Old Fashioned Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

A creamy, dreamy, cheesy chicken spaghetti casserole your whole family will love. 

Nothing says comfort food quite like an ooey -gooey cheesy casserole. Chicken Spaghetti is my daughters favorite dish and I know just what she's talking about when she says "mom can you make that cheesy noodle dinner". 

Today was a traditional Texas summer day with the highs in the 90's, so not the best day to be cranking up the oven, but this dish was requested so here it is! I know it seems like a lot of work to pull this dish together, but I promise you won't be disappointed. 

This pasta dish is freezer friendly, so check out the notes at the end of this post. If you have a smaller family and a 13 x 9 inch baking pan is too much no problem. You can make two 8 x 8 inch pans and freeze the second one for another meal.  This dish is perfect for church potlucks, holidays, get-togethers or maybe there's a new mom in the neighborhood that would love to get dinner from a friend. 

This casserole is a creamy, dreamy dish that will quickly become a family favorite. If you do not want to go through cooking a whole chicken a store bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted. Let's get started with the step by step directions (full recipe is at the end of this post).  

Start by filling a  large soup or stock pot with water. Clean and rinse a whole fryer (remove the giblets, livers and heart) and add the chicken to the pot. I like to add a little seasoning salt, poultry seasoning, quartered onion, celery, and a bay leaf as the chicken cooks. 

Make sure to wash your hands after handling chicken. Turn the stove to high and let chicken come to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook the chicken until done (about 2 hours). For chicken breasts or pieces cook 45-50 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place on a plate to cool. Strain and reserve the broth.

Cook the spaghetti noodles per package directions, but instead adding the spaghetti to water were going to use our reserved chicken broth instead. Bring the broth to a boil and add the spaghetti noodles. Reduce heat and simmer until the noodles are tender, but not fully cooked (al dente). 

If you're worried about the fat you can boil the spaghetti in water. While the spaghetti noodles are cooking go ahead and start removing the bones from the chicken (make sure it's cool enough to handle) or if using chicken breasts, break chicken breasts to smaller pieces. Place the chicken on a plate, cover and set aside. 

Dice up the onions, celery, and green peppers. In a medium size skillet melt the butter and add the vegetables. Saute until tender and translucent in color. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large microwave safe bowl combine the cubed Velveeta cheese, chicken broth (canned or homemade) and cream of chicken soup. 

Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on low for about 5-7 minutes until mixture is smooth and the cheese is melted. (you can also use the defrost setting). You wanted the cheese to be melted, but don't cook the mixture. 

Drain spaghetti noodles and add back to the pot or use a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and the cheese mixture and mix to combine. If you want to spice things up a bit you can add a can or mild Rotel. 

Spray a (13 x 9 inch) baking dish or similar with non stick spray. Add the spaghetti mixture and top with shredded cheddar cheese. You can also add a few sliced black olive's on top (not pictured) The black olives are optional, but that's my husbands favorite part. Bake the casserole in a preheated 350 F oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and casserole is bubbly. 

Serve with a vegetable, garden salad and dinner rolls to complete the meal.  

Old Fashioned Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
{mommyskitchen.net}

Ingredients:
1 - whole chicken fryer, cooked or 4 large chicken breasts
(bay leaf, poultry seasoning, onion and celery added to chicken while it cooks omit if using a store bought rotisserie chicken) 
1 - 12 oz package spaghetti noodles (do not use vermicelli or thin spaghetti)
1 - 16 oz (1 lb) package Velveeta cheese, cubed or use all cheddar cheese
1 - 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup
2 -  cups reserved homemade broth or 1 - 14 oz can chicken broth 
1/2 - cup (1 stick) butter 
1 - 8 oz package shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese 
1 - small onion, chopped
3 - 4 - celery ribs, chopped
1/4 - cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 - (10 ounce) can mild Rotel, optional 

Directions: 
1. Fill a large soup or stock pot with water. Clean and rinse a whole fryer (remove the giblets, livers and heart) and add the chicken to the pot. I like to add a little seasoning salt, poultry seasoning, quartered onion, celery, and a bay leaf as the chicken cooks. 

2. Turn the stove to high and let chicken come to a boil then, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook the chicken until done (about 2 hours). For chicken breasts or pieces cook 45-50 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place on a plate to cool. Strain and reserve the broth.

3. Cook the spaghetti noodles per package directions, but instead adding the spaghetti to water were going to use our reserved chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil and add the spaghetti noodles. Reduce heat and simmer until the noodles are tender, but not fully cooked (al dente). 

4. While the spaghetti noodles are cooking go ahead and start de boning the chicken (make sure it's cool enough to handle) or break chicken breasts to smaller pieces if using breasts. Place the chicken on a plate, cover and set aside.

5. Dice up the onions, celery, and green peppers. In a medium size skillet melt the butter and add the vegetables. Saute until tender and translucent in color. Remove from heat and set aside. 

6. In a large microwave safe bowl combine the cubed Velveeta cheese, chicken broth (canned or homemade) and cream of chicken soup. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on low for about 5-7 minutes until mixture is smooth and the cheese is melted. (you can also use the defrost setting). You wanted the cheese to be melted, but don't cook the mixture. 

7. Drain spaghetti noodles and add back to the pot or use a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and the cheese mixture and mix to combine. If you want to spice things up a bit you can add a can or mild Rotel, but that is optional. 

8. Spray a (13 x 9 inch) baking dish or similar with non stick spray. Add the spaghetti mixture and top with shredded cheddar cheese. 

Bake the casserole in a preheated 350 oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and casserole is bubbly. When cooked, remove from oven, let cool and serve. 

servings: 6-8

Cooks Note: A store bought rotisserie chicken can be substituted for a whole chicken fryer. If a 13 x 9 inch dish is too big for your family you can prepare two 8 x 8 inch size pans. Serve one for dinner and freeze the second one for a quick meal for another night. If you don't use Velveeta just substitute with all cheddar cheese and omit the Velveeta all together. 

Freezing Instructions: Cover the unbaked casserole with plastic wrap, and two layers of aluminum foil. Date and place in freezer. To bake the frozen casserole remove casserole from the freezer, defrost and proceed with baking instructions. If you have a large family just double the recipe ingredients and prepare two 9 x 13 inch casseroles. 

Crock Pot Version: I recently made this in my crock pot with pretty good results. I sprayed a 8 quart crock pot with non stick spray. I prepared the chicken spaghetti as above, but adding some additional chicken broth. You want the mixture to be a bit soupy so it doesn't dry out while cooking. Set your crock pot on low and cook for 2-3 hours.