The weather was in the 30s tonight and that hasn’t happened here in Louisiana for a while! I figured what better way to celebrate winter coming than baking a warm casserole in my comfy home and staying the heck away from that freezing weather! This Chicken Spaghetti Casserole is a family favorite and a dish that is pretty popular here in the South. Y’all know we love our casseroles and this one is adapted from one of my favorite bloggers –The Pioneer Woman! It’s easy to make since like most casseroles you just mix everything together in a bowl then pour in a casserole dish and bake! Serve during the holidays at church potlucks, Christmas parties, and family gatherings.
The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts {or 4 small}
- 16 oz box of Spaghetti uncooked {I used pot sized or you can break in half or thirds}
- 1 can Cream Of Mushroom soup
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 2 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded {divided}
- 1/4 cup Green Pepper diced
- 1/4 cup Onion diced
- 1 4 oz jar Pimentos diced and drained
- 1 1/2 boxes of chicken broth {about 6 cups} for poaching chicken
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper optional
- Salt And Pepper to taste
- 3 slices bacon cooked and chopped for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- I cook my chicken by poaching in boiling chicken broth for 15-20 minutes then remove and let cool slightly before chopping.
- You can then cook the spaghetti in the same chicken broth until al dente.
- Drain spaghetti then add to a large bowl and reserve 1 cup of chicken broth.
- Mix in chicken, diced peppers, onions, pimentos, seasonings, soup, and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.
- Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth until smooth.
- Pour into a greased 9X13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle on remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly {cover with foil if it gets too brown}.
- Sprinkle with chopped bacon and cut into servings. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from http://thepioneerwoman.com/
Start by prepping and dicing all your veggies.
You need about 2 cups of cooked chicken.
I like to poach my chicken in boiling chicken broth then shred or chop.
For the original recipe she used regular spaghetti and broke it into thirds before cooking.
I just saved that step and bought pot sized spaghetti and cooked until al dente in chicken broth.
Reserve 1 cup of chicken broth.
Add the chicken and spaghetti to a large bowl.
The original recipe uses 2 containers of cream of mushroom soup.
I switched it up a little and used one cream of mushroom and one cream of chicken soup.
Mix in soup, diced peppers, onions, pimentos, seasonings, and 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.
Stir in 1 cup of the reserved chicken cooking broth until smooth.
Pour into a greased 9X13 casserole dish.
Sprinkle on remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake at 3350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly {cover with foil if it gets too brown}.
Sprinkle with chopped bacon.
Cut into servings and serve warm.
Ashton was a fan {no surprise there} and even had seconds!
There’s nothing better than a warm and comforting casserole on a cold winter night!
I love this recipe.
It’s my husbands most requested dish.
We eat this all year round.
The Only thing I change is: I drain & add 1 jar of sliced Green olives. Delicious! I delete the Season Salt, since olives are so salty. I also add 1 heaping Tbs. of Worcestershire sauce to the soup mix. If you like green olives, they really are a wonderful addition!