April 29, 2010

Southern Phenomenon?

I just did a Yahoo!, Google, and Wikipedia search on "chicken spaghetti". Yahoo! and Google gave me recipes (not needed), and Wikipedia had no entry!

What!

Chicken Spaghetti is a delicious casserole comprised of noodles, chicken, cream of mushroom soup and chicken stock. Add cheese on top, some cooking time and voila! Muy delicioso!

Does chicken spaghetti not exist outside of my family? Do you have this casserole as a staple in your diet when you go home for the holidays? Is this perhaps a Southern phenomenon, I wonder?

Here's a recipe to give it a go:
1 roasted chicken (go for mid-size, the Toyota Camry of rotisserie)
8oz. spaghetti
1/2 c. chopped sweet onion (I used to completely opt out of this, but I'm learning to be an adult and eat my vegetables)
1 (10.75oz.) can of Cream of Mushroom soup (something that grosses me out, but adds a delicious flavor)
Chicken stock for consistency
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1) Cook pasta al dente (8-10min.)
2) Preheat oven to 350*
3) Saute the sweet onion in a little bit of butter
4) Once that's cooked through (to where the onion becomes transparent), add the cream of mushroom soup and let that cook down a little.
5) Then you're going for consistency of the mix. You want it a little runny, so start adding chicken stock and stirring while the pan is still on the stove. Add and stir, repeat. It's all about the feel.
6) When you're satisfied that it's just this side of runny, add this into the pot of drained pasta.
7) You may lose the consistency you had attained previously, so add a bit more chicken stock until you're happy with it. (First time is an experiment, after that it's a game!)
8) Add in 1 c. cheese to the mix, it'll thicken things up again a smidgen.
9) Take this mix of soup and pasta and place it in a 9x13in. pan.
10) Bake for 30 minutes. Place the remaining cheese on the top of the casserole and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the liquid starts to bubble. That's when you'll know it's cooked through.

Take it out and enjoy!

This is a casserole after all, which means you can add and subtract as much or as little as you please. Try adding bell peppers (probably green would be best as they aren't as sweet as red, unless that's what you want) or corn, broccoli...the possibilities are endless.

Let me know if you make one. I want to hear how it goes!

Postscript: Note that to have a true chicken spaghetti, you should buy an uncooked chicken, boil it in salty water, debone it and cook your pasta in the chicken broth you created. It adds a whole new taste element to the casserole. Also adds the element of time...and commitment. Cheers!

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