Note: This recipe has evolved over the years as we have experimented. The original recipe came from Lorene Murray, my mother-in-law, who always professed to hating cooking but who was always an excellent cook. This was her go-to meal when someone in the church needed a meal.
Utensils needed: 1 large stock pot to cook chicken and pasta; one very large saute´ pan or stock pot (as large as you have) to mix all ingredients.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 medium red or orange bell pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of celery soup
2 (4.25-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 large jars pimentos
1 small carton (8 oz.) fresh Portabella mushrooms, sliced in large chunks
1 tsp Gumbo Filet´
1 tsp poultry seasoning (optional)
1⁄2 cup sour cream
salt to taste
2-3 lbs. chopped cooked chicken
3 – 8 oz. pkg shredded Cheddar cheese, one to mix in the dish and one each to top each pan
1/2 lb. American cheese
1 medium block (8 oz.) Velveeta cheese
1 – 16-ounce pasta of choice
Directions
Cook chicken until done in chicken stock. We use concentrated chicken stock to add a little richness and water. Reserve the chicken stock for pasta.
Saute´ in butter and olive oil, onion, chopped celery, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic until tender. Add pimentos and black olives. Stir in chicken broth, three cans of soup, sour cream, and combine. Add Gumbo File´ and poultry seasoning (optional).
Cube American and Velveeta cheese; grate the Cheddar cheese. Put cheese into mixture and combine. Stir until melted. Dice chicken and add to the mixture.
In reserved chicken stock, cook pasta (we use linguine, but any pasta will suffice). When al dente, drain and stir into mixture.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray two 10×15 in. casserole pans with non-stick spray.
First, divide pasta equally between the two 10×15 in. casserole pans, then divide the mixture equally between the two pans. Using a fork or tongs, pull the pasta up through the mixture.
Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and spread an 8 oz. pkg. of cheddar over each casserole. Leave uncovered and cook another 15 minutes.
This makes a lot of chicken spaghetti. With just the two of us, we cut the leftovers into blocks, wrap in press-n-seal and freeze. The leftovers taste as good or better than the first run, and are great for when you want a nice, comforting meal but are too tired to cook.
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