I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD ABOUT OTHER SOUTHERN
recipes for chicken spaghetti, but Craig Claiborne always swore that the dish was created by his mother and talked about up and down the Mississippi Delta. The elaborate preparation was his pride and joy, and there can be no doubt that it is a masterpiece of Southern casserole art. (The only explanation for the name is the dish’s remote similarity to classic Italian spaghetti sauce.) The casserole is, without question, something of an ordeal to prepare—Craig used to spend an entire day on the job—so to justify all the time and effort, wait for the occasion to invite at least a dozen hungry guests. With the casserole, you need to serve no more than a tart green salad and plenty of sturdy red wine.

Makes at least 12 servings

INGREDIENTS

• One 31⁄2-pound chicken, with giblets
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups canned peeled Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with the juice retained
• 7 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1⁄2 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 11⁄2 cups finely chopped celery
• 11⁄2 cups seeded and chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1⁄4 pound ground beef round
• 1⁄4 pound ground pork
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 1⁄2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 5- to 6-quart casserole dish and set aside.
2. Place the chicken and giblets in a kettle with enough water to cover and add salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken and, when cool enough to handle, shred the meat and set aside. Return the skin and bones to the pot, cook the broth down over moderate heat until reduced to 5 cups, about 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a bowl and set aside. Discard the skin and bones.
4. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a medium saucepan and cook them down over moderate heat to half the original volume, stirring often.
5. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in another medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the flour and whisk until well blended and smooth.
6. Add 1 cup of the broth plus the cream to the saucepan, whisking rapidly. When smooth, add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Remove the white sauce from the heat.
7. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the onions, celery, and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp yet tender, about 5 minutes.
9. Add the garlic, beef, and pork to the skillet. Cook, stirring and breaking the meat apart with a large, heavy spoon, until the meats lose their pink color.
10. Add the bay leaf, red pepper flakes, reduced tomatoes, and white sauce to the skillet. Stir until well blended.
11. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
12. Spoon enough of the meat sauce over the bottom of the prepared casserole dish to cover it lightly. Add about one-third of the cooked spaghetti, one-third of the shredded chicken, another layer of meat sauce, and a layer of one-third of the cheddar. Continue making layers, ending up with a layer of spaghetti topped with a thin layer of meat sauce and cheddar.
13. Pour in about 2 cups of the broth to almost cover the top layer of spaghetti. Place the casserole dish on top of the stove and bring it just to a boil. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil, place in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
14. Uncover and bake until lightly browned on top, about 15 minutes longer.
15. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese on the side.