Chicken Spaghetti

I've had this recipe tagged in The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe book since I received it as a gift from my friend Katey. It's a pretty simple casserole to make and I took some short cuts and tried to make it healthier.

But I have to say...I wasn't sold on it. We all could just taste the cream of mushroom soup and nothing else, but we all forced a plate of it down. I wasn't going to throw out half a casserole, so we had leftovers for dinner tonight....and I must say, it's much better as leftovers! Maybe it's just one of those recipes that you freeze and reheat.

2 boneless chicken breasts, skin removed
1 pound thin whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
4 oz jar diced pimientos, drained
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
2 cans fat-free cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tsp seasoned salt
fresh ground pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Poach the chicken breasts in a large stock pot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate to cool. Once cool, shred or cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.

In a separate pot, cook the spaghetti to al dente. Drain pasta and palce into a large bowl.

To the bowl, add the cream of mushroom soup and stir to combine. Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, onions, peppers and pimientos. Stir to combine. Season well with the seasoned salt and black pepper. Finally add the chicken and broth. Stir together until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbly. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to allow sauce to thicken up.

Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks