Chicken Spaghetti

I'm not sure if this is a Texas thing, but I had certainly never heard of chicken spaghetti until I moved here and it seems everyone has their own favorite version of it. This is the only recipe I've tried, but I will tell you right now: I'm not looking for another.

Ingredients

3 cups spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup milk

1-2 cups chicken broth

6 T butter

6 T flour

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 finely diced bell pepper (I use half red, half green)

1 t Lawry's seasoned salt

1/8 t t cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups grated white cheddar cheese, seperated

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large heavy pot, cook spaghetti in salted water just until al dente. Drain and set aside.

While that's cooking, in your largest saute pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onions and peppers and saute until onions are translucent. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup broth, then milk. Allow mixture to cook and thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup broth, if needed, to get desired consistency. I usually only add about 1/2 cup. Turn off heat and stir in chicken, spaghetti, 1 cup cheese, and seasonings. 

Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13 and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 or until bubbly.

You can easily make this ahead, up until the oven part. You'll have to increase that baking time, probably to 30-45 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Krissy Powledge