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Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken and spaghetti baked in a creamy cheese sauce. I like to add feta cheese in this recipe as it adds an additional creaminess to the dish. However, you could use cream cheese instead.

Ingredients:

• 4 cooked chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced
• 8 oz spaghetti or linguine noodles
• 4 cups milk, whole or reduced fat
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup dried Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 8 oz Parmesan cheese, grated plus additional 2 tbs
• 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled or cream cheese
• 1 medium Vidalia or sweet onion, chopped finely
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• dash of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly butter a 13 x 9 x 2 inch casserole dish.
3. In a large saucepan, cook pasta in salted water until adente as directed per package. Drain in colander.
4. After removing pasta to the colander, place the large saucepan back on the burner on medium high heat. Add olive oil and heat. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add in sherry and continue to cook until the sherry has cooked off and is completely absorbed into the vegetables. Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside..
5. Place saucepan back on stove on medium high heat. Add butter and cook until it is completely melted. Sprinkle in flour and whisk for a minute. Very slowly add milk and broth. (I like to add the liquid in very slowly so that it takes less time to thicken. Add about a 1/4 cup at a time whisking constantly.)
6. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, whisking often. (It doesn't have to be real thick because when the pasta is added, it will thicken automatically.) However, thick enough that it coats the back of a spoon.
7. Turn down heat to lowest setting. Add salt, pepper and dash of nutmeg. Add in parmesan and feta cheese, stir until melted. Remove from heat. 
8. Add diced cooked chicken, frozen peas, sautéed vegetables and drained pasta into the sauce and combine well.
9. Pour contents into prepared baking dish.
10. Combine bread crumbs and 2 tbs of parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over the noodle mixture. Dot with butter.
11. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden brown. If the bread crumbs start to brown too early, tent a piece of aluminum foil to prevent it from further browning.
12. Let rest about 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:

- None

Tips:

-  If you are having problems getting your sauce to thicken, make a simple slurry of cold water and flour (such as 1 tbs of flour and 1 tbs of water ). Whisk until smooth and add to sauce.

Variations:

- Use rotisserie chicken.

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