Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken & Spaghetti Bake
Make Ahead & Bake When Ready
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken & Spaghetti Bake features tender, seasoned chicken and pasta coated in a rich, cheesy sauce with pops of tangy sun-dried tomatoes and pepperoncini. Baked until hot and bubbly, it’s a cozy, flavor-packed dish that’s perfect for an easy, satisfying dinner.
This Chicken Bake came together after I made the cheese sauce for my charcuterie nachos and realized it would be just as good poured over baked chicken and spaghetti. It’s one of those easy, throw-it-together ideas that turns into something really special. All those bold, tangy flavors baked into a cozy, cheesy dinner is perfection in my eyes.
Any Pasta Will Do
You can really use any cooked pasta you like for this. This makes it perfect for using up what you already have on hand. I went with spaghetti because it soaks up that creamy, tangy cheese sauce so well. It gives it that cozy baked pasta feel. Short pastas like penne, rigatoni, or even shells would be just as good.
Those pastas will be catching all those little bits of sun-dried tomatoes and toppings. Just toss the cooked pasta right into the baking dish with the chicken and sauce. Make sure to give it a gentle mix. Then bake it all together so everything gets coated and bubbly.
Add More Meat
You can also lean even more into those charcuterie flavors by adding some diced salami, prosciutto, or ham to the dish. I like to toss it in right when you add the chicken to the baking dish so it warms through. You will get a little of that savory, salty flavor into the sauce as it bakes. It adds another layer of richness and makes the whole dish feel even more like a true charcuterie-inspired dinner like the nachos.
Customize To Your Liking
Any kind of peppers or olives would also be a great addition here. This is a really fun recipe to play around with. Roasted red peppers, cherry peppers, banana peppers, or a mix of olives like kalamata or green olives. These all bring a little extra briny, tangy flavor that works perfectly with the cheese sauce and chicken. Feel free to get creative and use whatever you love or have on hand to make it your own.
Keep It Saucy
If you prefer a more saucy, extra indulgent dish, you can easily double the cheese sauce. This is especially great if you’re adding pasta, since it gives everything more of that creamy, coated texture and ensures every bite is full of flavor.
You can also make the sauce a day in advance to save time. Just store it in the fridge, then gently reheat it on the stove with a splash of milk to loosen it up before assembling the casserole when you’re ready to bake.
Poultry Seasoning Explained For Those Confused
Poultry seasoning is a classic herb blend that’s typically made with ingredients like sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and black pepper, sometimes with a little nutmeg mixed in. It doesn’t actually contain any chicken, it’s just called that because it pairs so well with poultry, adding a warm, savory, slightly earthy flavor that works beautifully in chicken dishes like this. You can make your own.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken & Spaghetti Bake
Juicy, seasoned chicken is baked in a creamy sun-dried tomato cheese sauce with a tangy kick from pepperoncini and red pepper relish. It’s a rich, flavor-packed dish that’s perfect served over pasta or with crusty bread to soak up every bit of that sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 chicken cutlets
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning *dried herb blend for chicken
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 to 10 ounces (pre cooked) of thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente and drained
- For the Cheese Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 to 2 teaspoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons red pepper relish
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire powder or 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 to 1½ cups shredded mozzarella + 1 cup for top
- Toppings:
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons capers (optional but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken cutlets on both sides with oregano, garlic salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden brown but not fully cooked through, then transfer to a baking dish in a single layer.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute until it forms a smooth paste. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking constantly until smooth, then let it cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the julienned sun-dried tomatoes and a little of their oil, along with the red pepper relish, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and Worcestershire powder.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the mozzarella a handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of milk to loosen it.
- Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the chicken. Scatter the pepperoncini, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and capers over the top. Bake uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce is hot and bubbly.
- Carefully remove from oven, add the spaghetti and toss in the cheese sauce and chicken, top with the remaining mozzarella, bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly.
Tips
- Keep the heat low once the cheese is added so the sauce stays smooth and creamy.
- The oil from the sun-dried tomatoes adds a ton of flavor, don’t skip it.
- All ovens are different and cook times may vary.
- If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce recipe and then follow the rest of the recipe as written.