Chicken Spaghetti

By mamacasma

Ingredients

• 1 "Cut Up Fryer" (Basically, one chicken that's been cut into pieces)
• 1 lb. thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) Cream of Mushroom soup
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
• 1 jar (4 oz.) diced pimientos, drained
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt (such as Lawry's Seasoned Salt)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 20mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Fill a pot with water and put it on the stove to boil.

2. Rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water - piece by piece - and set it aside.

3. Throw the chicken into the pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for a few minutes, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for a good 30-45 minutes.

4. Dice the green pepper.

5. Dice the onion - finely.

6. Drain the jar of pimentos - dice if necessary.

7. Next, break the thin spaghetti into 2-inch pieces until you have around 2 1/2 to 3 cups. (This looks like more because I threw them in haphazardly, like I do everything else. But if you're careful and keep the spaghetti nice and packed, it should be around 2 1/2 - 3 cups, uncooked.)

8. Take the cooked chicken pieces out of the pot. Turn heat to high.

9. Dip a measuring cup into the pot and retrieve 2 cups of broth, and dump the spaghetti pieces into the broth to cook - allow the spaghetti to cook for several minutes, until very al dente (or, until it still has a nice "bite" to it.) You do NOT want to overcook the spaghetti, as you'll be baking the dish again later - drain pasta and set aside.

10. Pick the chicken meat off of the bones so that you have 2 cups for what the recipe calls for.

Note: You can use any cut of chicken you like. I like the whole fryer because it gives you a mixture of dark and light meat, but if you'd like to do just breasts, that would work just fine! Also, if you have cooked chicken from another source (leftovers, etc), that's fine too; just be sure to add a small amount of canned chicken broth to the water before you boil the spaghetti. (Not too much, though, or the dish will be too salty.

11. Place spaghetti in large bowl - add chicken, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, the diced green pepper, onion, pimentos, 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt, a generous sprinkling of black pepper, and 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, but only if you like a little spiciness in your food. I add Cayenne because I think it makes the dish a little more interesting, but it's also good without it. 1/4 teaspoon is good for Marlboro Man, but a little spicy for the kids. 1/8 teaspoon is a good compromise. If you don't have kids and you like to live dangerously, go ahead and up the quantity all you want.

12. Now start adding the chicken broth, beginning with 1 cup. Stir it up, then add a little more. You want the mixture to be stirrable, but definitely not soupy. I usually stop just short of using the full two cups. Stir thoroughly, then take a bite and check your seasonings. Add a little salt if needed, a little more pepper, and maybe a little more Cayenne if you didn't have enough Chutzpa the first time around. Make sure it's seasoned enough!

13. Place mixture into casserole pan and top with an additional 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar.

14. At this point, you can cover it well and freeze it, unbaked. Or you can cover it and refrigerate it, unbaked, for up to two days before baking. Or, if your family is salivating and rending their garments in hunger and agony, go ahead and bake it at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until hot & bubbly.