Chicken Spaghetti Supreme

Cookbook Category: Chicken

This is a very large and delicious casserole, excellent for a buffet dinner or any occasion on which you need to feed a lot of hungry people. This recipe can also be divided between two casserole dishes, with one being frozen for later use.

This recipe is from Eleanor Bradshaw's menu of company chicken recipes.

1 6-pound hen
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound uncooked spaghetti
broth from cooked hen
1/2 cup butter
2 medium green peppers, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4-ounce jar of chopped pimientos
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry (not "cooking" sherry)
2 6-ounce cans sliced mushrooms
5 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup sliced almonds

Put the hen in a large Dutch oven or stock pot and cover it with water. Add the salt and pepper, and cook slowly for about 3 hours, or until tender. Remove the hen from the broth. When it has cooled enough to handle, bone it, discarding the skin and carcass. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bring the broth the hen was cooked in to a boil, and cook the spaghetti in the broth until tender. Drain.

Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add chopped green pepper, onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is transparent. Add flour, milk, mushroom soup, pimiento, Worcestershire sauce and sherry, stirring to combine. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, 4 cups of shredded cheese, and the parmesan cheese, stirring to combine. Stir in the cooked meat from the hen, and combine well. Cook slowly for 10 minutes.

In a very large casserole dish, alternate layers of spaghetti with layers of the chicken sauce. Continue until dish is filled. Sprinkle almonds and remaining 1 cup of cheese over top of dish.

Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly, and dish is heated through. Makes about 12 to 14 servings.

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 3 hours 45 minutes; Total time: 4 hours