Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

The Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti Recipe is the most comforting weeknight dinner recipe that's prepped from start to finish in just 20 minutes. Delicious any time of the year, it's a meal that's guaranteed to be a family favorite and may even end up on your meal prep rotation.

Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a mealtime staple recipe in our house. It's one of those recipes that's easy to put together with pantry ingredients and a couple of fresh items from the store.

What we love about this recipe is that it's simple to prepare in just 20 minutes, even kids can get involved in prepping this one! It's truly that simple and foolproof to make. Serve it on it's own, or add a delicious side dish recipe to round out a whole meal.

We love Slow Cooker Meals, they're truly the type of recipe we are always dreaming about for dinner. Try our Crockpot Pizza Casserole, Crock Pot Sloppy Joes, and Crock Pot Beef and Noodles.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Easy Weeknight Supper. On a busy week when you want a comforting homemade meal, look no further than crock pot chicken spaghetti. It's prepped in 20 minutes and the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you.
• Perfect for meal prepping. Make the sauce in advance and store in the fridge or freezer to reheat easily. Boil the noodles when you're ready to serve, and a delicious meal is prepared almost instantly!
• Customize to your liking. Add more veggies to the sauce, use a different noodle, or try a different protein like turkey or ham. You can't go wrong!

Laura Ashley's Tip: My secret ingredient in this recipe is cream cheese. It makes the cheesy sauce extra creamy and smooth, perfect for coating spaghetti noodles.

Can you make Pasta in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can! It's great with certain recipes, like lasagna, but in the case of this spaghetti chicken in the crock pot, we boil it separately. Why? You have more control over the cook time of the noodles and can make them perfectly al dente.

Ingredients

• Condensed cream of chicken soup regular or low-sodium: Gives a comforting richness to the sauce.
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup regular or low-sodium: Adds a nice vegetable creaminess in each bite. You can use store-bought in a pinch or make my homemade recipe.
• Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies): Gives a nice tomato and chile flavor.
• Chicken broth or water: Keeps the sauce silky smooth and adds a warm flavor.
• Seasoning salt or salt and black pepper: Seasoning salt is great, but if you don't have it on hand, salt and pepper are just fine. Livia’s Seasoning Salt is my go-to blend.
• Garlic powder: Infuses with sweet garlic flavor.
• Onion powder: Adds hints of onion flavor in every bite.
• Dried parsley flakes: Gives fresh pop of green and fresh herb flavors.
• Smoked paprika: Adds a smokiness as well as brightness to the sauce.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs: Use a combination or your favorite cut here. The slow cooker cooks them perfectly so they're moist and juicy.
• Onion: Feel free to add for additional onion flavor or you can omit.
• Green bell pepper: I love to add this for a fresh veggie flair, but you can also omit if desired.
• Shredded Colby jack cheese: The best cheese to use for this pasta recipe, so melty and gooey.
• Cream cheese cubed, regular or reduced-fat: The secret ingredient to making the sauce extra silky smooth.
• Spaghetti: The pasta for the recipe, you can use any noodle shape you like as well.

How to Make Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti

1. To a Crockpot, add both cans of soup, Rotel, broth, and seasonings. Mix until combined well.

2. Place chicken into the mixture, covering with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

3. Inside the Crockpot, shred the chicken using two forks.

4. Fold the shredded cheese and cream cheese into the mixture. Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes.

5. While the cheese is melting, cook spaghetti in a pot of salted water per package directions and drain.
6. Stir the mixture well, until the cream cheese is evenly dispersed and no lumps appear.
7. Fold the drained spaghetti in the Crockpot mixture.

8. Serve and garnish with parsley or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Pro Tips for Recipe Success

• Make homemade soup. We have the best homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe that we keep in the freezer at all times for recipes like this. Give it a try! You can also make homemade cream of chicken soup by following these steps:
  • Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in ⅓ cup all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in ⅓ cup milk and ⅓ cup chicken broth until well combined. Season with ¼ teaspoon onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and creamy. (This recipe makes the equivalent of 1 10.5 ounce can.)
• Boil the pasta separately. Yes, you can actually cook pasta in the slow cooker, but we recommend for this recipe just to make the pasta separately and stir to coat in the finished sauce. You have much more control over the pasta cooking time this way.
• Add the cream cheese and shredded cheese last to the sauce. They get stirred in right before the sauce is finished cooking. Why? This prevents the cheese from clumping together and ensures it's perfectly melty.
• Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. This makes the chicken moist and tender, plus easy to shred.
• Too Thick - No Problem. Some pasta varieties have more starch and can thicken the sauce more. If this happens, you can simply add more chicken broth or water in ¼ cup increments to your desired texture.

Substitutions and Variations

• Try a different cheese. Use a melting cheese here, you could also use Velveeta instead of cream cheese, and fontina or gouda for the Colby jack.
• Swap the protein. Turkey or ham would also be delicious for this recipe too. Ground chicken would also work, just be sure to cook it on the stovetop before placing into the slow cooker.
• Add more veggies. You can add carrots, broccoli, even peas to this sauce as well if you want to boost the veggies!
• Use more herbs. Fresh thyme and parsley are nice in the sauce or to garnish.

Storage and Make Ahead Instructions

It's so easy to store this chicken spaghetti either in the fridge or the freezer, so you can eat it later in the week or have a quick dinner to reheat during a busy week.

• Fridge: Storage any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
• Freezer: You can freeze the leftovers as well. Just be sure to keep the noodles separate from the sauce. Boil fresh noodles when ready to serve.

What to Serve with Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti

We have so many recommendations! While this cheesy chicken pasta can be served by itself as a meal, you can also add some side dishes to round everything out. Here are some suggestions:

• Gremolata Asparagus
• Green Bean and Tomato Salad
• Garlicky Green Beans
• House Salad

Frequently Asked Questions

More Slow Cooker Recipes

• Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apples
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast
• Slow Cooker Green Chicken Chili
• Crockpot Chicken and Noodles