Chicken Spaghetti from Scratch

One of my favorite casseroles is Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti. It is full of flavor and very filling. Unfortunately, it is also full of canned soup, which is a big red flag for my kitchen.

Since I can’t live without Chicken Spaghetti, I revamped the recipe to make it from scratch and … it’s even better! I use whole wheat spaghetti since you can’t really tell anyway and good quality white cheddar cheese. I have found that good quality cheese is well worth the investment. I use less cheese and it tastes much better. I recommend skipping the pre-shredded packages and getting a block of good quality cheese.

Recipe type: Main Dish

Author: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 6

This is an all homemade, from scratch re-vamp of the Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti Casserole.

Ingredients

3 cups dry whole wheat spaghetti, broken in 2″ pieces
2 cups cooked chicken
2 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons butter
6 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup finely diced bell pepper
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated white cheddar cheese, separated

Instructions

In a large heavy oven proof pot, cook spaghetti in salted water just until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Put pot back on the stove and melt butter over medium high heat.
Add onions and peppers and saute until onions are translucent.
Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in 1 cup of chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Add in milk and whisk.
Allow mixture to cook and thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
Add remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, if needed, to get desired consistency.
Turn off heat and stir in chicken, spaghetti, 1 cup cheese, Lawry’s, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top.
Bake at 350 degrees until warm and bubbly, 20-30 minutes