Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Two condensed soups and a cup of broth make the sauce; the pasta comes out of the water early because the oven finishes it.
Total: 45 minYield: 6 servingsMethod: Baked
Why two soups
Cream of chicken brings salt and poultry flavor; cream of mushroom brings an earthier, less sweet note. Using both gives a sauce with more depth than a doubled can of either, which is why the recipe does not simply call for 21 ounces of one.
The cup of broth matters as much as the soups. Condensed soup straight from the can is thick enough to coat pasta but not to stay saucy through a half-hour bake — the broth is what keeps the finished dish from going stiff.
Getting the texture right
- Undercook the pastaA minute short of al dente. Spaghetti cooked fully before it goes in the dish comes out of the oven soft.
- Grate the cheddar yourselfBagged shredded cheese is coated in starch to stop it clumping, and that starch is what makes a baked cheese topping grainy rather than smooth.
- Let it settleFive minutes out of the oven. The sauce thickens as it cools and a portion will hold together instead of sliding apart.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The bake is dry | The pasta absorbed more liquid than expected, usually because it was fully cooked before baking. | Stir in warm broth 2 tablespoons at a time. Next time pull the spaghetti a minute earlier. |
| The top browned before the middle was hot | The dish went in cold from the refrigerator. | Cover loosely with foil for the first 15 minutes, then uncover to brown. |
| The cheese is oily | Baked too long or too hot. | 350°F (175°C) and pull it as soon as the edges bubble. |
Chicken Spaghetti Bake
Cooked spaghetti folded through a sauce built from two condensed soups, broth and cheddar, then baked until the top browns. The pasta comes out of the water short of done because it keeps cooking in the dish.
- Chicken
- Dinner
- Baked
Cook’s checkpoint
- Frying oil
- 350°F / 175°C
- Chicken, thickest part
- 165°F / 74°C
Use a food thermometer. Color and time alone don’t confirm poultry is done.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- Rotisserie chicken is the fastest route to the 2 cups of cooked chicken this needs.
- Assembled and covered, the dish keeps in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before baking. Add a few minutes to the bake time if it goes in cold.
- Mushrooms or a pinch of red pepper flakes both work stirred into the sauce at step 5.
Cooking Mode
Questions
- Can I use fresh chicken instead of cooked?
- The recipe is built around 2 cups of already-cooked shredded chicken. Raw chicken would need cooking through separately first — it will not cook safely in the sauce during a 30-minute bake.
- Can it be frozen?
- The source notes cover refrigerating the assembled dish up to 24 hours before baking. Freezing is not something this recipe specifies, so it is not claimed here.
- What size dish?
- 9×13 inches. A smaller dish gives a deeper layer that will not heat through in the stated time.
