ETHEL’S CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

I usually make this over two days. The first day is the chicken down to the dicing stage and the second day is cooking everything else. I put in everything! I remember my Mother making this for her church suppers. It is soooo good! AND you can freeze it or eat on it for days and days! It just gets better.

1 large or 2 med chicken use yard chickens or at least chickens fed a natural diet and not hormone laden corn (approximately 4-5 cups diced)
1 10 oz pkg spaghetti broken in half
3/4 c celery, finely chopped
1 med onion, chopped
2 med carrots, diced
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1 C english peas, canned (drained) or frozen (partially thawed) (optional)
1/2 C green bell pepper, diced (optional)
1/2 C roasted red pepper or pimento in oil, drained and diced (optional)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup (10 3/4 oz)
1 1/2 C whole milk
1 1/2 C shredded Velveta cheese (I use a good cheddar 1/2 medium and 1/2 sharp)
canola oil
butter
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven 300 degrees

Cook chicken in plenty of water in a large soup pot until tender. Drain, cool and take off skin, debone then dice to equal 4-5 cups reserving the rest for another use. Save the broth in the pan*. Cook spaghetti in the broth until done. Drain and set aside. Cook celery, onion, carrots, mushrooms and other veggies (not pimento or roasted red pepper) in the same pot in a little canola oil and butter a few minutes until tender. Add both cans of the mushroom soup and milk then stir and heat through. Add diced chicken, spaghetti, pimento/red peppers, pepper to taste (I usually do not add any salt) and 1 C of the cheese. Mix all together well. Turn out into a 9″X13″ pyrex dish. Meanwhile, warm the cream of chicken soup and add 1/2 C cheese and stir until melted. Top the casserole with the soup/cheese mixture and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool a bit before serving.

*NOTE: I usually cool the chicken broth, strain it and reserve 5-6 cups for cooking the spaghetti and freeze the rest for use another day. You can also save the broth after cooking the spaghetti, but it will be starchy.