Description
Spicy Southern Chicken Spaghetti Casserole brings Southern comfort right to your dinner table with a kick that’ll make your taste buds dance. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with bold flavors, this dish turns an ordinary weeknight meal into a celebration of Southern cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups chicken (shredded)
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Dairy and Soup Base:
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
Vegetables and Seasonings:
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (drained)
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1–2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Boil 8 ounces of spaghetti in salted water for 8-9 minutes until perfectly al dente. Drain pasta and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- Shred 2 cups of cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Your chicken should be tender and easy to break apart.
- Mix 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika in a separate bowl until smooth.
- Chop ½ cup green bell pepper and ½ cup onion into small, uniform pieces. Add these to the sauce mixture.
- Fold 1 cup drained diced tomatoes and the prepared sauce into the spaghetti. Stir gently to coat every strand evenly.
- Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese into the pasta mixture. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Transfer the entire mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread it evenly across the surface.
- Top the casserole with an additional ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese for extra melty goodness.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes until cheese turns golden and bubbles.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes after removing from oven. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Always cook the pasta just until al dente to prevent a mushy texture in your final casserole.
- Use rotisserie chicken for a quick shortcut that adds tons of flavor without extra cooking time.
- Adjust the hot sauce based on your spice tolerance, starting with less and adding more to taste.
- For a lower-carb version, swap traditional spaghetti with zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg