Skillet Chicken Spaghetti
Skillet Chicken Spaghetti is a Southern classic comfort food dish and a great alternative to your traditional spaghetti dinner.
This post has been updated from its original publishing date of May, 16, 2017 with new content, photography, and recipe card.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy, not to mention soul-satisfyingly delicious recipe, then look no further than this Skillet Chicken Spaghetti.
What is chicken spaghetti?
Essentially, chicken spaghetti is a casserole.
It’s similar to chicken or turkey tetrazzini.
It’s like a melding of southern comfort food and tex-mex.
Traditionally canned ‘cream of’ soups are used (and are so delicious in this dish), but aren’t necessary in this recipe.
How to make skillet chicken spaghetti.
Preheat that oven, get the water on to boil for the pasta, grate the cheese, and chop those veggies.
This dish really comes together rather quickly once it’s going, so momentum will be lost if you don’t get your prep done first.
While you’re getting the dish going, have your pasta on to boil. Stop cooking one minute short of package directions. The pasta will finish cooking while baking in the oven.
Time to cook
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Once its hot, add the butter to melt. Toss in the diced onions, including the white parts of the green onions, and peppers.
After about a minute or so, add the garlic, either fresh or granulated. Cook the veggies until they begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed vegetables. Mix it in really well. No one likes to eat a clump of raw flour.
Add the salt and pepper and cook for 2 or so minutes.
Pour in the broth and can of undrained diced tomatoes.
Mix well. Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer once bubbly for 4-5 minutes. The broth will slightly thicken, but not too much.
Stir in the half and half. Once it’s fully combined, allow to come to a low simmer; about 2-3 minutes.
By this point, your pasta should be done. Drain it and have it ready to go.
Remove the skillet from the heat.
By the handful, stir in the grated white cheddar cheese. If you add it too quickly, it will clump and take longer to melt.
Stir in the chicken.
Stir in the parsley. Mix well.
Cover the dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it’s good and bubbly.
Once the time is up, uncover.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese and the green parts of the reserved green onions. Toss it back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
All the skillet chicken spaghetti to rest for a couple minutes then serve and enjoy.
Tips and adaptations:
- Any long noodle (linguine, angel hair, etc) or sturdy noodle (rigatoni or penne) will work.
- Milk or heavy cream can be used in place of the half and half.
- Monterrey Jack, pepper Jack, Colby, or any other favorite cheese can be used in place of the cheddar cheeses.
- If you don’t have cooked chicken, this recipe will need approximately 3 chicken breasts. Cook them first in some olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then resume the recipe.
- Cream cheese works well too, add 4 oz and reduce the white cheddar to 2 oz.
- Leftover holiday turkey works perfectly too in place of chicken.
Skillet Chicken Spaghetti
Equipment
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅔ cup onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 green bell pepper diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 green onions diced and divided
- 2 tsp garlic minced/grated (¾ tsp granulated)
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp black pepper +/-; to taste
- ¼ tsp salt +/-; to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup half and half
- 4 oz white cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, +/-; to taste
- 4 cups cooked chicken chopped, diced, or shredded
- 8 oz cooked spaghetti
- 2 oz cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the spaghetti according package directions, stopping one minute short.
- On medium-high heat, melt the butter in the skillet.
- Add the onions, bell peppers, and white parts of the green onions to skillet; mix well.
- After about a minute, add the garlic and resume cooking for 3-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper in, mix well; cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and the can of diced tomatoes; mix well.
- Reduce heat to medium, cook 4-5 minutes and it's bubbling.
- Pour in the half and half, stir well; 2-3 minutes at a low simmer.
- Remove from heat.
- One by one, stir in the white cheddar cheese, chicken, parsley, and spaghetti.
- Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes, it should be lightly bubbling.
- Then uncover, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and the reserved green onions.
- Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Once done, allow to rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious pasta recipes
Who doesn’t love pasta, here’s a few more easy recipes:
- Dutch Oven Pizza Pasta
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Spaghetti from The Magical Slow Cooker
- Roasted Spot Prawn Linguine with Asparagus and Tomatoes from Alaska Select Seafood
- Skillet Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Creamy Gorgonzola Pasta with Steak from Aunt Bee’s Recipes
- Baja Chicken Pasta from The Complete Savorist
- Dutch Oven Lasagna
How much garlic? I don’t see it on the ingredients list but, it is in the directions.
Hi Gayla. The ingredients have been fixed to reflect how much garlic to use. I apologize for the inconvenience.
I would love to make this, but I have a tomato allergy. Is there something I could substitute?
Substitute the tomatoes with some roasted red peppers that have been drained well and diced up. The flavor will be a bit different of course, but still delicious.
I love all the veg you added to the spaghetti.
I can’t believe there is no “cream of” soup in this! How delicious! It’s got all the cream and flavor from the soup without all the sodium.
WHat a flavorful and delicious dinner recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I love all the great ingredients in this skillet dish. And that there isn’t a can of soup!
Comfort food to the max! This was awesome. So many flavors, hearty, and so comforting.