undertook them by 1-2 minutes because it cooks more as it bakes. And a pro tip for the best pasta dishes is to salt the water before you cook the pasta. It should taste like the ocean. Once you cook the pasta and pour it off, you’ll have a much more flavorful dish.

For the chicken, you can use leftover chicken you already have, or you can get a rotisserie chicken or roast or grill a little chicken to use. You can also substitute leftover turkey! I love using the air fryer oven to roast some chicken if I don’t have any leftovers. Or use another meat like chopped ham, bacon, pork chops, or whatever leftover meat is available. I love simple dinner ideas!

You can add any leftover veggies you have in the fridge that you think might taste great, or add a can of beans as well. I think black beans would be wonderful! And you can substitute any kind of pasta as well. You can also make Chicken Rotel spaghetti with spaghetti squash. And you can make your ranch seasoning mix homemade as well. See how here.

You can make this dish 1-2 days ahead and bake it when you’re ready to serve. It also freezes well.

For more ideas for leftover chicken, check these out:

How to store Chicken Rotel Spaghetti

Allow it to cool completely and store it in an air tight container for up to 3 days. Or in the freezer for up to 3 months. From the fridge, reheat one portion at a time in the microwave or put the whole casserole back in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes to reheat it. From the freezer, thaw in the fridge overnight first.

Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?

Rotel spaghetti sauce

chicken rotel spaghetti garnished with thyme
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Chicken Rotel Spaghetti

Creamy, cheesy, spicy pasta with chicken without Velveeta or processed cheese. Affectionately called crack chicken spaghetti many times.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken casserole, chicken rotel spaghetti, crack chicken spaghetti, recipes with rotel
Servings: 6
Calories: 418kcal
Author: Christina

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg spaghetti noodles
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of ranch seasoning mix
  • 3 cups shredded chicken
  • 1 can of rotel or bag of frozen homemade rotel
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • extra shredded cheese for the top if desired

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350
  • In a large pan, cook pasta according to package ingredients. Then pour into a collandar to drain. Leave the pasta in the sink draining.
  • Return the empty pan to the stove and melt the butter over medium heat.
  • Add the flour and cook and stir until the roux starts to just brown.
  • Add the milk and chicken stock all at once and whisk while it comes to a boil. Whisk while it boils for about 3-5 minutes. The longer the better.
  • Add salt and pepper and ranch seasoning and cook and stir a minute more.
  • Add the cream cheese and shredded cheeses and stir continuously until it's all melted.
  • Add the rotel, chicken, and cooked pasta from the colander.
  • Stir until combined.
  • Pour into greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.
  • Sprinkle some extra shredded cheese on top if desired and bake for 30-45 minutes utnil the casserole is thick and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 483mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 627IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 378mg | Iron: 1mg

For more pasta recipes you’ll love, check these out:

For more ways to use spicy rotel, check these out:

For more recipes that use hot peppers, check these out.

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5 from 1 vote

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