This Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta is the ultimate comfort food and perfect easy dinner! Creamy Velveeta cheese and Rotel tomatoes are combined in a creamy, cheesy sauce that’s tossed with spaghetti and chicken. It’s cheesy goodness the whole family with love!
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Having a good weeknight pasta recipe in your back pocket is never a bad idea. You know, the recipe you make so often that you know it by heart?!
This easy chicken spaghetti recipe will be one of those recipes! It’s super quick and simple and everyone will love it! It’s a great recipe for busy weeknights!
Need more go-to pasta recipes?! Check out my Mexican (Taco) Spaghetti or this Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta! And if you like a little spice, try my Creamy Cajun Spaghetti or this Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta! I think you’ll also enjoy this Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake and this One Pot Spaghetti with Sausage!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Super easy to make and ready in 30 minutes!
- Creamy sauce that perfectly coats the spaghetti for creamy, cheesy deliciousness!
- Perfect use for rotisserie or leftover chicken!
- Does not use any canned cream of chicken soup.…but the recipe is still super easy!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Chicken: Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken work great to make this meal quick and easy. But you can also cook boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pan or in the air fryer!
Rotel: Rotel is my go-to but any diced tomatoes with green chilies is just fine!
Velveeta Cheese: A store-brand American cheese similar to Velveeta will work just as well.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SPAGHETTI WITH ROTEL AND VELVEETA: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Melt butter, and add chopped onions. Cook 2-3 minutes until onions are soft. Then add flour. Cook one minute more, stirring often.
Step 2: Add milk and chicken stock. Whisk so no lumps form. Cook until bubbling and sauce begins to thicken.
Step 3: Stir in cheeses and Rotel. Cook until cheese is melted.
Step 4: Add spaghetti and chicken and toss until everything is completely coated in the sauce.
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- Leftovers are fantastic the next day! Just add a splash of chicken stock or milk to help loosen up the sauce when reheating.
- If you let the cheeses come to room temperature before adding to the sauce, they will melt easily into the sauce. You can do this by just taking the cheese out of the fridge first thing, and leaving it out until you are ready to use it (10-15 minutes is about all you need).
⭐️ CONFIDENCE TIP ⭐️
After the cheeses melt into the sauce, taste, and add salt ONLY if needed. The chicken and Velveeta have a good amount of salt, so you might find no additional salt is needed.
STORAGE & REHEATING
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Note: cooked chicken should not be stored for more than 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of milk or chicken stock to help loosen up the sauce.
- Freezing: This creamy chicken spaghetti can be frozen for up to 3 months. However, note that the sauce may not have the EXACT same consistency as before it was frozen. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight, then follow reheating instructions above.
ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Here are some yummy additions:
- Bell Peppers: Green bell pepper or red pepper are delicious in this dish! Just cook them up with your onions.
- Red Pepper Flakes or Hot Sauce: If you want a spicy kick, stir either of these into your cheese sauce.
Here are some substitutions you can make:
- Milk: I like using whole milk but low fat milk or half and half work great, too! I would not use non fat milk.
- Cheese: Velveeta is vital for this. But the other cheese?! Feel free to use whatever you like! I love mozzarella because it melts so well, but cheddar, Monterey Jack, fontina, provolone or Parmesan are all great choice.
- Pasta: ANY type of pasta will work for this dish! Penne and rotini are great!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A nice, crisp salad like this green salad or this arugula salad and some garlic bread is all you need!
Many recipes for chicken spaghetti with Rotel call for topping the spaghetti with cheese and baking it in the oven. You can absolutely do that! However, I find serving it straight out of the skillet with the cheeses all mixed in, is just as yummy (and a lot less time consuming)!
Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!
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Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta
Ingredients
- 16 oz. spaghetti noodles other pasta works, too!
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped about 1 cup
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes or other brand of diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 4 oz. Velveeta cheese at room temperature if possible (See Note 1)
- 1 cup chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 cup milk full fat or low fat is fine!
- 1/2 tsp onion powder or garlic powder (optional)
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken or this perfect baked chicken works great!
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese work great, too!
- fresh parsley, green onions, Parmesan cheese all optional, for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil spaghetti to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Then add onions and cook 2-3 minutes until soft.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook for 1 minute more, stirring often.
- Add milk and chicken stock and whisk so no lumps form. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and cook 2-3 minutes until thick and bubbly. Stir in garlic powder or onion powder (if using).
- Add Velveeta cheese, mozzarella and Rotel. Stir until cheese melts into the sauce.
- Add in chicken and spaghetti and toss until everything is well-coated with the sauce.
Anonymous says
My was to dry for me. So I will go and buy alfredo sauce to add to it.
Melissa says
This is the recipe I’ve been making for years. My 5 kids are grown and all live away from me but whenever they come home this recipe is what they ask for. If I have a craving for this I can’t make a small amount, I usually send out a text that I’m making it an invite friends over. I’ve never tried to freeze it. Has anyone tried? I’d be interested to know how the pasta held up. Also I have cooked my pasta in the chicken broth and built it from there. Turned out good,
Ariel says
We made this with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. It’s a mild, cheesy taste. I like that there isn’t too much velvetta in it, just enough to make it cheesy. I felt like the recipe called for more noodles than needed, so we had some left over. Overall the whole family liked it!
Chris says
Hi, loved this, made 1/2 but when is best time to put in the rotel. Was not sure, added with chicken. Thanks Chris
Casey Rooney says
Hi Chris! You add the Rotel in with the cheeses (Velveeta and mozzarella), but adding it in with the chicken sounds like it would work too! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
Matej @ CookWeWill says
I started to droll just by looking at the photos 🙂 Great combination of ingredients, all the flavors I love are in. I’m sure my kids will love your spaghetti recipe a lot too. Thanks for sharing.
Katherine says
I love how simple and creamy this is! Loads of flavor but so easy.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend! My family is going to love this!
Bianca H. says
I made this tonight but I feel like it’s missing something. I don’t know if it’s some other seasonings or something else.
My husband (the picky one) liked it though.
Jess says
I have 6 kids so we are very busy during the week. I am always on the lookout for easy recipes to make for dinner. This one is perfect!
Kushigalu says
Love the combination of ingredients you have used in making this spaghetti. SO flavorful and delicious.