Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 medium onion (white or yellow)
2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped fine or 2 tsp. of jarred, minced garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of mushrooms
at least 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (I usually cook a whole chicken and then pull the meat from it as needed for recipes like this.)
1 (16 oz) package spaghetti, cooked
2 cups shredded cheese (mild cheddar, colby jack, whatever you choose, these are just the two types I prefer)
about 1 1/2 c chicken broth (carton or canned broth is fine, but it’s EXTRA good if you’re able to use the broth from cooking the whole chicken.)
1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper ( I use more than that but that’s probably a good measurement to start with.)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the chicken, if you’re using two breast cutlets, otherwise shred whatever you have prepared.
Put enough water in a saucepan to boil the package of spaghetti noodles. Add about 1 tsp. of salt to the water. I usually break the noodles into thirds as I’m adding them to the water - I have young kids and smaller noodles are a lot easier for them to manage during the meal.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms, chopped onion, and minced garlic together in it.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cream of chicken and mushroom soups, about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, salt & pepper. Mix together.
Add the shredded chicken, sautéed vegetables, and the cooked spaghetti. Mix thoroughly.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Spread in a greased 9x13 casserole dish or aluminum pan.
Top with the rest of the shredded cheese (add more if you feel like its not enough).
Pour chicken broth over the entire mixture. Take a fork and work the noodles around a little bit to make sure the liquid is getting into all the open spaces within the mixture. Add some more broth until you can just see it coming up from within the mixture.
Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, but serve while it’s still plenty warm.
Whatever is left over (if any!) can be stored in the refrigerator.
Something else that I like to do is double this recipe and make one to bake and serve immediately and the other, I put in a foil pan and cover and freeze to have at a later date or to be one of those meals I take to someone else. Instructions for baking are the same, except thaw it out beforehand, or if you’re going to put it straight into the oven while it’s still frozen, leave it covered and bake for at least 2 hours or until it’s warm and bubbly.
This is a recipe from my mom that she put in a cookbook she made for me when I went to college. She included things that she would make at home that she knew I liked and a few of the recipes from both of my grandmas. I don’t remember this, but she claims that I didn’t cook until I moved out. I mean, I knew how - I knew the basics and had taken cooking as a project in 4-H for two or three years, but she said it wasn’t something that I enjoyed doing at that age. When I went to college, I moved into an on-campus apartment that had a fully furnished kitchen and I decided pretty quickly that I liked having meals in the convenience of my apartment rather than having to walk over to the main dorm to the cafeteria. Even though I had purchased a meal ticket for the first semester so that I could eat there, I thought that I could make meals that were just as good, if not better (or maybe more to my liking, I should say) and do it more affordably on my own at home. I also discovered that I liked making meals to share with others to enjoy. I always had someone over for supper - a friend(s), whoever I was dating at the time, sometimes my roommates, etc.
Over the years, I’ve adjusted the measurements slightly and added the cream of chicken and the garlic to make it my own. My husband claims this has become one of my signature meals. It’s my go-to anytime I have to feed a crowd because I’ve never had anyone not like it (I make at least two pans instead of one); I take it to families that have had a new baby because it’s super filling and nourishing; I take it to families that have had a loved one pass away because it’s comfort food and tastes like home; and it’s in our regular rotation of meals that I make for our young, growing family because everyone will eat it…always a win for any mom!
I hope you enjoy making this for those you love, just remember to enjoy some yourself.
Just a simple, hearty, crowd pleasing recipe…For What It’s Worth!
