Chicken Spaghetti

Since my boyfriend was in town visiting last week, I decided to take over a few of our family dinners so that my mom wouldn't be feeling overwhelmed (and to thank her for letting him stay longer!). One night I chose to make chicken spaghetti.

Please forgive me because I have NO idea where this recipe is from. It was first used to make chicken spaghetti for a dinner concert when I was in choir in high school. My mom was in charge of making a pan of it, so that's how we got the recipe. I probably haven't made this since high school, but after getting a craving for it and realizing that we already had most of the ingredients, I decided that it would be our dinner for the night.

This recipe makes a LOT of chicken spaghetti. I halved it and had enough for my family of four plus a hungry boyfriend. Unless you're cooking for a crowd (or want to freeze the other half) I would suggest halving this recipe.

Choir Concert Chicken Spaghetti

* 5 lb chicken

* 2 cans Swanson’s seasoned chicken broth

* 1 can mild Rotel

* 1 can cream of celery soup

* 1 can cream of mushroom soup

* 1 chopped onion

* 2 lbs (2 boxes) Velveeta

* 24 oz spaghetti

Boil chicken and cut into bite sized pieces (save chicken broth)

I used a whole chicken so that I could make some good broth with it (and have meat left over). You can use all white meat if you want, but I think that the dark meat gives the dish a little bit more flavor. I added chopped carrots and onion, along with salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley to flavor the broth. I boiled my chicken for about an hour, then turned the heat down to low and let it go for another 4 hours. You don't have to boil it that long. I just had things to do that day, and wanted to give it awhile. Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, take it out of the broth pot and chop it or shred it into small pieces. Save your broth for later in the recipe. 

Notice the A&W can by the chicken...My dad was helping me chop. :)

Combine soups, broth, onion, and 1/2 of the Velveeta

I just used 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) of the broth from the chicken instead of canned broth. I combined them in a large pot (because this is the pot you will add the chicken and spaghetti to), and stirred them over low heat until they melted together. 

Add chicken and mix on stove top until cheese melts

Then I added my shredded chicken to the mix and mixed it well. 

Add spaghetti to mixture

Finally, I mixed in spaghetti that I had already cooked the night before and put in the fridge. It was just easier not having to worry about the extra step of cooking my noodles at the time. 

Put mixture in pan and cover with remaining Velveeta cheese and bake at 350 until cheese melts (about 30 minutes)

I then spooned the mixture into a glass baking dish, and sprinkled it with small pieces of the Velveeta. I spent waaaay too much time cutting that smooshy cheese into little cubes. Once I was almost finished I asked my mom how she did it and she replied, "I just grated it over the spaghetti with a cheese grater". Duh. Don't make my mistake. Just grate the cheese. Or "cheese". 

For once, I actually followed the baking directions and baked it for exactly 30 minutes at 350 degrees. The Velveeta wasn't completely melted into the spaghetti, but that was because of the way I cut it (see above). It still tasted delicious. Except my corner didn't have Velveeta on top. Because I was already eating enough cheese on the inside. I didn't need any more of it on top. 

The verdict? Both family and boyfriend were pleased. I think I'll be taking this one up to college with me. Except I'll make a full batch and freeze the rest. You never know when you'll need a quick meal ready after a long day of classes.