Take Spaghetti Night in a new direction with this Southwest-inspired slow cooker chicken spaghetti! This recipe goes way beyond your typical Italian-style pasta dish with its cheesy sauce loaded with shredded chicken and just the right amount of spice.
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Why Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti is perfect to feed a crowd
Pasta is an easy way to feed a lot of people on a budget, but it can get a bit boring. But there is nothing dull when it comes to Crockpot cheesy chicken spaghetti.
The sauce starts with a cream of chicken soup and tomato base and then adds habaneros and cayenne pepper for heat. Colby Jack and sour cream ensure extra creaminess and tang.
Why you'll love this recipe
Besides being able to feed a lot of people on the cheap, the convenience factor of Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel makes this recipe a real standout.
While pasta takes only about 10 minutes to cook, a good sauce can require hours, and nobody has time for that! Using the slow cooker gives you the flexibility to dump and be done, a great thing when you're busy.
Crockpot cheesy chicken spaghetti ingredients
For this easy Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti recipe, you'll need:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cream of chicken soup, condensed and canned
- Diced tomatoes
- Rotel Hot Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Colby Jack cheese, shredded
- Sour cream
- Spaghetti noodles
Since most shredded cheese you buy in the supermarket includes anti-clumping additives that affect the way the cheese melts. Shredding it yourself will give you a much smoother sauce.
How to make Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
To prepare easy Crockpot chicken spaghetti:
- Trim all the skin and fat from the chicken breasts and put them into a lightly greased slow cooker in a single layer.
- In a bowl, stir together the salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Sprinkle half the seasoning over the chicken breasts. Use tongs to turn the chicken over and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning.
- Empty the cans of cream of chicken soup and can of Rotel Hot Diced Tomatoes along with their liquid over the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for four hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- When the cooking time is up, keep the chicken in the slow cooker and use meat claws or two forks to shred it. Stir well.
- Mix in the cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Set the slow cooker to WARM.
- Prepare the spaghetti according to the package. Drain well and stir it into the sauce in the slow cooker.
- Serve immediately.
Possible recipe variations
There are many ways you can customize this crock pot chicken spaghetti recipe. Here are some ideas:
Try swapping the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless thighs. Chicken thighs are a little higher in fat, and some people prefer how they taste.
You could also use leftover precooked chicken to reduce the cooking time. If you are going this route, season the precooked chicken and add it to the other ingredients in the slow cooker. Reduce the cooking time by half or until the chicken is tender enough to easily shred.
Feel free to swap the type of cheese you use. Cheddar cheese, Velveeta cheese, or cream cheese are all great options.
For a less spicy version of this recipe, go with standard Rotel tomatoes with green chilies.
Short pasta like rigatoni, penne, or macaroni will also work in this dish.
What to serve with slow cooker chicken spaghetti
Since this dish is super flavorful, you don't have to get too wild with the sides. Here are three easy ones that will go well with this pasta:
- Bread. From slices of a crusty Italian loaf, garlic bread, to soft bread sticks, some sort of bread gives you an easy way to mop up all the leftover sauce.
- Salad. Go with a simple salad of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and shredded carrots tossed with your favorite salad dressing.
- Wilted greens. Spinach, kale, or whatever you happen to have on hand lightly sauteed in olive oil with some garlic and maybe a sprinkle of red pepper flakes is an easy and healthy addition.
How to store the leftovers
Cool any extra pasta and sauce as quickly as possible and then transfer it to an airtight container in the refrigerator. Try to eat any extra pasta within 24 hours.
You can prepare the sauce in advance and then freeze it, but it is not a good idea to freeze cooked spaghetti. The sauce should last for about a month inside an airtight container in the freezer. Thaw the sauce overnight in the fridge before reheating.
What is the best way to reheat this?
Warm the leftovers in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a few tablespoons of water to help thin out the sauce and prevent scorching.
More game day recipes
Crockpot Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 21 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 16 ounces diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 10 ounces Rotel Hot Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros (do not drain)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 ounces shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 4 ounces sour cream
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
- Spray a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker.
- In a small dish combine the salt, ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well.
- Sprinkle half of the seasoning mix over the chicken breasts. Use a pair of tongs to flip the chicken and sprinkle the remaining seasoning on the other side.
- Pour the cream of chicken soup, diced tomatoes, and Ro-Tel over the chicken. Place a lid on the slow cooker, and cook for 4 hours on high.
- Remove the lid and shred the cooked chicken with two forks. Add the cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, shredded cheese, and sour cream. Mix well.
- While the cheese melts, prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drain.
- Place the spaghetti into the crockpot and serve immediately.
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