For this installment of our ongoing series, chef David Roberts took a stab at improving upon one reader's treasured family recipe of a Southern classic: chicken spaghetti casserole. He boned a whole chicken and made a broth from the carcass and aromatic vegetables; he made a roux to replace the canned condensed soup; and he dressed it all up with modern supermarket veggies such as red bell peppers, crimini mushrooms and radicchio. But in the end, he concluded that any improvements upon the original were hardly worth the added effort. "This is a good base recipe to be creative with or use by itself," he said. "Don't fuss — there is nothing wrong with Campbell's. It's a lot of work to imitate; it brings back memories and it's always in my cupboard."

The contributors: La Tarsha Mills-McKie of College Park and her mother, Blanche Mills of East Point. Mills-McKie is a guidance counselor at W.L. Parks Middle School in Atlanta. She is married to Robert McKie and the mother of two boys, Jalal, 4, and Amir, 13. Mills, a retired Atlanta city court employee, is an active member of Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Austell.

Frank Niemeir/AJC (ENLARGE)

The classic chicken spaghetti casserole (left) can be prepared with shells as a variation.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

La Tarsha Mills-McKie (left) got Mrs. Holmes' recipe from La Tarsha's mother, Blanche Mills.

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The story: "This recipe originated from Mrs. Holmes. She was the wife of my former pastor at the church I attended as a child. Mrs. Holmes was a proud Southern AME pastor's wife who rejoiced in heading up all fund-raising committees and afternoon tea parties. I adopted Mrs. Holmes as a grandmother, and she cherished her role in my life.

"When I graduated from college, like most families, we had dozens of family members come to celebrate. By this time, Mrs. Holmes had passed, but she had shared with my mother, Blanche Mills, a delicious, easy and quick recipe. It's simply called chicken casserole.

"It calls for chicken breast boiled in chicken broth, then cut up into small pieces. Next you add spaghetti noodles to the same broth you cooked the chicken in and cook until soft. Drain the noodles and mix the small chicken pieces and noodles with cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Finally, mix all ingredients well, pour the mix into a casserole dish and cover the top of the mix with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Cook for 20 minutes or until the cheese melts. Now it's time to serve this delicious dish."

Mrs. Holmes' Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
8 servings

Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

This standard recipe is good all by itself, or you can fancy it up with a few variations, as described below. We used the Healthy Request line of Campbell's condensed cream soups, and reduced the quantity slightly from Mrs. Holmes' recipe.

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 4 thighs)
1 quart chicken broth
1 pound spaghetti
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed mushroom soup
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Place chicken in a pot and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot and cool slightly, then cut into small cubes. Set aside 1 cup of broth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti in the remaining broth or in a fresh pot of salted, boiling water. When the pasta is cooked, drain. Combine the cooked spaghetti with the chicken, condensed soup and reserved cup of broth; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased 2-quart casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Variations: For a meatier dish, reduce the spaghetti to 8 ounces. To vary the flavor, substitute condensed cream of chicken or cream of celery soup (or a combination) for the cream of mushroom soup. Or try the lighter version at right.

Per serving: 459 calories (percent of calories from fat, 32), 27 grams protein, 49 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 16 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 53 milligrams cholesterol, 969 milligrams sodium.

Chicken-Vegetable Casserole With Shells
6 servings

Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 4 thighs)
1 quart chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
8 ounces medium shells
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Place chicken in a pot and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and cool slightly, then cut into small cubes. Set aside 1 cup broth.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sear, without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Then stir the mushrooms and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the shells in the remaining broth or in a fresh pot of salted, boiling water. When the pasta is cooked, drain. Combine cooked pasta with chicken, condensed soup, vegetables and reserved cup of broth; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased 2-quart casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Per serving: 411 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 36 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 53 milligrams cholesterol, 1,050 milligrams sodium.