A Tale of Two Chicken Spaghettis

The chicken spaghetti that I grew up on was not tomato-based, but many people over the years have told me about how great the chicken spaghetti that's tomato-based is - so I'm cooking it today. (Yes, I've been cooking all day, first stewed black-eyed peas and now chicken spaghetti.)

The new chicken spaghetti recipe I'm trying is from Robert St. John, who writes a syndicated food column. This recipe ran in the Dec. 15 Clarion-Ledger. The old recipe is from my mother. But they are very different so I'm guessing will be hard to compare. (It sounds like the other chicken spaghetti is almost like a lasagna and my mom's is much more like a soup or chicken and dumplings.)


Chicken Spaghetti

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups onion, diced small
2 cups carrots, shredded
1/3 cup minced garlic
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 cups pulled chicken meat (about 1 rotisserie chicken, picked clean)
1 lb spaghetti
2 quarts chicken broth
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups mozzarella, grated

In a large, heavy-duty sauce pot, heat olive oil over med. heat. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Cook vegetables for 10 min., stirring often to prevent sticking.

Add basil, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper and tomato paste and cook 5 to 6 min. Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Reduce heat to low. Allow sauce to cook for 3 1/2 hours over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Finally (!), add the vinegar and pulled chicken.

Bring 2 quarts of chicken broth to boil and cook spaghetti till just tender. Strain spaghetti and add to the tomato mixture. Add Parmesan cheese and stir well. Place mixture in a 3-quart Pyrex dish and top with mozzarella.

Cover baking dish with plastic wrap, then foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover. Let rest for 15 min. before serving.



My Mom's Chicken Spaghetti

Boil chicken, remove from broth and remove skin. (She didn't give instructions on how much or what kind - I've always just bought one of those packs with a whole chicken cut up and boiled it.) Bone chicken. Cook spaghetti in chicken broth. Drain spaghetti - but reserve broth.

Chop 5 sticks celery and one onion and saute in 1/2 stick of butter.

In a big pot, combine chicken, spaghetti, sauteed vegetables, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 small package Velveeta cheese (cut into small pieces), 1 can cream of chicken soup and enough of the reserved broth to make it all juicy. Sprinkle paprika on top of spaghetti. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or till the cheese melts.