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.
Chicken Spaghetti from Scratch
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
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
great recipe! love chicken spaghetti without the canned soups!