Lightened-up Chicken Spaghetti is one of those rare dishes loved equally by kids and adults. The pasta draws the kids in, and the creamy sauce screams "comfort food".
4chicken breasts, boneless & skinlessor any combination making 2 cups of cooked meat
1pounddry spaghettibroken in half
2canscream of mushroom soupOK to substitute 1 can cream of chicken
2cupsshredded cheddar cheesereserve 1/2 cup for later use
1/4cupgreen pepperfinely diced
1/4cuponionfinely diced
2cupsreserved chicken broth from pot(you may not need all of this)
1tsp.Lawry's Season salt
Dash of cayenne pepperoptional, more or less to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Place chicken in large pot and add water (I season the water with a little salt & pepper). Cook over medium heat until done, approximately 20 minutes if using boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Remove chicken from pot and shred with 2 forks. Remove 2 cups of broth from the pot, reserving for later use.
Cook spaghetti in remaining broth until al dente. You want your pasta to have a little "bite" to it, because you will be cooking it again in the oven. Drain spaghetti.
In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti with the remaining ingredients, except for the reserved broth and 1/2 cup reserved cheese. If mixture seems dry, add 1/2 cup increments of broth until desired consistency is reached.
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly (about 45 minutes). Cover with foil if the cheese starts to brown.
Notes
Feel free to use whatever chicken you have on hand: mixture of white & dark meat or use rotisserie chicken for a quick fix. You will want about 2 cups of cooked chicken.
If you forget to reserve 2 cups of broth, substitute with bouillon and water to make 2 cups. I forget to reserve the broth almost EVERY time - seriously!
Refrigerate leftovers.
This dish can be made the day before - simply cover, store in refrigerator and cook the next day.