Bless Her Heart

Looking for another quick and easy one-pot Southern meal that surprisingly requires only a handful of steps and only a few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry or fridge?

Rotel chicken spaghetti may be that perfect recipe that you’ve been looking for.

Tons of tender chicken smothered and baked in a cheesy, creamy sauce

What more could a Southern girl ask for?

Especially a Southern girl who loves cheese…

After all, this spaghetti contains three different types of cheese – Velveeta, cream cheese, and cheddar.

So, if a delicious…yet simple and economical…meal is what you’re looking for, add this recipe to your weekly meal plan.

You won’t be disappointed…unless you don’t like Velveeta…

If you don’t like Velveeta, then bless your heart.

Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar melted over the top makes the spaghetti even more cheese-delicious. You could also use any other type of shredded cheese – Italian blend, Mexican blend or even Mozzarella.

Freshly grated cheese is preferable because it melts down better than packaged pre-grated cheese.

Chicken: I typically hate having to cook one thing before I can cook another something else…like cooking chicken before I can make chicken spaghetti.

So I typically use either rotisserie chicken or cooked, shredded chicken from the deli.

In fact, my whole life got much better when I discovered that you could buy pre-cooked, shredded chicken from the deli. Now I can eat chicken salad every single day without having to cook every single chicken in Mississippi myself.

If you are cooking your own chicken, feel free to use whatever chicken you want – breasts, tenderloin or thighs.

Chicken Broth: Chicken broth adds an extra layer of chicken flavor.

Cream Cheese:  –Cream cheese is an optional ingredient that gives the dish an extra bit of creaminess…and besides, in the neck of the woods that I am from if cream cheese ever an optional ingredient?

Cream of Mushroom Soup: Mississippians love cooking with cream of mushroom soup…not only when making the standard green bean casserole that everyone expects to see on the table at Thanksgiving next to the cranberry sauce. This soup adds so great savory flavor to many Southern comfort foods, so just knowing that we bought an entire case of Cream of Mushroom soup the last time that we went to Costco can be a comforting thought all to itself.

Ro-Tel: Ro-Tel is simply canned tomatoes and chilies that have already been sliced and diced…meaning that kitchen klutzes like me don’t have to worry about cutting our fingers while we are chopping the tomatoes and chilies.

I could eat my weight in Ro-Tel…especially when combined with cream cheese and very especially when layered into a 7-Layer Dip or cooked here.

Two more things to remember though:

• Do not drain Ro-Tel before using.
• Ro-tel comes in three varieties – mild, regular and hot. Choose wisely.

Salt And Pepper: This is a Southern recipe, after all…and we can’t cook without it.

Spaghetti: Actually you can use any type of pasta you want to. I personally always use linguini because I feel like the flat surfaces of the noodles hold more sauce than standard spaghetti noodles.

Actually my favorite kind of pasta is tortellini because it has substance to it, but I’ve never tried using tortellini in this recipe.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. You want the pasta to be “al dente” because the noodles will be baked later. Drain the spaghetti before adding it to the sauce.

Spices: Cumin, garlic powder and onion powder give the sauce great flavor.

Velveeta: Velveeta is one of those ingredients that can cause many people to get on their soapboxes about processed foods. Sorry, but Velveeta is what gives this spaghetti its creamy, melty texture. If you don’t like Velveeta, then you probably won’t like this spaghetti either. Simply wait for the next post. Hopefully you’ll like that recipe better.

• 1C grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2# boneless skinless chicken, cooked and shredded
• 4oz cream cheese
• 10.75oz can cream of mushroom soup
• 10oz can Ro*Tel Tomatoes – do not drain
• ½tsp salt
• ½tsp pepper
• 16oz spaghetti
• ½tsp cumin
• ½tsp garlic powder
• ½tsp onion powder
• 16oz Velveeta cheese
• 1C sour cream
• 1Tbsp butter

If you are cooking the chicken yourself: Preheat oven to 450. Prepare a baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place on the pan. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Internal temp should be 160-170 degrees. Remove from oven. Shred using two forks.

Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 9×13 with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain. Layer the cooked spaghetti in the bottom of the dish.

Make the sauce: Combine the undrained Ro*tel, undiluted cream of mushroom soup, Velveeta and cream cheese. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts. Add the garlic powder, onion powder and shredded cooked chicken.

Finish assembling: Pour the mixture over the cooked spaghetti in the prepared dish. Stir until all of the noodles are completely coated with sauce and cheese. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake: Bake for 30 minutes.until the cheese melts.

To make ahead: Finish assembling. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to two days. Bake about five minutes longer than this recipe originally says.

To store: Let the leftovers cool to room temp. Store in an air-tight container or covered with Saran wrap for up to three days. To Reheat: Reheat small portions in the microwave for 1 minute, or until warmed through. To reheat an entire casserole, do so in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

To freeze: prepare…allow the mixture to come to room temp…wrap it tightly and freeze before baking. To reheat: thaw in fridge overnight…let sit at room temp for about 30 minutes, until the dish to come to room temperature. Bake according to instructions in the recipe.