Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta

This post contains links to affiliate websites, such as Amazon, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you using these links. We appreciate your support!

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!

Chicken spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta in a large skillet with part of it served on a plate.

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!

What you’ll love about this recipe:


  • SUPER EASY to make and READY IN 30 MINUTES!
  • Creamy sauce that perfectly coats the spaghetti for CREAMY, CHEESY DELICIOUSNES!
  • PERFECT USE for rotisserie or leftover chicken!
  • DOES NOT USE ANY CANNE 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:

Ingredients needed for chicken spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta.
Here is a caption

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.

Onions being cooked in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

Step 2: Add milk and chicken stock. Whisk so no lumps form. Cook until bubbling and sauce begins to thicken.

Creamy sauce in a large skillet with a whisk.

Step 3: Stir in cheeses and Rotel. Cook until cheese is melted.

Velveeta cheese, shredded cheese and Rotel being added to sauce.

Step 4: Add spaghetti and chicken and toss until everything is completely coated in the sauce.

Completed cooked chicken spaghetti with Rotel in a large skillet.

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.
A close up of Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel on tongs.

Additions and Substitutions

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.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

  • Milk: I like using whole milk but low fat milk or half and half work great, too! I would not use nonfat 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

What do you serve with this Rotel Chicken Spaghetti recipe?

A nice, crisp salad like this green salad or this arugula salad and some garlic bread is all you need!

Can you bake this cheesy chicken spaghetti?

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)!

In a Dinner Rut?

Grab your 7-Day Meal Plan + 3 Bonus Recipes!

Sceenshots for free meal plan.

Chicken spaghetti with rotel and Velveeta on a plate with a fork.

I hope you love this Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta

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!
4.38 from 8 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 369 kcal

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.

Notes

Note 1: 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).
 
Nutrition information is only an estimate. Info is based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator.
Save this recipe form

💌 Save to your inbox!

Enter your email and send this recipe straight to your inbox. As a bonus, you’ll receive more easy recipes every week!

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 33gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9.4gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 1038mgPotassium: 362mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6.5gVitamin D: 4µgCalcium: 267mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

OTHER SPAGHETTI RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  1. This recipe looks good i cannot have the velveeta cheese and i nwver know what 2 substitute it with.
    can u help with that

    1. Hi Sharon! You can stir in a cup or so of freshly grated sharp cheddar, jack on fontina in place of the Velveeta! Just stir it in during Step 5 instead of the Velveeta:) XO

  2. 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,

  3. 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!

  4. 5 stars
    Hi, loved this, made 1/2 but when is best time to put in the rotel. Was not sure, added with chicken. Thanks Chris

    1. 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

  5. 5 stars
    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.

  6. 5 stars
    I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend! My family is going to love this!

    1. 3 stars
      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.

  7. 5 stars
    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!

  8. 5 stars
    Love the combination of ingredients you have used in making this spaghetti. SO flavorful and delicious.