Fiddle Around, Find Out: Green Chili Chicken Spaghetti

Some navel gazing: food writing has its place. Like any genre, there are fans, and then there are critics.

“Just give me the recipe!” the haters sometimes scream.

Well, we don’t need a jump-to button here at GTC. Our writers may share a memory or two, descriptions of their cooking techniques or their dining experience, and variations they find that make a recipe flexible. But we are never too long-winded. And we are self-funded, so when we recommend or identify a brand, it’s because we appreciate the quality of that product.

I and the others here at GTC enjoy reading food blogs and books about cooking, dancing around the kitchen, or heading out to wine and dine, finding and sharing those wonderful experiences. If you have read this far then you probably count yourself as a member of our tribe and even still look upon the word “foodie” with affection and not as a pejorative.

And we appreciate you. Pay no attention to the haters. We get you. We got you.

For me, there seem to be so many approaches, but I have started to recognize my own pattern. I mine cookbooks and the internet for classic recipes then I fiddle with them: make them a little healthier, a little peppier per mine and Bud’s tastes, and adapt them using ingredients that I can find at our local grocery or Wally World in our small Mississippi Delta town.

Pedestrian? Perhaps. But that’s me.

Thus, this green chili chicken spaghetti. I was looking to make a version with a cheese sauce that’s not so heavy (read: gummy) as those relying purely on processed cheese and/or canned soup. And I wanted to punch up the heat from the standard can of diced tomatoes and green chilis.

So, I pulled out that great sour cream cheese sauce recipe that Ree Drummond uses to make enchiladas and adapted it as a pasta sauce, added a few more seasonings to layer in the heat, et voila.

Bud went back for thirds. Enjoy …

Green Chili Chicken Spaghetti

1 ½ pounds chicken breast tenders
5 TB butter, divided
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 oz. pimentos, drained
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
14 oz. spaghetti
4 TB flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 4 oz. can green chilis
8 oz. sour cream
3 cups pepper jack cheese or Mexican blend, shredded, divided
3 tsp+ taco seasoning
2 TB diced jalapeños (optional)

Directions

Bring about 6 cups of water (or additional chicken broth) to a boil, add chicken tenders; reduce heat and simmer until cooked through. I usually let them simmer for about 10 minutes then take it off the heat and let it sit for another 10. Do not discard this broth as you can use it to boil the spaghetti. Cool the chicken. Shred it.
Melt 2 TB butter in a small skillet. Add in bell pepper and onion and cook until soft.
Put your chicken and the softened onion and bell pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add pimentos and tomatoes to the mixing bowl and give it a good stir.
Using the broth, get your spaghetti started so it can boil while you are making your cheese sauce. Break the spaghetti in half and cook it 1 minute less than the package directions. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt 3 TB butter in a saucepan over medium heat until frothy. Add flour and make a nice roux, whisking 1 – 2 minutes until golden. If it starts to seize up, go ahead and start adding your chicken broth. Pour broth in, a little at a time, and whisk for a couple of minutes until broth is incorporated. Remove from heat. Add the can of green chiles and whisk. Add in the sour cream and whisk. Add 2 cups of the Mexican blend cheese and stir until smooth, putting it back on the heat if you need to get it to blend. Add 1 tsp of taco seasoning and salt to taste.
Add the pasta into the large mixing bowl with chicken and vegetables. Stir well. Add in the cheese sauce to the mixing bowl. Add in the jalapenos, if using, and add additional 2 tsp of taco seasoning, or more, with salt and pepper, to taste.
Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour everything into the dish and spread remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and cook 5 more minutes until it’s all cheesy and bubbly. Serve with garlic bread and a nice salad. Enjoy!