Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti (my version)

This is my version of Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti. I took out what we don’t like and added in what we do like to make it my own. We’re not into the pimentos or peppers that were in the original recipe, so I substituted mushrooms, garlic and some fresh herbs. I also thought that the raw onions and peppers that she added would taste too crunchy even after this baked and it looks like I was right. I checked out a bunch of other bloggers comments who made this dish and it was the most common complaint. Cooking the onions and mushroom before hand solved that problem.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti - my version.
Printable recipe
2 cups of cooked chicken
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 medium finely diced onion
1 pkg portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Lawrys Seasoning salt
salt & pepper to taste
fresh thyme, basil & parsley
I added 1 additional cup of Italian cheese blend, you could use cheddar.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Rinse the chicken and place in the pot and reduce heat to medium. My chicken took about 35 minutes to cook. Remove from pot and let cool. Do not discard the water that the chicken cooked in.

In a sauté pan cook the onions and mushrooms until just tender. Add crushed garlic at the last minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

Reserve 2 cups of chicken broth from your pot. Pack the spaghetti pieces into a measuring cup. You want 2 ½ to 3 cups uncooked. I laid mine down so they were flat. Bring the water back to a boil and place the spaghetti in the pot and cook until very al dente. Do not overcook! Are you sick of hearing me say that yet? Mushy spaghetti is just the worst! Drain and let cool slightly.



In a very large boil mix together the onions, mushrooms, garlic, chicken, cheese, soup and seasonings. I chopped up a small handful of fresh thyme, parsley and a little bit of basil and added it in. Now take your spaghetti and add that to the bowl then start adding the chicken stock. I added this a little at a time so I could judge how soupy the mixture was. I didn’t want it really soupy; just wet enough to stay moist in the oven. I used about 1 ¾ cup of the broth. Top with 1 cup of additional cheddar cheese.

Bake in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly.

You can cover and freeze this for 6 months, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

This really was tasty and really filling. I can see myself making this many times during the Fall and Winter months. I love that I can make it the night before and just pop it in the oven to heat.

I do think I would make a few changes:

Use 1 1/2 cups of cheddar, not 2 cup. I'd still top it with 1 cup of cheese. That made the top nice and crunchy.

I'd also add 1 more cup of chicken.

I think with those 2 changes this dish will be perfect! Thanks PW.