Recipe Background
The Gathering Bake combines whole chicken and spaghetti in a nostalgic, flavorful dish, perfect for connecting families over dinner.
The idea for The Gathering Bake came to life during my first big meet-the-parents dinner with my now-partner's family. An evening filled with nervous chatter and the comforting aroma of home-cooked meals, I decided to pull out all the stops and try something new. I had a whole chicken in my fridge; it seemed like the perfect star for the evening. As I prepped the chicken with a generous rub of kosher salt and a solitary bay leaf, I realized this dish could be the perfect icebreaker. A dash of Worcestershire sauce added to the mix reminded me of home in an unfussy yet sophisticated way.
Spaghetti casseroles had always been a staple in my own family, so it felt natural to incorporate that into the bake. I broke spaghetti into little pieces—just the way my grandmother used to. Cooking it to al dente perfection in the reserved chicken broth was a trick I’d learned from watching cooking shows, ensuring each bite was full-flavored. The skillet filled with sizzling onions, pepper, celery, and garlic brought a colorful touch, enveloping the kitchen in an inviting aroma. Cream of mushroom soup offered a creamy, nostalgic layer, a whisper of those rainy day meals from my childhood.
By the time I spread the pasta mixture in the dish and sprinkled cheddar cheese on top, my hands were steady, and my heart was light. Baking until the cheese turned golden, I knew it was the right note to connect our two families. Letting the dish cool slightly guaranteed neat servings, preserving the layers of flavor. My mother-in-law’s nod of approval paired with the simple joy of a comforting meal shared made it a memorable milestone.
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5-pound) whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt plus more, to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- water to taste
- 8 ounces spaghetti broken into thirds
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper coarsely chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- hot sauce to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup medium cheddar cheese shredded
Directions
- In a large Dutch oven, add the chicken, 4 tablespoons of the salt, the bay leaf, and enough of the water to cover the chicken.
- Place the Dutch oven over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- Cover the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Simmer until the chicken is tender and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in its thickest part, about 1 hour.
- Transfer the chicken from the Dutch oven, reserving the cooking broth in the Dutch oven, and allow the chicken to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf from the broth.
- Remove and discard the skin and the bones from the chicken.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking broth in a separate bowl.
- Bring the remaining broth in the Dutch oven to a boil over high heat.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling broth and cook until tender, about 12-15 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, discarding the broth used to cook it.
- Return the cooked spaghetti to the Dutch oven.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Add the onions, the green bell peppers, the celery, and the garlic to the melted butter and cook, while stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture to the pasta in the Dutch oven.
- In a bowl, add the cream of mushroom soup and the reserved chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Add the soup mixture to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the cooked chicken, the tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce, the hot sauce, and the black pepper to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.
- Season the pasta mixture with the extra salt, as needed.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Sprinkle the pasta mixture with the cheddar cheese.
- Bake until the cheese melts, about 15-20 minutes.
- Serve hot.
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