Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

This tasty dish comes from my lovely mother, who made it quite frequently as I was growing up. It’s a super easy meal to whip up. 

Reasons you should make this:

1. You can make the entire meal by using only one pot.
2. It's less than 300 calories per serving.
3. It only takes 30 minutes from the time you prepare it to the time you serve it.
4. It smells like Rotel dip while you're cooking it.
5. It’s a delicious and comforting meal.

Makes 8 servings.

Calories per serving: 237

Total Prep and cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
• 1 1o oz can of Rotel (mild, original, or hot- I used original)
• 1/2 - 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (I only used 1/2 a can)
• 8 oz spaghetti (or enough to fit between your thumb and pointer finger)
• 4 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1/2 c chopped onion (I used white)
• salt and pepper
• cayenne pepper (optional)
• seasoning salt (optional)

Feel free to skip through the picture demonstration to get straight to the listed directions.

 Start off by adding your chicken, chopped onion, salt, and pepper to a large pot. Then fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken breasts. Turn the heat to high and boil until the chicken is fork tender and no longer pink throughout, stirring occasionally.

 While the chicken is boiling, go ahead and pull your spaghetti out. You will need around 8 ounces for this recipe. You can either weigh the dry pasta on a kitchen scale, or grab enough to fit in between your thumb and pointer finger. Set pasta aside.

 Feel free to pull one of these babies out of the pot and slice down the middle to make sure it is cooked throughout. I did this to all three of mine to make sure they were no longer pink inside. Once the chicken is fully cooked, pull them out of the pot and set aside.  Allow the water to return to a boil and then add the dry spaghetti to the same pot that you boiled the chicken in. Add more water if there is not enough water to cover the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package instructions (~9 to 11 minutes).

While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into bite size pieces. At this point, feel free to add any additional seasonings. I added a little bit of seasoning salt and cayenne pepper to the chicken once I cut it into pieces.

Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain the water and add all remaining ingredients, including the chicken.
Turn the heat down to low and stir the mixture until the cheese is completely melted.

Serve with a slice of crusty bread and a salad!

Directions:

1. Place your fresh or frozen chicken breasts into a large pot and cover with water. Add chopped onion, salt, and pepper. Bring water to a boil and cook until chicken is no longer pink and fork tender.
2. Remove chicken from pot and place on a plate or whatever you have handy. Don’t pour out your water just yet!
3. Allow water to return to a boil and then add the dry spaghetti. Add additional water if there isn’t enough to cover the spaghetti. Cook according to package directions.
4. While the pasta is cooking, cut your chicken up into bite size pieces. Feel free to add more seasonings to the chicken at this point. I added some seasoning salt and cayenne pepper. Once the pasta is done cooking,  drain the water and add the chicken back to the pot. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Turn the heat down to low and continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted.

Suggestions:

• Serve with a salad and a slice of crusty bread! 

*The Pioneer Woman makes a similar dish to this if you’d like to check it out. I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t guarantee it will be as tasty as this recipe!