Chicken Tetrazzini

When I began blogging I asked my friends if there were any recipes that they wanted me to make.  My friend Caroline asked for Chicken Tetrazzini, a dish that her grandmother used to make for her.  I had heard of Chicken Tretazzini, but I had never had it before and I had no idea how to make it.  I did some research and found a few recipes online.  I ended up using Giada's recipe as a reference, but made lots of changes to make it healthier.  Her recipe involved 9 tablespoons of butter, 4 cups of whole milk, and a cup of heavy cream.  While I am sure her recipe is delicious, I am trying to keep things reasonably healthy so I found ways to greatly reduce the amount of fat.

I wanted to hold off on making Caroline's request until I could host Sunday Night Dinner.  I wanted Caroline to be able to try it, and I knew that it is a dish that serves a lot of people, which is perfect for SND.  So last Sunday everyone came over for Chicken Tetrazzini and the Golden Globes.  We had so much fun, and were so laughing so loud I am surprised by neighbors did not complain!

This recipe does take longer than my other recipes, because it calls for cooked chicken.  I baked the chicken the night before, which reduced the day of prep time to about 45 minutes.

Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Active time: 1 hour
Serves: 10-12

You will need:
4 cups diced Quick and Easy Baked Chicken
3 1/2 cups Milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup Chicken Broth
4 tablespoons Butter
1/3 cup Flour12 ounces sliced Mushrooms
1/4 cup White Wine
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 pound Linguini
2 pinches of Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 greased casserole dish

Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot melt 3 tablespoons butter.  Then whisk in the flour.  Whisk until the butter and flour are completely combined.  Then add all of the milk and whisk until the flour and butter is combined.  Then add the cream of mushroom soup and the chicken broth.  Whisk together, then stir in the nutmeg and thyme.  Bring to a slow boil.  Let boil for about 5 minutes to thicken.  Then reduce heat to low.

Step 2:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the linguini and cook al dente.

Step 3:
While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet.  Then add the pressed garlic.  After 1 minute add the mushrooms and the white wine.  Saute until the mushrooms have absorbed all of the liquid.

Step 4:
At this point the sauce is ready, and the pasta should be cooked and drained.  Add the diced chicken and the mushrooms to the sauce.  Then add the pasta.  Stir together and then pour into the casserole dish.

Step 5:
Mix the Parmesan, breadcrumbs and olive oil together.  Then spread over the top of the casserole.

Step 6:
Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the broiler on to brown the crust.  Once the broiler is on the top will only take a minute or two to brown.  You want to cook the chicken tetrazzini just until it is hot, if you overcook it the pasta will absorb too much of the sauce and the dish will be dry.