The Ultimate Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken, tomatoes, spaghetti, black olives and cheddar cheese.

Baked in the oven.

School Food circa 1965.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this stuff.

But I’m not 9 years old and my taste for chicken spaghetti has grown up.

Roasted fennel, red peppers, onions, garlic tossed with chopped roast chicken and tomatoes.

Kalamata olives, whole wheat spaghetti and fresh baby spinach.

Manchego cheese.

Now that’s Chicken Spaghetti.


The Ultimate Chicken Spaghetti

1 large fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 large sweet red onion, sliced thin
1 large sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
10 fat garlic cloves, smashed
2 large red bell peppers, sliced thin
A couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 good shakes crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced in half, optional
1 28 ounce can diced san Marzano tomatoes, drained
2 cups roasted chicken, chopped
3 cups baby spinach
1 cup grated Manchego cheese
whole wheat spaghetti to serve 3

Put the water on to cook the spaghetti.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the pan in the oven as it preheats.

Toss fennel, onions, garlic, peppers with the olive oil and add the red pepper flakes and fennel seed. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pull out the oven rack the sheet pan is on very carefully to the point where you can add the fennel mix. Stir onto pan…be very careful. Roast for 15 minutes. Add the chicken, tomatoes, olives and stir well. Roast until fennel is tender. Cook the pasta.

Take chicken mixture out of oven and put in large bowl, toss with the spinach. Drain the pasta, add to the bowl and add the cheese, tossing to incorporate. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serves three generously.

**Thanks to The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper for the fennel garlic onion roast inspiration.

Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Ground Lamb Burgers with a Sweet Leek, Fennel and Sundried Tomato Confit

The blogger stands, yet again, in front of the refrigerator.

Ingredients present themselves.

Ground lamb.

Pancetta.

Fennel.

Prosciutto.

Leeks.

A light bulb goes off over said blogger’s head.

A bit of chopping, a bit of sautéing, a glass of wine, Joni Mitchell sings softly in the background.

A pretty damn good meal for a weeknight appears on the plate.

The blogger smiles.


Ground Lamb Burgers with a Sweet Leek, Fennel and Sundried Tomato Confit


1 lb ground lamb
2 ounce pancetta, chopped
2 ounces prosciutto, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine lamb, prosciutto and pancetta in bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add red pepper flakes and lemon juice and mix well. Form into nice sized patties and let sit thirty minutes.

1 small leek, rinsed well and chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes in oil
¼ cup roasted chicken stock

In a large skillet over medium heat, add a couple of swirls of extra virgin olive oil and when the oil shimmers, add the leeks and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the fennel and garlic and cook another 10 minutes, adjusting the heat so they do not burn. Raise the heat and add the chicken stock and after it cooks down add the sundried tomatoes. Keep warm over low heat.

In heavy skillet over medium to medium high heat add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil. When it shimmers, add the lamb burgers and cook about 8 minutes, or until browned. Flip the burgers and cook until done to your taste, about 8 minutes for medium, 10 for well done.

Plate the burgers, top with the confit and enjoy.

Makes 3 good sized portions.

Click here for a printable recipe!

One Year Ago on Feeding Groom