Chicken Little Spaghetti Bake
This bake borrows the best from a few of our favorite comfort classics.
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Spaghetti, casserole, and a good chicken dish are all meals that make frequent appearances on busy weeknights around here. And for good reason. They’re all quick and crowd-pleasing options that are easy to turn to when you’re short on time but still want a nice, home-cooked meal. So imagine if you borrowed a little bit of the best from all of those options – the comfort of a creamy casserole, the satisfying chew of spaghetti noodles, the sensible protein punch from chicken – you could say you then have the ultimate weeknight dinner. Well, that’s just what our Chicken Little Spaghetti Bake is. It borrows the best traits of some of our favorite comfort classics for one irresistible and easy meal.
In this casserole, ground chicken and spaghetti noodles are folded into a creamy, cheesy sauce and then baked beneath a blanket of buttery, subtly seasoned breadcrumbs. It’s a rich and hearty bake that relies on sour cream, three cheeses, and a couple of cans of cream of chicken soup (that old casserole standby) for its delicious, velvety sauce.
Panko breadcrumbs are mixed with parsley and melted butter and sprinkled over the top, along with a dusting of shredded cheddar cheese, that bake together into a crispy, cheesy layer that perfectly contrasts the creamy goodness below.
You can prep this dish ahead of time, and it freezes well too; just leave the breadcrumb topping off until you’re ready to bake to ensure it stays nice and crispy in the end. Hearty, but not too heavy, our Chicken Little Bake is the kind of reliable casserole recipe that we’re all looking for – a simple and delicious dish that everyone around the table is gauranteed to love.
Chicken Little Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 (10.25 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- 4 oz. American cheese, finely chopped
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- For the topping:
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350º F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until fully browned and no longer pink.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir in garlic and onion powders.
- Once combined, mix in chicken soup, sour cream, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and American cheese, then stir in milk and chicken broth.
- Once cheeses have fully melted and mixture is combined, stir in cooked spaghetti.
- In a small bowl, whisk together breadcrumbs, parsley and melted butter.
- Transfer spaghetti mixture to greased baking dish, then top with remaining cheddar cheese and breadcrumb topping.
- Place baking dish in oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Recipe adapted from Cheese Curd in Paradise.
