Chicken Spaghetti

What's Cookin'?

Well, not much, actually, since I'm not in my own kitchen!  However, I made this the other night and the children loved it.  I didn't actually measure while I made it so I'm guessing approximate quantities :).

What makes this so easy is having the chicken cooked ahead of time.   The chicken can be boiled or baked - a great use for leftovers!


Ingredients:

- 1 pre-cooked chicken breast, shredded in big chunks or diced however you like it.  Mine was huge.  Use 2 if they are regular-sized (Sprouts had boneless/skinless on sale for $1.69/pound). Approximately 2 cups of diced chicken.  You could use 2 cans of chicken if you wanted, but I recommend fresh.

- 2 "cans" of cream of something soup.  I avoid MSG so I suggest either making your own or getting a clean brand.  Again, not at home, so I use Pacific Organic Cream Of Mushroom Soup and Pacific Organic Cream of Chicken Soup .  I used one of each but will only use 2 of the cream of mushroom next time.

- 2 ribs of organic celery, diced.

- 1/2 onion, diced.

- 1 package of preferred spaghetti noodles (12-16 oz)(these could be regular, gluten-free, etc).

- 8 oz shredded cheese.  I've been using Tillamook because it's hormone-free.  You can get the 2 pound block at Wal-Mart for less than $9.  One block lasts me about 2 weeks (depending on what we're eating that week).  I usually get 2 blocks per month.

- Approximately 1/2 cup water to thin the soups.

Directions:

Cook the noodles al dente and drain.  Don't overcook because they will be going into the oven later.

While the noodles are cooking, sauté the onions and celery in a small saucepan with plenty of real butter.  [When they were done I added the drippings from the chicken pan.  If you do that, omit the water in the recipe.]

Mix the 2 soups, the diced onion/celery, and the water/drippings in a bowl and mix well.

Pour the mixture into the cooked, drained noodles and mix well.  Add the diced chicken and mix again.  Add the shredded cheese last and mix again.  Pour immediately into a 9x12 baking dish.

Topping:  You could reserve a bit of the cheese for a topping.  I toasted 2 pieces of bread to make some quick bread crumbs and sprinkled it on top before baking.  Oldest daughter especially liked that touch.

Bake at 350F for approximately 20 minutes, covered (until bubbly).  Remove cover and bake another 10 to firm it up a bit.

To freeze:  You could freeze before baking or after.  I would freeze before for a ready freezer meal, but I froze 1/2 the casserole after baking as leftovers.

Serve with a fresh salad and a smile :)

Servings:  This recipe made 2 full meals for 5 people (and my kiddos had seconds!).







This recipe is a part of Real Food Wednesday

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