Chicken Spaghetti

Pioneer Woman is a blog I’ve been following for a few years.  Ree Drummond has exploded in popularity, written a cookbook and has thousands and thousands of followers.  I love the food part of her blog the best.  I am incredibly jealous of her photography.  And I am amazed that she has the time to home school her kiddos.

Anyway, this recipe for chicken spaghetti comes from her.  I changed a few things; omitted the pimientos, added red bell pepper, more onion, more green bell pepper, less cheese and added the Panko bread crumbs for a nice crunchy topping.

Ben and I both really enjoyed this.  Ben said it “tasted healthy” and I think he meant that in a good way!  While it is not terrible for you, you could make it healthier by using fat-free, reduced sodium cream of mushroom soup, using even less cheese, whole wheat spaghetti noodles, skip the cheese on top and instead top with whole wheat bread crumbs mixed with a teensy bit of butter.

This casserole seems like it would be pretty kid-friendly, but I have not tried it out on any kids so don’t take my word for it!  I did not freeze this dish, but baked it right away.  Pioneer Woman gives instructions for freezing, which would make this such a great meal to freeze and have on hand for a busy weeknight.  If you’re like me and only feeding a household of 2, then this meal could be split between two smaller dishes; one to eat that night and the other to freeze and eat later.  I like having stuff like that to use when I have a crazy week.

Chicken Spaghetti

Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
  • 3 – 4 chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
  • 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
  • 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
  • 1 ½ cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • ½ cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
  • ½ cup Finely Diced Red Pepper
  • ½ cup Finely Diced Onion
  • 1 ½ – 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot
  • 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Directions
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil along with some whole peppercorns& kosher salt.  If you have some carrot, celery, and onion, add them to the pot as well to make a more flavorful broth.
  2. Add in chicken breasts and cook for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.  Remove from water and transfer to a plate to cool.
  3. If you added veggies to your broth, strain the broth, and add the broth back to the pot and heat to a boil.
  4. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook.
  5. Shred or chop the chicken into small pieces.
  6. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
  7. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar and Panko crumbs.
  8. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).