Green Chili Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Green Chili Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is a delicious full meal deal.

If you love pasta but prefer to kick the carbs to the curb, you’ll love this recipe! Roasted spaghetti squash provides a healthy “pasta substitute” in this Mexican casserole-style meal. Then shredded chicken, corn, and green chilis are tossed in along with a flavorful sauce, chili powder, cilantro, and green onions. This delightful concoction is piled into the squash shells and finished with cheese.

Squash Cutting Tip

If you’re a squash lover like I am, you know how challenging it is to cut these suckers when they’re raw. It still takes a sharp knife and some elbow grease, but this tip makes it easier. Essentially you’re softening the squash by precooking it in the microwave. Here’s a link that tells you how:

How to Cut a Spaghetti Squash

Inspiration for Green Chili Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

A shout out to my dear friend and fellow Gourmet Group member, Sue Hetzel, who sent this recipe to me. Sadly, Covid and my hubby’s ALS put a wrap on our Gourmet Group adventures. But that’s not stopping two foodies from trading tasty recipes.

Sue was also kind enough to pass on her adaptations which I listed below and baked into the recpe. Like any meddling cook, I added a few tweaks of my own.

Sue’s Tweaks

• Used Herdez Guacamole Salsa vs green enchilada sauce. I tasted both and found the guacamole salsa much more flavorful. So that’s what I used. FYI – the salsa has a smooth sauce vs a chunky salsa consistency. But either option will work. You could also use the enchilada sauce and drizzle the guacamole salsa on top.
• Used sour cream vs. crema.
• Used additional green onions, to taste.

Cathy’s Tweaks

• Used a frozen corn and pepper mix (think frozen Mexi-corn.)
• Used parsley vs cilantro (due to my hubby’s aversion to cilantro)
• I recommend adding the cheese in the last few minutes. I felt the cheese got overcooked when it baked on the stuffed shells for the full 20-plus minutes.
• I changed the servings to 6. The original recipe said 8. I’m sure mileage varies based on the size of the squash. Plus, there’s a fair amount of squash left in the shell because it says to leave 1/2-inch of thickness. If that was all mixed into the stuffing, it would be closer to 8. Hopefully that makes sense.

If you’re interested, here’s the link to the original recipe.

Love Stuffed Veggie Recipes?

Here are a few of my other favorite stuffed vegetable recipes.

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes feature fresh tomatoes with an Italian sausage-bread crumb stuffing and Parmesan-walnut-basil topping.

Check out this recipe

Southern Seafood Stuffed Peppers

Southern Seafood Stuffed Peppers feature cornbread stuffing laced with shrimp, spicy andouille sausage and Parmesan cheese.

Check out this recipe

Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Baked bell peppers provide a single dish meal packed with sausage, rice, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings.

Check out this recipe

Green Chili Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash tossed with chicken, green chilies, corn, a flavorful Mexican sauce, topped with melted cheese.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 6

Author: Adapted from 12 Tomatoes Green Chili Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash cut in half lengthwise
• 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
• 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
• 1 thinly sliced green onion (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 cup Herdez guacamole salsa or green enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn (or Mexi-corn)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for garnish, optional
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• olive oil
• kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Drizzle both cut sides of spaghetti squash halves with olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
• Place cut side down on lined baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.
• Use a fork to scrape up the insides of the squash, leaving at least 1/2-inch space around the bottom and sides. Transfer scraped “spaghetti” to a strainer to cool slightly.
• In a separate large bowl, mix together chicken, green chiles, green onion, guacamole salsa or enchilada sauce, corn, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, sour cream, and chile powder.
• Toss the squash into the chicken mixture (I use two large spoons), then divide the filling in half and pile it back into the squash shells.
• Return squash to baking sheets, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, then bake 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkle of chili powder, if desired.