Tex-Mex Chicken Spaghetti

Name: Tex-Mex Chicken Spaghetti
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 Bell peppers (red and green); 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 White onion; 500 g Spaghetti; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 500 g Cooked and shredded chicken breast; 3 cloves Garlic cloves; 0.5 bunch Fresh coriander; 200 ml Chicken stock; 200 g Processed melting cheese (Velveeta style); 400 g Diced tomatoes with chillies

45 min (15 prep + 30 cook) Easy 6 servings Texas

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 29 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Spaghetti with chicken, tomatoes with chillies and melted cheese, Tex-Mex style.

About this recipe

Tex-Mex chicken spaghetti is one of the most comforting and controversial dishes in Texan home cooking: spaghetti mixed with shredded chicken, tomatoes with chillies, melted processed cheese and sautéed bell peppers. The result is a creamy, spiced and utterly addictive pasta that has nothing to do with Italian pasta or traditional Mexican cuisine - it is pure Tex-Mex in all its glory.

History & Origin

Tex-Mex chicken spaghetti is a dish that divides opinion: Italian and Mexican food purists look at it with horror, whilst for millions of Texans it is one of the flavours of childhood. Its origins lie in the rural communities of mid-twentieth-century Texas, when Texan housewives combined spaghetti noodles - an affordable pasta available in any American supermarket - with whatever they had to hand: leftover chicken, tinned cream of mushroom soup, Ro-Tel (tinned tomatoes with chillies, a Texan invention from 1943) and the ever-present Velveeta, the melting cheese invented in 1918 that became the secret ingredient of countless Tex-Mex recipes. The recipe was passed from mother to daughter through generations and today appears in church recipe books, family potlucks and comfort food restaurant menus in Dallas and Houston.

Estimated cost

£12.00

Total cost

£2.00

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

580

Calories

34g

Protein

62g

Carbohydrates

22g

Fat

Fibre

920mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2
In a large frying pan, sauté the chopped onion and diced bell peppers in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3
Add the garlic, cumin and chilli powder. Cook for 1 minute.
4
Add the diced tomatoes with their chillies (or crushed tomatoes with jalapeño), chicken stock and processed melting cheese. Stir over low heat until the cheese melts completely.
5
Add the shredded cooked chicken and mix well. Allow everything to heat through for 5 minutes.
6
Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and mix until the pasta is completely coated in the creamy sauce.
💡 If it is too thick, add a little of the pasta cooking water.
7
Serve in deep bowls with extra grated cheddar on top and freshly chopped coriander.