Friday, January 23, 2009

Chicken Spaghetti

Oh my goodness. I just-this-very-moment read Jennifer's comment about chicken spaghetti on my potpourri post and had to right-this-very-minute post the recipe.
Oooh friend you don't know what you are missing! Chicken spaghetti is one of my all-time favorite foods!

Once on a mission trip in college we all divided up and a different group cooked supper for everyone each night. Since I was the leader of my little group and spaghetti is good for a crowd I decided to make chicken spaghetti on my group's night.

Only - I made it from memory.

Which turned out fine except for one tiny thing. Actually it was one BIG thing.

I was waaaay off on the servings, and we ended up with about 3 times as much spaghetti as we needed. It was much like one of the
Strega Nona books from Tomie DePaola. You know the story when the magic pot keeps spittin' out spaghetti until the town is full up with it?

Except in my case it wasn't magic, just poor memory!

So - for Jennifer and anyone else missing out on this wonderful dish, here is our family's recipe, as made by my Nana and my Mama, for Chicken Spaghetti.

And in case you need to know, it feeds 8-12, depending on how hungry they are, how sides you have, and how many are men. ;)

Chicken Spaghetti

1 chicken, boiled and cubed
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
1/4 c pimento
1 tsp paprika
12 oz spaghetti, broken
1 can mushroom soup
1 c grated cheddar cheese


Cook onion and pepper in 2 quarts chicken broth until clear. Add cut up chicken, salt, pepper, paprika, and uncooked spaghetti. Cook 20 minutes. Add mushroom soup and pimento. Put into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake until melted.

Man oh man I love this stuff. Served with a salad, garlic bread and Italian green beans (the flat kind) it makes an unbeatable meal! :)


funny pictures of cats with captions
more animals

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

Wow...thanks so much! It really sounds yummy. I'm printing the directions and will try it next week. It makes alot (for my little family)...have you ever split it into two portions and frozen one??? I could give it a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe...especially for me!! How sweet -

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Natalie said...

Ummm...that story rings a bell. Which trip was that on. I know I remember how much Neal loved your chicken spaghetti. Remember little Emma in the bowl of noodles?

Daphine said...

Hi Amy!
I came from Jennifer's blog! Your recipe sounds awesome. I will try this for one of my meals next week! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Amy said...

Jennifer - Yes - this recipe freezes very well!

Natalie - the spaghetti incident happened in Maine. You were on that trip, weren't you?
I think I was comissioned to make this for a Tuesday lunch soon after. :) I thought about Emma in the noodles when I posted that cat picture!

Welcome Daphine! Thanks for stopping by. :)

Brooke said...

Chicken spaghetti used to be a staple, and I seem to have forgotten all about it! I need to get that on the menu this week. I'm going to give your version a try. Sounds so yummy!

Amy, your blog is lovely. I just started reading about your journey with liver disease, and am truly moved to tears. What handsome young men you have there, and what an inspiring and creative mother you are. You breathe new meaning into the term "life giving".

I love the story about the bath toys in the shower! Those precious moments of joy really keep us going, don't they??

Looks like you did a great job on the apron. Isn't sewing fun? You asked about more sewing ideas...are you interested in quilting? I love to quilt, and there are many simple patterns available to make great kid quilts. If you have a quarter inch foot for your machine, quilting is very simple. Just straight lines. And if you're a perfectionist, it helps. :) (By the way, I completely relate to the snowflakes, greatly admire your restraint, and confess that I would have TOTALLY straightened out that dot!!) Anyway, another fun and easy project is pillowcases. My kids love them!

Alltel12fan said...

I got this recipe from you back in college...and LOVE IT. I remember you making it for BSU one lunch day or something. Yum yum...might have to make some soon!! :)

Lisa Sherrill Roach said...

Thank you for the comment. We may have passed each other randomly at some point and didn't even realize. How neat that we live so close. I actually live in Pine Branch. My husband works some at LifeNet in Clarksville. So good to hear from you.