Chicken Spaghetti

 I got this recipe years ago from our friend Betsy on the 3R Ranch.  She made it on a Branding day that my hubby helped with….  and my hubby liked it so much, he asked for the recipe… for me …. so I could make it for him… and now I do.  This recipe is a little bit of a variation from the original,  because it leaves out the "Cream of" soups…. but doesn't loose any of the goodness in the process.  It is made with "real", wholesome ingredients that all just blend together into pure comfort food.

It  works great for a "Trim Healthy Mama" S meal if you use the right Spaghetti.  Dreamfields Pasta is my new food happiness because it is a low carb/starch pasta.  It tastes wonderful, and is compatible for THM eating.   So, weather you use whole wheat pasta, brown rice pasta, traditional pasta or Dreamfields Pasta,  I think your gonna love this recipe.

Place 1 nice healthy, organic chicken in a pot.

Add a handful of celery of onion and celery.

Fill with water and cook chicken 1- 1/12 hours or until the meat is beginning to fall off the bone.

Cool chicken, de-bone then chop and measure three cups of meat and set aside.

Meanwhile, strain the chicken broth into a clean stock pot.

Reserve some of the chicken broth for your sauce; you will need 1 cup.

Next, prepare all of your vegetables by chopping, measuring and setting aside.

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup onions.

3/4 cup green pepper.

1 4 oz jar pimentos.

  Bring your remaining chicken broth to a boil in the fresh stock pot.  Break the spaghetti in half and add to broth.

Boil spaghetti until slightly underdone.  Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the spaghetti from cooking any more.  Set aside.

In an extra large skillet or stock pot, melt 1 stick butter and add onion,  mushroom…..

green pepper….

and pimento.  Stir and saute until all vegetables are tender.

Add 2 tablespoons flour, stirring as you mix, to make a roux.

Add 1 1/2 cup cream, stirring mixture as you pour.  Next add 1 cup reserved chicken broth.

Add  2  14 oz cans of diced tomatoes.

Mix gently.  Add seasonings.

Add spaghetti;

Mix all together well.

Stir in  2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese.  

Add 3 cups of chicken.  Stir together well and put into one large lasagna pan, or 2 medium/small casserole pans.

Top with 1 1/2 cups cheese.

Bake at  350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until all is bubble and heated through.  I usually cover with foil for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and finish cooking.

Mmmmm good.

Chicken Spaghetti
This makes 1 large lasagna pan sized casserole (approximately 14x11) or two medium/small casserole pans (8x8 or 8x9)
Ingredients:

For Chicken:

• 1 whole Chicken (you know I love a good organic chicken… what can I say?)
• 1 small onion quartered
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 stockpot full of water

For the Casserole:

• 3 cups Cooked Chicken
• 1 16 oz package uncooked Spaghetti, Broken In half
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper
• 1 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 2 Tablespoons  flour (whole wheat is fine) 
• 1 1/2 cups cream or half and half 
• 2 1/2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
• 2  15 oz can diced tomatoes (or one 15 oz can of tomato sauce)
• 1  cup reserved chicken broth From pot
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

If you are not fond of tomato chunks in your casserole (I have one picky eater that feels this way), here is what the sauce looks like if you use tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes. It is really good this way as well.  It is creamy and a little tomatoey; but more creamy than tomatoey.

To Freeze

I like to cook up 2 chickens at a time, and then double or triple the recipe, freezing a couple extra meals for the freezer, and freezing any extra chicken in ziplocks for a quick meal or two.  For this recipe,  I cooked two chickens and was able to put a couple of meals in the freezer for when Elizabeth and Winston get here, next week,  send one over to Steve's Mom, and make a large pan for tomorrow, as well as freeze some extra chicken meat, and chicken broth for later.  Undercook the pasta when you are going to freeze it, so that it does not get too soft when defrosted and cooked in the oven.  Defrost in the refrigerator the night or morning before cooking, then follow instructions as usual.

Enjoy and have a blessed Sunday everyone.