PW's Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti was the first PW recipe I attempted from her cookbook.  (The link online is nearly identical to the recipe in the cookbook.)  I did alter a couple of things, though (the nerve!!) and plan to alter a bit more the next time I make it (more nerve?!).  Trust me, this is HUGE for me.  I never stray from cooking recipes.  With baking, I've gotten a bit comfortable substituting here and there because I've been baking for years (although even then, I never make big changes).  But to change things in a regular, cooking (i.e. not baking) recipe??  Unheard of for me... but I did it.

First, instead of using the regular thin spaghetti the recipe suggests, I used Ronzoni's Garden Delight Spaghetti.  (See what I did there?  I said the recipe suggested something.  Trust me, that's new for me.  Recipes dictate.  They don't suggest... except, okay, maybe they do!)  So I used this spaghetti because I thought it would add an interesting flavor, interesting color, and more nutrition.  The hubby loves this kind of pasta so it was full steam ahead.

Second, instead of using two cans of cream of mushroom soup, I used one can plus one can of cream of chicken because the hubby and I both hate mushrooms.

Third, I omitted the pimientos because, again, we both hate them.

The result?  Yum.  I ate this for days (it made for great lunch leftovers).  But I even doctored it up a bit when I reheated it: I added more cheese and more seasoned salt.  So here's what I plan to change next time:

1 - Use two cans of cream of chicken (or one can of cream of chicken and one can of cream of celery if I can get it past the hubby).  Even the one can of cream of mushroom came through too strongly for us.

2 - Add a few garlic cloves to the water when boiling the chicken (the water that later becomes the stock that gets added to the casserole and is used to cook the spaghetti in).  I felt like there was just something missing from the flavor profile of the dish (for me) and this was Kate's suggestion (who tried some of the one I made).  I think it'll be a great addition.  I would put garlic on garlic if I could, just like I always say if I had a food blog, I'd name it "I put cheese on my cheese." (I claim it; it's mine!)  But that brings me to...

3 - I'd increase the cheese.  I want to say I'd double it, but that seems kind of crazy.  The recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups; I think I'd want to use four.  Five if no one is looking.

4 - I'd double the seasoned salt.  It adds such perfect flavor.

5 - I would shred/chop the chicken into smaller pieces than I did.  I didn't like the texture of the chicken in the casserole; it felt heavy-handed.  I want it to feel better integrated with the spaghetti.

I'm looking forward to making this again, but the hubby doesn't like to eat the same stuff too soon after he's already eaten it, so I'm waiting a bit.  But I adore this recipe because it's so budget friendly.  Buying a cut up fryer chicken is so less expensive than buying just chicken breasts and using the water you boil the chicken in as stock for the rest of the recipe is genius.  (Seriously, I'm such a cooking novice that that idea would have never occurred to me.  But now that I'm aware of it, I think it is sheer brilliance.)

If you like this sort of dish in general, I highly, highly recommend making this casserole.  It's budget friendly, filling, and delicious.  Recipes don't get much better!