A couple months ago a recipe for “Chicken spaghetti” popped up in one of my internet news feeds. I eat chicken and spaghetti all the time (usually with marinara sauce from a jar) so I looked to see what their take was. I was surprised to find a casserole that looked like classic 1960s American comfort food, that I’d never seen before. A search returned a bunch of slightly different recipes, all based on a foundation of spaghetti, cooked chicken, and cheese sauce, varying greatly in how they made the sauce and what vegetables they might add.
A few notes:
- I recommend breaking the spaghetti before cooking. This is going to simplify serving it. Cook it underdone, it'll cook more as it bakes in the sauce.
- Most recipes recommend cheddar cheese, but some are Velveeta fans.
- I can certainly make my own white sauce, but I went with the cream soup for the true 1970s America feel.
- Bought rotisserie chicken is a time saver, or you can poach chicken pieces and shred the meat (which also provides the needed stock), or I used boneless chicken cut into chunks and sauteed.
- Vegetables can be added or omitted as desired. I tried it with mushrooms and no tomatoes and I liked that.
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
from SpendWithPennies.com — serves 6
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken into pieces, cooked 2 minutes less than instructions, drained
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (¾ to 1 lb before cooking)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup light cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, or “Rotel” tomatoes with chilis, drained
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook spaghetti a couple of minutes underdone. Drain well.
Cook onion, garlic, and bell pepper in butter until tender. Add flour and seasonings. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in broth and cream a little bit at a time until smooth. Cook until thick and bubbly. [Or use half as much butter, omit cream and flour, add 1 can of cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup, adding broth to the desired consistency.]
Remove from heat, add parmesan cheese and half the cheddar cheese. Mix until smooth and melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. [If you used canned soup you won’t need much more salt. Some recipes substitute Velveeta for the other cheese here.]
Combine spaghetti, chicken, cream sauce, and canned tomatoes. Mix well. Spread in a greased 9x13” dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
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A long time ago I wrote about being a “secret shopper” checking out restaurants; here’s a newspaper article on that process. The company in the story is the one my friend Joan works for, and we’ve been to some of the restaurants mentioned.
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Actual dinner plan here is still TBD. What’s for dinner at your place?
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