Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

This is the time of year I absolutely CRAVE comfort food and my recipe for Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is about as comforting as it gets - not to mention spectacularly delicious!

There are other Chicken Spaghetti recipes out there that I've tried and enjoyed, but none of them gave the exact flavour profile and creaminess I was looking for. I wanted something velvety, and cheesy, but I didn't want the recipe to be overloaded with fat, sodium, and calories.

So I took the to the Kitchen Witch test kitchen and today's yummy recipe was born!

The recipe is so good because I've combined the casserole classic, Cream of Mushroom soup with light cream cheese, and the marriage between the two is just incredible. 

Visit the printable recipe here: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Or join me in the Casa de Kitchen Witch for a glass of wine and a chat as I show you how easy this is to make!




Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp dried chilies (optional)
• 2 cups steamed broccoli florets
• 1 cup no sodium added chicken stock
• 1/2 cup light Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 tin low fat cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pound thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups Cracker Barrel reduced fat shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large non-stick skillet misted with olive oil, saute the chicken, and mushrooms until the chicken is almost cooked through. 
3. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and chiles and continue to saute another few minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. 
4. De-glaze the pan with the chicken stock and then turn to low. Add the cream cheese, and mushroom soup, and then stir in the steamed broccoli.
5. Cook the spaghetti for 5 minutes - just before it's al dente - and then mix enough of it together with everything else in the pan just until it still looks nice and creamy (about 3 generous handfuls of partially cooked spaghetti) 
6. Place the mixture in a 9- by 13-inch casserole pan that's been treated with oil or cooking spray and top with the 2 cups of cheese. 
7. Bake covered for 30 minutes and then remove the cover. Bake uncovered another 10-15 minutes until bubbly.

Nutritional Analysis

Calories per serving: 363
Total Fat 16.9 g
Saturated Fat 8.8 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 91 mg
Sodium 348 mg
Potassium 422 mg
Total Carbohydrates 24.8 g
Dietary Fiber 2.1 g
Protein 27.6 g
Vitamin A 15%     •     Vitamin C 36%
Calcium 21%     •     Iron 10%


Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe developer, a former website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada, the $20,000.00 winner of the online competition "The Real Women of Philadelphia" and a finalist on the Food Network Canada show Recipe to Riches. Lyndsay believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of all levels can accomplish.