Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole Recipe

Rejoice because you have just found the perfect crowd-pleasing dish. And that's true even if some members of the crowd are picky eaters, aka kids. "If you're looking for a comforting and delicious pasta casserole that can feed a hungry family, then this cheesy chicken spaghetti really hits the mark," says recipe developer Ting Dalton of Cook Simply at Home. She describes it as, "Tender and tasty chicken with a delicious wholesome broth to cook the spaghetti," and adds, "there are also some fresh veggies thrown in."

What's not to like about that? You'll also like that this meal is big on flavor but small on challenging steps. Even a decidedly inexperienced cook can handle this dish, and in the hands of a more advanced chef, it invites all sorts of possibilities for customization. Though easy, this recipe takes some time to prepare, but Dalton has an idea to speed it up: "It's worth the effort to poach the chicken, but if you're short on time and would like to make this even quicker, you can use shop-bought rotisserie chicken or even use leftover roast chicken." Either way, it will be a great dinner, so let's get cooking!

To prepare this tasty dish, you'll need thin spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces, lots of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, finely diced green and red bell peppers, powdered cayenne pepper, two cans of cream of mushroom soup, finely diced onion, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

And of course, you'll need chicken thighs, though Dalton says: "You can also use a whole chicken and cut it into eight pieces. But to make it even quicker and easier, I've adapted the recipe to use chicken thighs, which have lovely tender meat, and it still has the desired results with less effort." Speaking further about the ingredients, she adds: "The flavor comes from the tangy cheese and the creamy mushroom soup as well as a touch of spice from the cayenne. If you have fussy eaters who don't like spice you can leave it out."

To start, bring a large pot of water to a boil then add the chicken thighs to the pot. Let the chicken cook at a full boil for 2 to 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the chicken from the pot but reserve all of the water (now broth), setting aside 2 cups. Then, remove the meat from the chicken and set it aside, discarding the skin and bones.

Next, preheat the oven to 300 F. Bring the water you used to cook the chicken back to a boil and add in the spaghetti pieces. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes until it is al dente and still has some bite. Then, drain the water and combine the pasta with the chicken meat in a large bowl. Add in the diced veggies, 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese, the cans of soup, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in 1 cup of reserved broth, adding more as needed so that the mixture is evenly blended and moist.

Now transfer the mixture you just created into a large casserole pan and top it with the remaining cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Pop the dish into the heated oven and bake it until the top of the casserole is bubbly and starting to brown, which should take about 45 minutes. Retrieve the dish and let it rest for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!

"Serve [it] piping hot," Dalton recommends. As for extras, she notes: "Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to three days and reheat [them] thoroughly. You could also freeze leftovers for up to three months."