Skip to Content

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel

A close up of a fork scooping out a bite of cheesy chicken spaghetti made with Rotel and Velveeta cheese sauce.

(Links are affiliate links to products we think are helpful and we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if purchased.)

This cheesy chicken spaghetti is made from scratch with Rotel and Velveeta cheese, covered with additional shredded cheddar for that ooey-gooey first spoon full, and baked in a casserole dish for an easy supper.

The best part is I’ve updated this classic tex-mex recipe to use a simple rotisserie chicken from the market, which cuts down on time and delivers this insanely delicious, family-pleasing recipe on your table in 30 minutes or less!

Using Rotel and Velveeta to Prepare a Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

A colorful can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles.

I live in Texas where a canned tomato and green chile product called Rotel is available everywhere, and we mix it with Velveeta to make a simple queso that you will find used in many dishes. Rotel comes in original and mild—the original version is a bit spicy by itself, but blended with Velveeta cheese it is not spicy, and in fact very flavorful! 

I could not find Rotel on the east coast, so here is a link to grab your very own on Amazon. If you’re in a pinch you can use petite canned tomatoes, but I wouldn’t bother adding canned green chiles because they are made with a different variety of chile, which lacks the spice and intense flavor of Rotel. 

Everyone is familiar with Velveeta cheese! This chicken spaghetti with Rotel will teach you to make a creamy sauce from scratch and then load it up with (easy to work with) Velveeta. 

A completed cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole, baked and covered with cheese, topped with cilantro.

Making the Cheesy Velveeta Sauce for the Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

The casserole starts off with seared mushrooms in butter, I use shitake for their incredible flavor, but you can use any mushroom. We brown it in butter and add diced yellow bell pepper, poblano pepper, and white onion to flavor our sauce. If you don’t have poblano pepper, any mild long green chile is fine.

A saute pan full of poblano peppers, onion, and seared mushrooms, on a stove.

After the tex mex veggies have sweat for several minutes, sprinkle in the flour and toss well with a spatula.

Sauteed poblano, yellow bell pepper, onion, and sprinkled with flour.

After cooking for 2 minutes, switch to a whisk and whisk in your chicken stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil, whisking well so that the bottom doesn’t burn the pan. The chicken stock will thicken up a bit which begins as the mixture begins to simmer. At that point pour in the cream.

A sauce pan full of the vegetables and thickened chicken stock. Rotel just added.

Add the Velveeta cheese in little squares and melt through. Season to taste! I usually add a drop or so of lemon juice or tabasco to make everything pop!

A sauce pan full of the final Velveeta cheese sauce, made with Rotel. Ready to be poured over the spaghetti.

Place the cooked and drained spaghetti in a casserole dish. Top with the shredded chicken, pour the delicious Velveeta cheese sauce over it, and top with shredded cheddar.

A close up of the uncooked pasta topped with shredded cheese and ready for baking.

Can I freeze this Chicken Spaghetti Casserole?

Yes! Bake the recipe, or this recipe can be refrigerated for later, or frozen. If freezing, remove the homemade chicken spaghetti from the freezer the night before the day you will bake it. Bake the casserole according to the instructions but add an additional 10-15 minutes.

A delicious looking plate of cheesy chicken spaghetti with mushrooms, poblano peppers, and Rotel, in a creamy Velveeta sauce.

Have questions? Need help? Have an addition or a suggestion to a recipe? Drop me a comment below!

If you make this recipe, I would LOVE to see it!

Tag me on Instagram @UrbanCowgirl and use #UrbanCowgirl to be featured. 🙂

Follow us on Social Media using the links below!!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel
Yield: 6

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This delicious cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole is made with Rotel and Velveeta cheese, with a homemade sauce you'll want to lick from the plate! I've also included instructions for freezing and reheating later.

Ingredients

  • 3 T butter
  • 8 oz. package mushrooms. I prefer shitake and button mushrooms.
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, small dice
  • 1 poblano, small dice, seeded
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded fully, small dice
  • 1/2 onion, small dice
  • 1 t. salt
  • 3/4 of a lb. of spaghetti pasta (That's 3/4 of a box)
  • 2 T. flour
  • 2 c. Chicken Stock
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, (or 1 can petite diced tomatoes)
  • 8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 c. cream
  • 1 rotisserie chicken, with the juices reserved from the bottom of the container
  • 4 oz. cheddar cheese for sprinkling on top
  •   Optional Garnish- Cilantro if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set aside a glass casserole dish to bake in. 

Remove the chicken from the bone and shred into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the juices (or jelly if it's still cold) from the bottom of the chicken container. We will add it to the sauce later for extra flavor.

Boil a large pot of water for cooking the spaghetti in. Salt the water well and cover the pot so it boils faster!

Cook spaghetti to al dente, or just a little firmer than usual. Drain and reserve.

Meanwhile, in a skillet or cast iron pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. I like to cut up the rest of the vegetables while the mushrooms brown and caramelize so they have plenty of time to develop a deep, rich flavor. Please be advised that if you use shitakes as I do, that the hard stems must be removed. They are woody and won't cook down. I use a combination of shitakes and button mushrooms!

Add in the small diced yellow bell pepper, poblano, jalapeno, and onion. Stir to incorporate and add 1 t. salt. Cook the vegetables until they begin to soften and wilt at a medium heat, about 4-6 minutes. 

Sprinkle in 2 T flour, and stir into the mixture. Cook 1 minute.

Add in 2 c. chicken stock, and 1 can of Rotel. Stir or whisk well and increase the heat, stirring well, until the mixture begins to thicken. It will thicken as it approaches a simmer. After it has thickened add in the cream.

Add the juice from the rotisserie chicken and 8 oz. of Velveeta. (Cut where the lines are on the package for easy measuring). Turn the heat down to low-medium and allow the Velveeta to melt. This takes 6-8 minutes. Simmer a couple more minutes and taste for seasoning. 

It should taste like heaven at this point and you should have to restrain yourself from pouring it into a bread bowl and calling it soup night. 

In the glass casserole dish, place the drained, spaghetti pasta and the shredded chicken, and give it a toss around. Pour the sauce over the top. Give it another toss and sprinkle it with cheddar cheese.

Cook at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, just to get it nice and bubbly and allow the cheese topping to melt. Garnish with cilantro if desired. 

Notes

The jalapeno can be left out for a milder chicken spaghetti.

To reheat if frozen, cook at 375 for 30-40 minutes. It can also be thawed in the refrigerator and baked as stated in the original recipe.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 582Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1713mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 12gProtein: 32g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database via Nutrifox. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave us a comment below and let us know how it went!

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Skip to Recipe