Chicken Mushroom Spaghetti Casserole

My love for comfort food casseroles and one pan dinners led me to try this very simple casserole recipe with simple ingredients. It turned out well and was a satisfying meal. Easy to make and hard mess up for beginners.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut up, or 8 chicken thighs

1 lb(s) thin spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup green bell peppers, finely diced

¼ cup red bell peppers, finely diced

1 tsp seasoned salt

⅛ - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 medium onion, finely diced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the chicken into a medium pot of water and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil for a few minutes, then turn to a medium-low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes (a bit longer if you think it's needed) . Take the chicken out of the pot (leave the liquid for cooking the spaghetti) and let cool slightly. Pick out the meat to make 2 generous cups.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Cook the spaghetti in the broth from the chicken until al dente. Do not overcook. Drain the spaghetti, reserving about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
4. Add the spaghetti to a large bowl and combine with the chicken, mushroom soup, 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, the green and red peppers, seasoned salt, cayenne, onions and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in 1 cup of the reserved liquid at first, adding an additional cup if needed.
5. Place the mixture in a casserole pan and top with the remaining 1 cup cheddar. Bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover the casserole with foil.) Note: The uncooked casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.


Enjoy ... compliments accepted.