Chicken Spaghetti

This really is a fabulous casserole, and the only one in existence that my husband will eat!

1. Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups.
2. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
3. Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

There is a lot of "stuff" in this casserole, but the way I ensure widespread acceptance and bliss by those I serve it to is to keep everything diced very small and to season it adequately. And I’ll show you how to do just that. So let’s jump into Chicken SpaghettiLand, shall we? The water’s just fine.

The Cast of Characters: 1 "Cut Up Fryer" (Basically, one chicken that’s been cut into pieces); Thin Spaghetti, Cream of Mushroom soup; onion; green pepper; pimentos, sharp cheddar cheese, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper. This is basic stuff, folks!

First, fill a pot with water…

And put it on the stove to boil.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly with cold water…

Piece by piece.

Set the chicken aside, and wash your hands with soap so you won’t get salmonella poisoning.

I’m not really a manic hand washer until I get in the kitchen…and then I’m a freak.

Throw the chicken into the pot…

And bring to a rolling boil. Boil for a few minutes, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for a good 30-45 minutes.

To dice the green pepper, cut off the top…

Then cut off the bottom…

And yes, I know I’m not a hand model, so quit cracking jokes.

Then rotate it 90 degrees and cut it down the middle.

Remove the seeds and other junk from the inside, then slice into very thin matchsticks.

Quit making fun of my hands, I said. I work hard out here on the ranch!

Rotate the matchsticks 90 degrees, then slice across them to create a fine dice.

To dice the onion finely, cut the onion in half from top to bottom, then lay each half on its side and make several vertical slices.

Then rotate the onion 90 degrees and cut downward to dice.

Drain a 4 oz jar of pimentos.

If they came diced, that’s great. If they came "sliced," just dice them up a bit.

Next, break the thin spaghetti into 2-inch pieces until you have around 2 1/2 to 3 cups. (This looks like more because I threw them in haphazardly, like I do everything else. But if you’re careful and keep the spaghetti nice and packed, it should be around 2 1/2 – 3 cups, uncooked.)

Next, take the cooked chicken pieces out of the pot. Turn heat to high.

Then dip a measuring cup into the pot and retrieve 2 cups of broth. (Don’t burn yourself!)

Now dump the spaghetti pieces into the boiling chicken broth to cook.

Allow the spaghetti to cook for several minutes, until very al dente (or, until it still has a nice "bite" to it.) You do NOT want to overcook the spaghetti, as you’ll be baking the dish again later.

When it’s ready, drain the spaghetti and set aside.

Now for my favorite part: picking the chicken meat off the bones! Make sure the chicken is cool enough to work with, then just start picking away!

It’s kind of like a treasure hunt, seeing how much meat you can find. It’s also a very messy job, but cooking chicken meat this way is a great skill to have. For this recipe, you need 2 cups (packed) of cooked chicken. And hey, I even throw in a few small pieces of skin for flavor. Don’t tell the Surgeon General.

If you have some left over, you can make a little chicken salad tomorrow. Or you can season it with taco seasoning and make chicken tacos or chicken quesadillas or chicken nachos! Or you can just eat it right now because you’re hungry. I won’t judge you.

Note: You can use any cut of chicken you like. I like the whole fryer because it gives you a mixture of dark and light meat, but if you’d like to do just breasts, that would work just fine! Also, if you have cooked chicken from another source (leftovers, etc), that’s fine too; just be sure to add a small amount of canned chicken broth to the water before you boil the spaghetti. (Not too much, though, or the dish will be too salty.)

Now, place the cooked spaghetti into a large mixing bowl.

Add the chicken…

And 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup.

Sometimes I like to use Cream of Chicken & Mushroom soup. You can do one of each, or pick one. They both work beautifully.

Now add the diced green pepper, onion, and pimentos…

And 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese. Sometimes I grate my own; sometimes I just use this wonderfully convenient stuff.

Now add 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt…

A generous sprinkling of black pepper (fresh ground is great, too)…

And 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, but only if you like a little spiciness in your food. I add Cayenne because I think it makes the dish a little more interesting, but it’s also good without it. 1/4 teaspoon is good for Marlboro Man, but a little spicy for the kids. 1/8 teaspoon is a good compromise. If you don’t have kids and you like to live dangerously, go ahead and up the quantity all you want.

Now start adding the chicken broth, beginning with 1 cup. Stir it up, then add a little more. You want the mixture to be stirrable, but definitely not soupy. I usually stop just short of using the full two cups.

Stir thoroughly, then take a bite and check your seasonings. Add a little salt if needed, a little more pepper, and maybe a little more Cayenne if you didn’t have enough Chutzpa the first time around. Make sure it’s seasoned enough!

Place mixture into a casserole pan. Any shape will do.

And top with an additional 1 cup of grated sharp cheddar.

Yum, yum! At this point, you can cover it well and freeze it, unbaked. Or you can cover it and refrigerate it, unbaked, for up to two days before baking. Or, if your family is salivating and rending their garments in hunger and agony, go ahead and bake it at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes until hot & bubbly.

And here’s what you’ll have:

This really is one of the all-time greatest "make before" comfort foods. Our cowboys LOVE this dish. Marlboro Man loves this dish. My kids love this dish. Therefore, I love this dish.

I know you will, too!

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Chicken Scallopini

Preheat oven to 350F.

in a shallow pan or pie dish mix together the flour, garlic salt, pepper and paprika.

Roll the chicken in the flour mixture; then in a large skilled using the butter brown the chicken on both sides.

Place the chicken into a shallow backing dish lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Cook until juices run clear or to an internal temperature of 160F. (This should take 20-30 minutes depending on size) Remove chicken and keep warm.

In the same skillet over low heat stir in the water, lemon juice, and chicken bouillon, stirring to loosen the particles on the bottom of the pan. Add the four lemon slices and cook for about an additional 1-2 minutes.

Chicken Rollatini

Gina has yet to disappoint me with her amazing recipes, and this one is no exception! It’s like chicken parmigiana but with a twist–literally. She stuffed these babies with spinach and a yummy cheese mixture. So good! And then, why not coat them with a few bread crumbs and top them with more cheese? Even better! For the recipe and baking instructions, just hop on over to Skinny Taste.

Chicken Ranch Pasta Recipe

• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons dry ranch dressing seasoning mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ⅓ cup cooked, chopped bacon
• 2 cups cooked chopped chicken

Tips: You could use all sort off pasta, like whole wheat pasta and add extra half & half (A mixture of half milk and half cream). Also instead of ranch dressing mix, you could use Chive & Terragon (dipping) sauce.

Image via plainchicken.com

Chicken Pot Pie Noodle Bake

The faster version for your favorite comfort meal.

BUY NOW: Le Creuset Braiser, $294.95, amazon.com.

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles for 5 minutes. Drain immediately and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 3 minutes, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
3. Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in noodles, chicken, corn, and peas, then transfer mixture into a 9”-x-13” baking dish. Combine Panko, Parmesan, and oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on top.
5. Bake until golden, 25 to 28 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

BUY NOW Staub Rectangular Baking Dish, $70, amazon.com

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 5 tbsp plain flour
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed
• 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large potato, diced and blanched
• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
• 4 sheets puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the salt, pepper, flour and herbs and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and add the chicken, then simmer until the stew has thickened slightly and the chicken has cooked, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken, add the milk, then cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and split the sauce in half.
6. Shred the chicken.
7. To one half of the sauce add the potatoes, peas and shredded chicken. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and then place into the fridge. Set the remaining half aside until needed.
8. Cut 2-inch circles from a sheet of puff pastry and lay a spoonful of the stew on top. Cover with a second circle of pastry and press the edges together with a fork to secure. Repeat until all of the pastry and filling is used up.
9. Brush pastry pie with egg wash, sprinkle with black pepper and salt and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed up and golden.
10. Serve immediately with sautéed greens and the remaining gravy heated up on the side.

Chicken Pot Pie Base

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Pot pie.. one of my husbands favorite. I had never made it before but thought that I would put up the filling so that when I wasn’t home he would be able to heat it up, add Clear Jel to thicken it, and then cut the pie crust to fit. He could pop it in the oven just to heat and cook the crust.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Note: This is a raw pack recipe so none of the ingredients going into the jars other than the boiling water are heated.

Filling the jars:

• On a dishtowel place your hot jars. Using your funnel in each jar fill with 1/3- 1/2 cup chicken chunks, and then 1/2 cup mixed vegetables.
• Add 1/4 t. of the mixed herbs to each of the jars. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired. Add boiling water to each jar and fill to 1” headspace. Using a bubble remover take out the air and refill to proper headspace if necessary.
• Taking a clean paper towel wet it with vinegar and wipe the rims of the jars removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal.
• Using your magic wand extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight".

• Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the pressure canner and place the jars in bottom. Lock the lid and turn up the heat bring the canner to a boil.
• Vent steam for 10 minutes then close the vent by adding the weighted gauge or pressure regulator (for dial gauge canner).
• Process for 75 minutes at 10 lbs of pressure (11 lbs for dial gauge canner) for pints. If you choose to do quarts they should be processed for 90 minutes.
• (Adjust pressure for altitude) When complete turn off the heat and let pressure return to zero naturally. Wait two minutes longer and open vent. Remove canner lid.
• Wait 10 minutes then remove jars and place on dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move them till the next morning. Your stock may still be boiling inside the jars. That is normal!

You can thicken with your own recipe but this is what I did using Clear Jel. Usually the pot pie filling has a flour and butter roux or cream but I wanted this to be as simple and delicious without all the extra fat.

To make the Pot Pie

• For each pie heat one pint of filling for a small pie or two for a deep dish. In a small bowl add 1 T. of Clear Jel for every pint jar heating.
• Heat the filling in a saucepan till it comes to a low boil. Add the mixed Clear Jel and stir continuously for one minute. Turn off heat.
• Using an oven safe dish ladle the filling to the top of the dish leaving 1/4" for bubbling. Add the pie crust and pinch around the dish to seal the filling inside.
• Cut a slit on the top of the pastry so it can vent. Because the filling is already cooked you only cooking the crust. You will put the dish in the oven at 450ºF for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Chicken Pineapple Stir Fry (21 DAY FIX approved)

Mushroom Jack Burger What you will need: -Extra lean ground beef

-Mushrooms sliced

-Onions sliced

-Monterey jack cheese shredded

-Pepper

-Olive oil spray

Directions: -Form ground beef in to patty and season with pepper

-Place in hot non stick skillet and cook until no longer pink

-Top burger with monterey jack chees

-Spray the olive oil in a small hot non stick skillet and sauté the mushrooms and onions until tender

-Top burger and cheese with the mushrooms and onions

-Enjoy

Oven Baked Fries What you will need: -Medium russet potato

-Water

-Olive oil spray

-Ms Dash original seasoning

Directions: -Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-Peel and cut potato in half

-Cut the half of the potato in the matchstick pieces

-Place fries in to a bowl and cover with cold water

-Let sit in cold water 15 minutes (it draws out the starch to help fries crisp in the oven)

-Drain water and dry fries with paper towel until all the moisture is gone.

-Place fries on an oven safe pan and spray them with olive oil spray

…

Chicken Parmesan Sliders

Perfect for family dinners, these tasty, filling sliders are super easy…and super cheesy!

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 oz.) Kroger Rich 'N Honey Slider Buns
• 18 Cooked Perfect Chicken Meatballs
• 12 tablespoons marinara sauce
• 6 slices mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 package dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Are you kidding me? Place these babies on top of a bed of spaghetti with marinara and watch everyone fall in LOVE with YOU. All of that gooey cheese inside has got me drooling all over my keyboard. These would also be insanely good just as a snack or party appetizer! Go get the recipe and baking instructions over at Tablespoon, where food is never boring!