A fresh homemade tomato sauce and a whole cooked hen make for one of my favorite spaghetti dishes in memory of my grandma.
Grandma Mac's Homemade Chicken Spaghetti
I've been thinking about my Grandma Mac a lot here lately. I was looking for a document on an old desktop PC that I rarely use anymore, and I ran across a letter I'd written to my Grandma when she went to stay with my aunt in Alabama, shortly before she died.
She had started having a bit of dementia by this time and I had written the letter in that manner, "remember that they are in Japan" and "this is Rosalie, my aunt, Mama's sister."
I was still working then, no Hurricane Katrina had passed our way, my sister-in-law Teresa, who later died just before her 40th birthday from breast cancer, was still living then, and we had just finally sold my parents' house, several years after they had both passed.
A lot had happened in just a few years.
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!When I was packing up my Mama's china at her old house, one of the last things I packed up, I wrote a little short story about the experience when I got home, and I had sent a copy of it to my Grandma. Packing up that china was an emotional moment - one day I'll post that story and you'll see what I mean. There are a lot of memories behind that china.
Anyway... I had also sent her several pictures of family and typed the letter in large print so that she hopefully could read it on her own if she wanted to. Seeing that letter made me smile but also sad at the same time - does that make sense?
I miss visiting with my Grandma and chatting over coffee and pound cake, but this dish was my most favorite Sunday dinner meals that she prepared for us often.
Now ... first, this is not the chicken spaghetti casserole that is combined with cheese and baked that we're all familiar with.
This is a true tomato-based sauce similar to its meatball and meat sauce cousin, so no cheese!
This is also a 'from scratch' homemade sauce - meaning it is made with fresh tomatoes - not canned tomatoes, meaning, well, it takes just a little more prep and time, and for some of you that might mean that it's a weekend dish. In my opinion, it is totally worth it!
Course you can substitute canned tomatoes if you need too. But heck, while in tomato season, why not use up some of those garden fresh babies? You'll notice the difference in the flavor though between canned and fresh, trust me. I also prefer this spaghetti with the very thin, vermicelli noodles, because that's how my Grandma made it, but any spaghetti noodle you happen to have on hand will work. I hope you give this a try - it really is just good homemade food!
Here's how to make Grandma Mac's Homemade Chicken Spaghetti.
Prepare pasta al dente according to package directions. I know it's a bit controversial, but I like to drain and rinse to remove some the starchiness and then drizzle the pasta with olive oil for flavor. Your mileage may vary, so do what you like to do! Set the pasta aside in a large bowl.
There are a number of ways you can prepare a whole hen. You can stick it in a slow cooker as I have here, cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours. You can prep it in the Instant Pot in about 45 minutes and of course, you can boil it on the stovetop. For the slow cooker or Instant Pot, I do like to brown it to build a little fond.
Be sure to reserve the broth! You'll need about 2 cups, but you can reserve remainder for another use; set meat aside to cool.
Remove chicken and once cool enough to handle, skin and debone. discarding the bones; set aside what you need for this spaghetti and prepare remainder for the freezer to use later.
Next, use a soft skin peeler to remove the skins from the tomatoes, chop the tomato, reserving all of the juice that accumulates; set aside.
Meanwhile, in a skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion, celery, garlic and salt, sauté for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
Add the tomatoes, basil, tomato sauce, sugar, parsley flakes, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, poultry seasoning; bring to a boil. Drop in bay leaves, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until reduced and thickened.
Stir in the chicken and enough broth from the stock you reserved from the hen until it reaches the desired consistency. You may also substitute a quality commercial chicken broth or stock.
Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed.
Toss pasta with a few spoons of the sauce, prepare individual servings and add additional sauce on top.
For more of my favorite pasta recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
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