Chicken Spaghetti Bake
This homemade Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is adapted from the Pioneer Woman's recipe and uses a shredded Costco rotisserie chicken to make it easy to throw together on a weeknight. Perfectly al dente pasta combine with a made-from-scratch cream of mushroom soup sauce with chopped green pepper, pimentos, diced onion, and a generous amount of shredded cheddar cheese. This is a family favorite!
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms diced
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Casserole
- 1 pound spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces
- 3 Tablespoons chicken bouillon
- 3-4 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 ounces pimentos, drained
- 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese divided
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large sauce pan, then add the diced mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid released from the mushrooms cooks off.4 Tablespoons salted butter, 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
- Add remaining butter and let melt, then sprinkle with the flour and stir and cook for 30 seconds.3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Whisk in the chicken broth and milk, about 1/2 cup at a time, until combined. Stir in salt and pepper, then simmer for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.2 cups chicken broth, 1 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and season the water with about 1 tablespoon of salt. I also like to add 3-4 tablespoons of chicken-flavored Better Than Bouillon to the water to flavor the spaghetti noodles while they cook. Cook according to package directions until al dente, then drain.1 pound spaghetti, 3 Tablespoons chicken bouillon
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked spaghetti noodles, chicken, onion, bell pepper, pimentos, 1 3/4 cups cheese, seasoned salt, and cayenne pepper. Pour the sauce over everything and stir to combine. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish.3-4 cups cooked chicken, 1 small yellow onion, 1/2 green bell pepper, 4 ounces pimentos, drained, 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pour remaining 1 cup chicken broth over the pasta, then sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot and bubbly.1 cup chicken broth
Notes
I use a rotisserie chicken from Costco that I pull the meat off of and shred, but the Pioneer Woman's original recipe calls for 1 cut-up fryer chicken to be placed in a large pot of water, brought to a boil, then simmered at medium heat until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Really, any cooked chicken would work, included oven roasted chicken breasts, leftover BBQ chicken, etc.
To Freeze: Assemble the casserole, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use, then pull out and set on the counter while the oven preheats for about 15 minutes. Bake as directed above until hot all the way through.
Adapted from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks".
Nutrition
Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 830mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 259mg | Iron: 2mg
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