This easy weeknight casserole can be assembled a day or two ahead of time to make it even easier!
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Bacon bits and ranch seasoning add tons of flavor
- The creamy cheese sauce is pretty much irresistible
- Easy and affordable—made with just a handful of pantry staples
With a heavenly combination of chicken, al dente pasta, and lots of cheese, this dinner is sure to please the whole family. Crack chicken spaghetti bake is one of those scrumptious dishes that is so good, even picky eaters will be hooked from the very first bite.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Combine ingredients, stirring in cooked spaghetti noodles, cooked chicken, and crumbled bacon.
- Pour cheese sauce mixture into a greased casserole dish.
- Sprinkle crack chicken spaghetti casserole with shredded cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven and top with green onions.
🥫 Storage
Leftover crack chicken spaghetti keeps well in the fridge for two or three days. Simply pop it in an airtight container and enjoy for lunch or dinner tomorrow!
Reheat your leftovers in a microwave-safe bowl. You can add a splash of milk or even a tiny bit of cold water to loosen up the cheese and make it into a smooth sauce again.
For best results, I don't recommend freezing leftovers. Crack chicken pasta is really dairy-forward, and the creamier sauce doesn't thaw super well.
📖 Variations
Crack chicken casserole is super versatile, so there is a large smattering of ingredients you can add to switch up the tasty spaghetti dish! Here are some ideas:
- Instead of cooking the chicken yourself, buy a warm rotisserie chicken from the store to shave off a bit of prep time.
- Or, stir in leftover chicken—a great way to clean out your fridge!
- Sometimes you can find a pack of pre-cooked shredded chicken in the grocery store—that'll do the trick in this recipe.
- The flavors of this cheesy meal go very well with ground turkey, too.
- Use rice instead of noodles if you need a gluten-free option.
- For best results, opt for a thinner pasta noodle. You can choose from spaghettini, capellini, or angel hair.
- Feel free to fry up your own bacon, or buy pre-cooked, microwave bacon. Packaged bacon bits work too, but aren't as savory.
- Stir in some chopped carrots, celery, peas, and/or broccoli if you like to squeeze extra veggies into your meals!
- Choose the hot Rotel tomatoes if you like extra spice! Or, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Can't find Monterey Jack? Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or sharp Cheddar cheese work great, too.
Try something a little more hands off? Try this crockpot cheesy chicken broccoli and rice casserole.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Don't overcook your pasta, or it'll be mushy after baking. Be sure to follow the package directions carefully, draining the pasta as soon as it's al dente (that means it's cooked but still slightly firm.)
- Most good pasta recipes will tell you that noodles taste best when boiled in a very large pot, filled with plenty of well-salted water.
- You can easily shred cooked chicken breasts on low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer. Just use the paddle attachment—not the whisk.
- Stir your saucepan mixture frequently (especially while the cheese melts) so that nothing sticks to the bottom or burns.
- Use full-fat sour cream. The reduced-fat stuff is too watery, and crack chicken spaghetti tastes best when creamy and thick.
- This recipe fits best in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Coat it with non-stick spray for best results.
👩🍳 FAQs
The name has a variety of origins, depending on who you ask.
Most people agree that the original crack chicken flavors of bacon, cheese, and dry ranch dressing mix were cooked along with a brand of spice named—you guessed it—"crack chicken." It had a cute baby chick hatching from his egg on the front of the box.
However, some people call it "crack chicken" because it's just so addicting, you want to keep eating more, and more, and more. I'll let you decide which interpretation you prefer!
Most "cream of" soup flavors can be swapped easily, but it will alter the taste a bit. We prefer the flavor combo of the cream of celery and cream of chicken soups, but if you have a cream of mushroom soup you need to use up in place of one or the other, go for it. Or, try this cream cheese chicken spaghetti recipe - it calls for cream of mushroom soup.
Since it makes the base of the sauce for this casserole, I don't necessarily recommend swapping out the Velveeta. However, if you must, combine some cream cheese with some cheddar cheese from a block. Shredding the cheese yourself (as opposed to buying pre-shredded) will make the crack chicken spaghetti sauce creamier, and it will taste closer to the original recipe.
📚 Related recipes
- Spaghetti and lasagna team up in this beefy, cheesy casserole to create a new weekly craving—you need to try Million-Dollar Spaghetti ASAP!
- Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese is a family favorite!
- With all the delicious flavor of your favorite chicken pasta and none of the cook time, Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti delivers on flavor while saving you valuable effort on even the busiest days.
- Tex-Mex flavors and a one-dish recipe make the whole family happy—this One Pot Taco Spaghetti excites everyone from mom to kids!
- Old fashioned Southern Chicken Spaghetti is the classic most of us grew up on.
🍽️ Serve with...
- Green Bean Salad
- Old-Fashioned Cloverleaf Rolls or Garlic Breadsticks
- Lemon Snap Cookies or this amazing Copycat Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Cake.
Or, choose any of these great side dishes for chicken spaghetti!
📞 The last word
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Crack Chicken Spaghetti
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 16 ounces thin spaghetti
- 10.75 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 10.75 ounces cream of celery soup
- 10 ounces Rotel tomatoes, not drained
- 12 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dry Ranch dressing mix
- 2½ cups chicken breast, or thighs, cooked and chopped
- ¾ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded from a block
- ½ cup chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Lightly spray a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Set aside.
- Break spaghetti into roughly 3-inch lengths.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain and set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine cream of chicken and cream of celery soups, Rotel, and Velveeta.
- Cook on low, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts.
- Whisk in dry Ranch mix and sour cream.
- Stir in cooked spaghetti, cooked chicken and bacon.
- Pour mixture into prepared dish.
- Top with monterey jack cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until hot all the way through.
- Sprinkle with green onions before serving.
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta.
- Stir your saucepan mixture frequently (especially while the cheese melts) so that nothing sticks to the bottom or burns.
- Use full-fat sour cream. The reduced-fat stuff is too watery, and crack chicken spaghetti tastes best when creamy and thick.
- This recipe fits best in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Coat it with non-stick spray for best results.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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