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One Pot Chicken Spaghetti is a simple, quick and easy dinner idea that will satisfy even the pickiest critics. Creamy, cheesy pasta, tomato sauce and spaghetti all cooked in one pan for easy clean up!
I love to serve this Spaghetti with Chicken recipe with a simple side salad and some Garlic Bread or Homemade Garlic Breadsticks.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
One Pot Meals are often a go-to for busy weeknight because they are super easy and uncomplicated. My family loves spaghetti – it’s one of our favorite comfort foods – but sometimes I want to change it up from the same old spaghetti sauce and meatballs. This One Pot Chicken Spaghetti recipe is perfectly simple and just a little different.
The creamy, cheesy sauce makes this Chicken Spaghetti taste a little like a grown-up version of the classic Spaghettios you can still find on grocery store shelves, but with much better flavor and no icky preservatives. This recipe is a family favorite – kids love it, and grown ups love how easy it is because it cooks up quickly on the stovetop, no need to bake.
Ingredients For Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken – I use about 1 pound (2 large breasts) of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut them up into 1-2 inch chunks.
- Garlic and onions – Sauteed with the chicken for added flavor.
- Chicken broth – You can also use water, but the broth will give the dish a flavor boost. I always select low sodium.
- Spaghetti noodles – Uncooked (about half of a regular box.
- Spices and seasonings – Italian seasoning, Bay leaves.
- Spaghetti sauce – One regular sized jar of your favorite sauce. You can also use 24 ounces (3 cups) or a homemade marinara or other tomato sauce.
- Parmesan cheese – Fresh grated or shredded, off the block for the best taste and texture.
- Garnish – Fresh minced parsley or basil.
How To Make One Pot Chicken Spaghetti
This is a good base recipe and can be used with a variety of meats and pastas. There are just a few simple steps.
- Saute the meat. Start by sauteing some onion in olive oil over medium heat. After a few minutes they will begin to soften and you can add the chicken. Cook just enough to get some color on all sides of the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook. Then add the sauce, broth, dry pasta, and seasonings and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 17-20 minutes, stirring at least once while the pasta is cooking to ensure that it doesn’t stick together or to the bottom of the pan. You don’t need to cover it – you want the liquid to reduce so it forms a yummy sauce.
- Add the shredded cheese. Once the pasta is fully cooked and al dente (tender), add the Parmesan cheese. The added cheese creates a luscious sauce as it combines with the thickened liquid.
- Garnish and serve. For serving, I like to garnish each bowl with some fresh Parmesan cheese and either parsley or basil.
Variations
- Add some veggies – Add 2 cups of chopped broccoli or sliced mushrooms with the liquid.
- Ground beef – If you prefer to use ground beef or ground chicken or Italian sausage, you can. You’ll want to saute the meat so that it is cooked through and no longer pink. Then continue on with the rest of the steps.
- Spicy – Add a ½ teaspoon or more of red pepper flakes to the chicken.
- Cheese – Get creative with the cheese on top! If you aren’t partial to fresh Parmesan, you can stir in the canned grated stuff, or use fresh Mozzarella, Jack, or Cheddar cheese to change things up. For even creamier pasta, add a couple of ounces of softened cream cheese.
- Pasta – Instead of spaghetti, you can use penne, rigatoni, or farfalle.
How Long is Spaghetti Good For?
Storage: Place leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this finished dish because the pasta gets mushy upon reheating.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to stir the pasta while it’s cooking. As the starch is released from the pasta, it can cause it to stick together or to the pan. Stirring a couple of times will help avoid this.
- Watch your pot. If it starts to seem dry, add more broth or a little bit of water. You can always drain out extra liquid at the end if necessary.
- In a pinch you could use rotisseire chicken and just skip the step of cooking the chicken.
More Easy One Pot Meals
One Pot Meals are fantastic time savers; not only do they require fewer dishes, but they are often completely finished in under 30 minutes!
- One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Mac and Cheese
- One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- One Pan Cheesy Beef & Tomato Pasta
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo Recipe
One Pot Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound of chicken breasts about 2 large, cut into one inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup water
- 8-10 ounces uncooked spaghetti about ½ of a box
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 24-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese or more, to taste
- fresh minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a small amount of olive oil in a 5 quart pot or skillet over medium-high heat and add onion. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned on all sides, but not completely done.
- Add spaghetti sauce, chicken broth, water and seasonings and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and a couple pinches of salt; stir. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for about 17-20 minutes, stirring at least once. Add more water or chicken broth if it seems dry.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded Parmesan, reserving about 2 tablespoons for the garnish, if desired.
- Divide into bowls, sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley and serve.
Its good
Ok. It’s my first time…. Im kinda ? never had chicken spaghetti
Its cooking gota add cheese in… I think i may like this
Gosh, I can’t say I know how to measure spaghetti in “cups”??? Can you help me?
The recipe originally called for any kind of pasta which could be measured in cups. Spaghetti would obviously be measured in ounces; 8 ounces (half a box) equals roughly 2-2 1/2 cups of small pasta like Rotini or Penne.
This was SO easy, just what I was looking for. I found it made just enough for 4 adults (we must be greedy, as they weren’t huge portions!). Definitely a keeper.
Does it matter if I switched out the chicken with ground beef?
It would make a difference because the liquid is partially cooking the chicken and you would want to cook the beef and drain it before hand. You could probably just add the drained meat at the same time you’d add the remaining ingredients. I haven’t tried it, so let me know how it turns out!
This one is a for sure favorite in this house. I will never cook spaghetti the same way again. Thank you!
This looks great, but I have one in our family who prefers white to red sauces. Will this work with the Alfredo type sauces, too?? I was just wondering if anyone had luck with it! Thanks for sharing!!
This looks really good, but what is the portion size? Does it make a lot?
It makes 4-6 servings depending on how big you make the portions. My two kids and I could easily have two meals from it.
I made this for dinner today, everyone loved it. It is instantly a family favorite. Only change is I added about 2 cups of fresh broccoli when I added the pasta, so I added about 1/4 cup more of water. I topped it with Mozzarella chees as that’s whatbi had on hand. 5 stars! Thanks!!
I made this tonight & my 3 yr old who doesn’t eat spaghetti (just plain noodles) asked for thirds! Success in my book!
Do you think you could freeze this after making?
Yes, definitely.
You could also add pepperoni slices and sauteed bell peppers for a delicious variation!
2. Add chicken and season with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook chicken until almost done.
Was great till you said season with generous amounts of salt. Looks good, but will have to rebuild the recipe Healthy eating, less salt…
The seasonings can certainly be added to your liking, or left out. This is just how we do it. We like salt. 😉
I was wondering if you think this would work in a crock pot?
I don’t know that it would cook probably. I’m not a fan of pasta cooked in the crockpot. I’m sure you could cook the meat and sauce that way and cook the pasta separately.
I also meant to add that I posted a link to it on my blog to share with family and friends. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My children love pasta dishes, and this was a big hit! I know we will be enjoying it again soon.
Looks delicious! A great quick meal to get on the table
How many does this serve?
Pinned it, cooked it, ate it, LOVED IT!!!!!
Looks delicious & I love the One Pot too!