This creamy chicken spaghetti is incredibly low-maintenance, yet absolutely loaded with flavor! It’s very customize-able, so you can make it just the way you love, and is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
This is one of my Slow Cooker recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
If you’ve been looking for a great family-friendly weeknight dinner, then I have a winner for you!
This chicken spaghetti is made mostly in the slow cooker, so when you come home from work, you only need to boil some pasta and toss everything together.
Plus it makes a lot, so you’ll likely have leftovers, or you can meal prep and have this for lunches!
I love how easily you can customize this recipe; you can use different types of chicken, different pasta, different creamy soups, different veggies, spices, etc… so you can truly make this your own.
How to make creamy chicken spaghetti in the slow cooker?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Add chicken to slow cooker. I like to pat my chicken dry first, but that’s a personal preference.
- Make veggie sauce. Combine all the chopped fresh veggies, condensed soups, and spices.
- Add to slow cooker. Pour that sauce over the chicken, smoothing it out so it covers the chicken completely.
- Cook. This recipe should be cooked covered, for 6-8 hours on low.
- Shred chicken. You can do this right in the slow cooker if you’d like, but I prefer to shred it in a separate bowl or on a cutting board (so I don’t scratch up my slow cooker).
- Return chicken to slow cooker.
- Add pasta, cream, and cheese. Stir this in and let it sit a few minutes to warm up the cream and melt the cheese.
- Garnish and serve.
Helpful Tip!
For this recipe, I chose to write the recipe so the pasta is cooked separately, then added to the slow cooker. I’ve noticed feedback from readers on other recipes (that have the pasta cooked IN the slow cooker), that the pasta was on the mushy side… so to prevent that, I do recommend cooking it separately.
Variations of this recipe
- Chicken – this recipe also works well with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Veggies – if you’d prefer some additional or different veggies, feel free to use the ones you like best!
- Condensed soup – you can use all cream of chicken, all cream of mushroom, or experiment with different types of “cream of” soups… you just want 2 total cans.
- Seasoning – please feel free to experiment with different seasonings. I purposefully kept the seasonings basic, so you could add your favorites!
- Pasta – instead of spaghetti, any type of pasta will work in this recipe. Penne, farfalle, and linguine are some of our favorites.
- Cheese – if white cheddar isn’t your jam, you can try mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, or any combination.
FAQ’s
I’m sure this could be adapted for the Instant Pot (you’d need some liquid), but I haven’t tested it, so can’t say for certain what changes should be made and how long it should be cooked.
They’re similar, but not exactly the same. Chicken tetrazzini typically doesn’t have tomatoes, and uses a wider noodle. The creamy sauce also is usually made with a combination of broth, cream, and sometimes wine.
Making chicken spaghetti ahead of time
Due to the pasta, I don’t recommend making this entirely ahead of time, since the pasta can soak up too much sauce and leave you with a dry dish.
But you can absolutely prep ahead for this recipe:
- Veggies – the onion, bell pepper, and garlic can be chopped and kept refrigerated.
- Pasta – the spaghetti can be boiled, drained, tossed with a little olive oil and kept refrigerated.
- Spices – the spices can be measured out and kept at room temperature.
- Cheese – if you’re shredding your own cheese, it can shredded and kept refrigerated.
Storage
Leftover chicken spaghetti should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 5 days.
My Favorite Slow Cooker!
I had this crockpot for a while now, and I really love how it cooks. The locking lid feature is amazing for taking food to potlucks or other gatherings!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast patted dry
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium bell pepper (any color) diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes (partially drained) I like the variety that has basil, garlic, and oregano
- 10 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 10 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz dried spaghetti
- 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Prepare
- Add chicken breasts to the insert of a slow cooker.
Make veggie sauce
- In a mixing bowl, add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, diced tomatoes, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, dried oregano, dried basil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir together to combine well.
Cook
- Add veggie sauce to the slow cooker, covering the chicken breasts.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. I haven't tested this recipe on HIGH, so I can't say how well it will turn out.
Shred chicken
- About 30-40 minutes before you'd like to serve, remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred. I like to use two forks to do this, but you can shred it however you'd like.
- Return shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir.
Boil pasta
- About 20-30 minutes before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the slow cooker.
Add cream and cheese
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream and shredded cheese. Stir everything together, then add the cover to the slow cooker and let it sit for about 5 minutes, to warm the cream through and melt the cheese.
Garnish and serve
- Remove cover, sprinkle with parsley, and serve hot.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe serves 6, however you’re free to divide it up into as many servings as you’d like.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Lisa says
Another fantastic recipe Amanda, hubby and I loved it. I did add 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes and fresh mushrooms but we loved it. It’s better than any tetrazzini recipe I’ve ever made because like you said it has diced tomatoes, basil and oregano. I’ll definitely make this again very soon!
Bob says
My first dish and WoW!!! I’m a single dad with a 12 y/o son, Air Force veteran with little to no culinary skills, and recently decided that we’ve lived on pizza, frozen meals, and drive-thru’s for too long! So I started researching a variety of online chef sites and fortunately I found Amanda and The Chunky Chef site! The very first dish I ever made for the two of us was this Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Spaghetti. I just made it two days ago and I’m so inexperienced in the kitchen that I must have reviewed the ingredients and re-read the directions 1000 times because I didn’t want to mess it up and I was preparing it for a very picky eater who I wanted to spoil with a good home cooked meal. Well, this dish got the 5 STAR approval all day long. I will certainly be experimenting with Amanda’s incredible list of dishes again and again. Thank you for breaking it down, making it simple, and above all incredibly delicious!
Lisa says
I just put this in the slow cooker but I wanted to congratulate you on making your first meal! That’s a big accomplishment! I wanted to recommend another dish Amanda created that my husband and I love and I’ve made 10 times. If you like salmon look for honey garlic salmon. It’s very easy and fantastic.
Bob says
Awesome! Thank you Lisa. 😊
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Bob! Oh man, this comment just made my whole day. I’m so glad you came across my website and wanted to congratulate you on your first meal 🙂 You’re the reason that I do what I do! Happy cooking!
Bob says
Thank you Amanda! I am grateful for your site and all of the great recipes you share. This past weekend I made your Chicken Parmesan Casserole, my second dish and it came out awesome. I posted another review here: https://www.thechunkychef.com/chicken-parmesan-casserole/comment-page-1/#comment-273834
Catalina says
Wow, the Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Spaghetti exceeded all my expectations! It was so creamy and comforting, and the fact that it was cooking while I was at work made it even better.
Allyson Zea says
The fact that this is made in a slow cooker, makes my life so much easier! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Beti Micevska says
This turned out so rich and flavorful, and the chicken was incredibly tender. Absolutely love how easy it was to prepare. A must-try for a cozy dinner!”
Katerina Petrovska says
Tried the slow cooker creamy chicken spaghetti and it was a hit! Super creamy and the chicken was perfectly tender. Such an effortless, comforting meal. Will definitely make again
Sandra says
This was really really good! And I love how easy it was to make! Definitely going to be in our weekly meals!
Beth says
This officially has a place in my permanent recipe rotation. I made it last night, and it was so good.
Gina says
Creamy chicken spaghetti is already one of our favorites – but then you add the ease of making it in the slow cooker and it just takes it to a whole new level. Unbelievably delicious too!
Ruth says
I really hate that I have to download an app in order to print anything from this site. As a result, I don’t visit this site often and simply find recipes elsewhere.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Ruth, I’m confused… there’s NO app associated with this website. Did you possibly click on an advertisement? There aren’t supposed to be any that look misleading or confusing, but occasionally some slip through. If that’s the case, please let me know so I can pass it along to my team to remove that ad. Or possibly it’s an app from your printer? I know we have a Brother printer and when I print from my phone, it opens the Brother app. But to print a recipe from my website, all you have to do is click the “print” button in the recipe. I would NEVER ask someone to download an app just to print a recipe that I willingly share with you for free.
Carole says
Hi Amanda, would I be able to make just the sauce in the slow cooker for freezing as there are only 2 of us. Then cook the pasta fresh as I need it and add to reheated sauce? Thank you.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Carole, I haven’t tested it, but I think that should work well 🙂