Casseroles have become a staple in our home now that the cooler weather has begun to settle in. But I will be honest, there are just so many chicken casserole recipes a girl can handle before starting to go a little crazy…so I started looking to the internet for some new ideas. In my research, I found this recipe and thought it to be interesting. It is a little like a tetrazzini recipe, but with a spicy flare, using a can of Rotel, and no mushrooms. The tomatoes and green chiles really give this casserole a great flavor, while being extra creamy and cheesy with the 3 cheeses in the dish.
The recipe instructs you to use fresh chicken, but I had some chicken breasts already cooked, so I just cut those up into chunks and reheated the pieces in the olive oil with the Italian seasoning.
I also have begun to shred my own cheese. Did you know that pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking additives mixed in to keep the cheese from clumping and mold inhibitors to keep the cheese from molding?? These additives also make it more difficult for the cheese to melt, plus…it’s additives. So, I found this rotating shredder on Amazon that makes shredding my own cheese super easy. (Amazon link is listed at the end of this article.)
Anyways, this casserole was a HUGE hit with the Hubs, and my extended family, as the recipe makes enough for a good, healthy 8 servings. I served it with a nice green salad and a slice of garlic bread. So, try out the recipe and let me know what you think. And Happy Cooking!!
Ingredients
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- Salt/Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 oz. diced tomatoes & green chilies
- 8 oz. Thin Spaghetti
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- red pepper flakes & chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Pat dry and season lightly with salt/pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on each side for 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside. Dice into bite-sized pieces once cool enough to handle.
Make the Sauce
- Reduce heat to medium low. Melt the butter in the same pot and use a silicone spatula to clean the chicken bits from the bottom. This is called “fond” and it gives the sauce a nice flavor.
Add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle flour over the onions and toss to coat. Cook for 2 minutes, until you can no longer smell flour.
- Add the chicken broth in splashes to maintain the thickness of the roux. Stir in between each splash. Add the milk next, a little bit at a time. Whisk until combined and smooth.
- (Now is a good time to start boiling the water for the pasta. Cook it according to package instructions and drain once finished.)
- Meanwhile, let the sauce simmer and reduce while the pasta water heats up. Add the softened cream cheese and stir continuously until melted and smooth. This is more difficult if the cream cheese is cold.
- Reduce heat to low and let the base cool a bit. Sprinkle in the shredded cheddar and stir to combine.
- If you’d like to thin the sauce out at all, add a little bit of the juice from the diced tomatoes, otherwise, drain the juice and add the tomatoes along with the chicken. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the spaghetti. If you’re not using an oven-safe pot, transfer to a lightly greased 9×13 casserole dish.
Bake
- Top with mozzarella cheese and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. If desired, broil it for a few minutes at 475 degrees at the end, watch it closely.
- Remove from the oven. Garnish with red pepper flakes and fresh Parsley. Serve with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese.
**recipe adapted from The Cozy Cook (thecozycook.com/chickenspaghetti) Link to Cheese Grater: https://tinyurl.com/48a73xyf
