White Chicken Spaghetti

5 from 2 votes

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Tex-Mex Chicken & White Cheddar Spaghetti

Last night I had a dream that I was being chased by a moose. I’m being totally serious.

Me—>being chased—>via moose.

Typically, people don’t discuss what to do in such a situation. Pretty sure I was NEVER taught this in school….All I could think of was ‘play dead’….because that’s what you do with bears {and bears are basically moose}. So guess what I did in my dream….YUP. Played dead. And then he bit my back. I repeat: THE MOOSE BIT MY BACK. Technically it was more of my right love handle area, but my back nonetheless.

This morning I woke up with a bad back ache.

Intriguing, yes?

So now I’m left in a lurch with a sore back wondering “did a moose really bite me?” “am I really that unstable to have such a weird dream?”  “does my husband kick and/or bite me sporadically during the night?” and “perhaps my sub conscience really likes moose…?” But, this whole story has everything to do with me being {quite literally} crazy and nothing to do with food. So let me bring this full circle for ya….

I think I have fallen in love with this mexican/albino version of spaghetti. Like completely head over heels.

I tweeted/instagramed/facebooked a picture of these leftovers a few days ago and got a huge response. You all love your spaghetti {…and you didn’t even know what kind it was! Impressive!} One of the many reasons I love ya! This version is the result of thinking about queso blanco too much and then having a wicked pasta craving. Somewhere along the way things got hazy and they became the same dish. —>Best idea ever. Creamy and cheesy pasta with a little mexican kick. Totally rad! And super simple to make too.

Here’s how you do it:

Cooked spaghetti

Start out by cooking some spaghetti….to al dente please! Set this aside.

Butter and onions

In the hot pot you just made the spaghetti in, add in a hunk of butter and saute some onions until they’re tender–5 minutes or so.

Flour

Add in some flour….

Butter Flour and Onions in a pan

and cook it for a few more minutes. Raw flour taste  = not good eats.

Add broth

Now you can whisk in some chicken stock and let it thicken up a bunch. You might want to increase the heat a little more if you’re impatient like me.

Add milk

Whisk in some milk and keep it cooking until it’s creamy and has thickened .

Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

Now we can sprinkle in the sharp white cheddar…

Sauce

and turn this into a great pasta sauce! Sprinkle in some cumin, salt, pepper,

Shredded Chicken

shredded chicken,

Tossing spaghetti with sauce

cooked pasta,

Chopped peppers

chopped pickled jalapenos + a little juice from the jar

Cilantro

and cilantro.

Tex-Mex Chicken & White Cheddar Spaghetti

Toss everything together to coat it all in that magnificent sauce and serve.

Tex-Mex Chicken & White Cheddar Spaghetti

We added a little extra cilantro to ours, but feel free to add what you like! Enjoy friends 🙂 Hope you get around to making this for dinner tonight!

Tex-Mex Chicken & White Cheddar Spaghetti
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5 from 2 votes

White Chicken Spaghetti

This White Chicken Spaghetti recipe is creamy and cheesy pasta with chicken that has a little Tex-Mex kick. Made with white cheddar!
servings 4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb thin spaghetti
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 lb grated sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos + 1/2 tablespoon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Bring large pot of water to boil.
  • Melt butter and saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes.
  • Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk to prevent lumps. Increase heat to thicken sauce.
  • Sprinkle in grated cheese and stir continuously to melt into sauce evenly. Stir in cumin, salt, pepper, jalapenos, jalapeno juice, chicken, cooked spaghetti and cilantro.
  • Toss to coat everything evenly in sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm with more cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 768kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1030IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 510mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: White Chicken Spaghetti

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85 Responses
  1. Christine M

    I made this tonight and the kids loved it! I left out the jalapeno peppers, onions (hubby doesn’t like them) and used mozzarella cheese. Definitely a keeper!

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  4. Jimi

    I made this earlier this week, and it was so delicious. We all loved it. I did add half a can of diced green chilies. Thanks for the great recipe. Just discovered your blog and will definitely be back.

  5. DeeDee

    So, I have made this several times, and it is amazing every time. Thanks for the recipe! I wanted to note that I made it with shredded beef this time, because it was what I had on hand. It is great that way too. Thanks again!

  6. Amber

    This recipe was very good. It has an unexpected mexican kick to it. I used whole grain pasta, as always, and I didn’t have the jarred jalepenos so I used fresh. Served with garlic bread and my guys gobbled it up! Thanks Lauren!

  7. Michelle

    I made this and it was delicious! I used quinoa pasta and had to sub 1/2 cup greek yogurt for the milk because I didn’t have any milk, but it turned out great!

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  9. Sando

    YUM!!!! this sounds so yummy!! and as for the dream. I always have a craziest dreams, good to know I’m not alone 😉

  10. Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out

    …I don’t know how to respond to this moose dream. Particularly to the fact that you woke up with a wicked back ache. I have often dreamed of being a sardine in a can, only to wake up and find myself wedged between another human and a cat with my arms pinned to my sides. I guess that isn’t too far off, huh?

    This spaghetti looks great! It kind of reminds me of my mom’s white chicken chili recipe, only turned into pasta! (What a great idea!)

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  12. The Farm Girl

    Just found your site and I am in love. So many fun recipes. We tried the butterfinger nutter butter cheesecake bars and absolutely love them!!

  13. Katie

    This looked so simple and unassuming from the photo, but I love all the flavors you packed in there! Great idea for spaghetti!

  14. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking

    This looks like the ultimate comfort in a bowl I’ve been craving lately! Looks lovely, Lauren! Great weeknight recipe.

  15. Erin

    Even though I might do without some of the additions here (i.e. jalepenos), this is my kind of chicken because I really don’t do tomato sauces.

  16. Anna @ hiddenponies

    You are just. so. smart. You can be as crazy as you want, I will still love you for your food 🙂

  17. Baking Serendipity

    I needed a smile today and that chased by a moose visual totally made it happen! Love this post, and this spaghetti! So creative 🙂

  18. Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies

    I am definitely digging this idea. Wonder if I can get the husband to eat it, given the additional Tex-Mex flavors. He’s usually anti-cheese sauce, but this sounds so good to me I might just force feed him.

  19. Julie @ Table for Two

    what a gorgeous pasta! great flavors too! and your dream? thank you for the biggest laugh of the day. of course, i’m glad you ended up being ok and that it was only a dream 🙂

  20. Ellen @ The Baking Bluenoser

    That’s looks absolutely fantastic and really easy to make! I could use a nice big plate of that right now! Thanks for the recipe.

  21. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

    This is too funny! Crazy dreams are always funny when they are someone else’s.

    This pasta looks incredible! Hubby would LOVE it!

  22. Chels R.

    Thanks for blogging this! It looked so good the other day on Fb! I’ll have to make some modifications to suit my pregnant needs- right now, Cilantro and I are just not jiving, but I can’t wait to make this!

  23. Nancy @ CouponClippingCook

    Seriously, my mouth was watering as I read through the ingredients. This is so my kind of meal. Looks delicious.

  24. Aubri @ Tried and Tried Again

    This looks delish! And, I laughed out loud…multiple times during this post. Thanks for the humor and the recipe! Hope your back feels better!

  25. Laurie {Simply Scratch}

    Sounds like perfection to me! I once had a dream I was being chased by a grizzly and woke up right as it’s paw was coming at my face…. scary business… but this pasta would easily make me forget all my bad dreams!

  26. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious

    Awesome flavors in this dish. And that moose dream is hilarious. I mean, not the part where your back actually started to ache in real life but the fact that you played dead in your dream.

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