I had no idea until we moved away from the southern states that Baked Chicken Spaghetti isn’t actually all that common, which is too bad because it has a lot to offer the world! It’s tough to beat the creamy goodness of noodles, chicken, and cheese served with a hefty dose of veggies to the side (pictured: sugared carrots, steamed peas, and apple cider). This is also a GREAT recipe to keep in mind for leftover turkey at Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
8 ounces spaghetti, broken into pieces and cooked a la dente
5 tablespoons salted butter
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cups half and half (or ½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup whole milk, combined)
1 teaspoon table salt
1 ½- 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used rotisserie chicken)
1 ½ cups medium cheddar cheese, grated
Pepper to taste
1. Cook spaghetti until a la dente in salted water. Drain.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, start the cream sauce. Place the butter in the bottom of a large sauté pan. Melt the butter over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the flour to the pan and whisk together into a paste. Cook briefly (while stirring constantly) until the roux (butter and flour mixture) smells toasty (sort of like popcorn). This will only take 1-2 minutes – be careful not to burn the roux, just cook the raw taste out of the flour. Whisk in broth. Whisk in half and half. Cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Add salt, pepper, cooked spaghetti, and chicken. Turn into a 9 x 9” pan and sprinkle with cheeses. It will seem like a lot of sauce, but the noodles absorb it during baking.
3. Bake at 400 F for 12-14 minutes until browned and bubbly. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken and cool.
I made this tonight for my family of 4. I had my 14 year old son help me out…he has VERY specific taste, and he loved it! My daughter has already asked me to put leftovers in her lunchbox tomorrow :).
Hi Karen! I’m so glad your family loved it, thanks so much for letting me know!