I’m not sure about everyone’s Pinterest wall, but mine has had chicken spaghetti show up many times. A past colleague would also talk about making the dish for her family pretty regularly. It is definitely not something I grew up eating. So, my interest in the dish had been around for a little while. Then came a rerun episode of “The Pioneer Woman” on Food Network (don’t judge me… it’s my favorite channel) where she makes chicken spaghetti too. I decided that it must be worth a try and that I was getting several signs that it was something I needed to try myself very soon.
Here are a few things to consider about me about why I was a bit hesitant in making and eating this dish:
- I am currently well into my second pregnancy and I have literally wanted Italian food, or just pasta in general, for most of this pregnancy.
- I do not usually crave Italian food or pasta – I like it, but it normally isn’t my go-to food.
- I do not really like spaghetti. I would rather have a shaped pasta, such as penne or ziti or any number of other shapes. I know they probably really do taste the same, but they seriously don’t in my mind.
- I do not like alfredo sauce or really any cheese sauce. I know… I am pretty sure I have never met anyone else who does not like cheesy sauce with their pasta, but there it is.
After taking all of my personal feelings about what I might think of this dish into consideration, I decided to try the dish anyway. I researched a few recipes online and created one that worked for me. Here is what I came up with:
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz. box spaghetti, broken into fourths and uncooked
- 3 cubes chicken bouillon, divided
- 1 cup water, plus more for boiling the pasta
- 1 regular green bell pepper, diced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ½ tsp seasoned salt
- ⅛-¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ⅛-¼ tsp garlic salt
- ⅛-¼ tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° and coat the inside of a 2 to 3 quart pan with non-stick spray. Set the pan aside.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for al dente pasta. As the pasta cooks, add two bouillon cubes to the boiling water.
- Add the last bouillon cube to the cup of water and warm the water so the cube dissolves into the water. (You can also use a cup of chicken stock for this step instead of the bouillon cube and water.)
- Lightly saute the bell pepper and onion in a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Stir frequently. (You can also add a little olive oil or use non-stick spray in the pan if you prefer.)
- In a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, onion, cream of mushroom soup, chicken, seasoned salt, pepper, and pasta. Mix well.
- Add one cup of shredded cheese and the cup of water with the bouillon cube (or chicken stock) to the bowl. Mix well again.
- Pour the entire mixture into the prepared pan.
- Spread the remaining cup of cheese over the spaghetti mixture, and then sprinkle the garlic salt and parsley over the cheese.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the cheese is lightly browning.
Notes
- If you prefer not to use bouillon cubes at all, you can boil the pasta in chicken stock instead.
- Although I was inspired by several versions of this recipe, it is most closely adapted from “The Pioneer Woman’s” Chicken Spaghetti recipe.
Once I tasted this dish, I do have to say that I had mixed feelings at first. Remember how I do not like alfredo or cheesy sauce? Well, I think the sauce surrounding the spaghetti is very similar in consistency to those sauces. I wasn’t sure I liked that until a few bites in, which is when I decided I was okay with that. The flavor was amazing! My husband really enjoyed it (he even chose to take it for lunch two days this week!), which I feel is always a great thing.
Overall, I believe the dish was a success and it will be repeated in my household. One more for Team Chicken Spaghetti!
