Deb's Chicken Spaghetti

I found a new site to love. It's The Pioneer Woman.  It has all the things I like in website.  Humor, food, photography, contests and information about homeschooling.  And did I mention food? It was at this site that I found a recipe that looked promising.  It's called Chicken Spaghetti and boy does it look quick and yummy!  But alas, my poor pantry is looking bare and I had to make some serious revisions.  If you remember, I spent away my food budget on nice shirts for the hubby and Bath and Body Works goodies for me.  It helps to know that they were all on sale.  Everything was 50-70% off.  But I digress.

This rendition of Chicken Spaghetti marked the first time that Ashton has eaten spaghetti and asked for second, and thirds and fourths!  The boy is just not naturally a spaghetti fan.  And if that was not enough, the entire casserole, minus one small Tupperware containers worth, was devoured at dinner.  It was a good thing that I naturally cook with leftovers in mind. We have a second one in the fridge! 

1 box of Angel Hair pasta
Chicken Broth
1/2 meat from a whole cooked chicken, cut into small pieces (about 2-3 cups)
2 carrots, finely shredded
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
2 cups of sharp cheddar
Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
season salt
rosemary powder
cayenne pepper
salt

1. In a deep frying pan, cook down the onions and celery until they are translucent.
2. While those are cooking, start the water for the pasta.
   
3. Add butter to the pan with the onions and celery.  Add in flour and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Slowly add in 3 cups of your chicken broth. Stir to help keep clumps from forming. Then add in 1/2 cup of milk.  You are making a quick cream of chicken here. 
5. Bring cream of chicken to a boil.  It should be thinner than a gravy, but not runny like water.  Adjust broth as needed. 
   
6. The water for the pasta should be boiling.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of the rosemary powder the pasta water.  Break pasta into 2" pieces and add to the pot.  Add in grated carrots.
7. While the pasta is cooking, add 1 teaspoon of seasoned salt, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne and 1 teaspoon of rosemary powder to the cream of chicken.  Taste and make sure the cream of chicken has enough salt.  Adjust where necessary.
8. Drain pasta and carrots.  Add to the cream of chicken.
9. Add 1 cup of cheese to the mixture. Stir to coat evenly.  If it seems dry, add more chicken broth.  It should look creamy.
10. Place it in a casserole dish.  (Actually, this made two medium sized casseroles or may all fit into a 13x9.) Top with cheese and breadcrumbs. Add a little seasoned salt over the top of the cheese. 
11. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Now, I had to mix cheddar and Parmesan for ours tonight.  I love Parmesan in the spaghetti, but it does not melt well on top. That's why I added the breadcrumbs.   The next time I make this, I'm going for all cheddar.  I love Sharp Cheddar. Mmmm!

Also, if your family will eat large pieces of carrots, feel free to not grate them.  Mine hate chunks of carrots (and most veggies in general).  Therefore, I have to hide some of them!  Also, I used the whole chicken to make my own chicken stock. Measurements are not exact here, so feel free to adjust. This should go just as well with boxed stock. I just prefer my own.