Chicken Tetrazzini

I have been totally digging Cooking Light’s “25 Best Recipes Ever” list! I have been cooking my way through the list and have yet to be disappointed! So far, I’ve tried and blogged about these other recipes from the list:

And today, I have a fourth recipe for you from the list – another winner!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Chicken Tetrazzini was one of the first recipes that initially caught my eye, but I held off on making it after reading the extensive instructions. However, over Christmas break, one day I was really in the mood to cook, so this ended up being the perfect project for me to tackle! Seriously, this is not a week night recipe – it’s rather time-consuming. BUT, the bonus is, you end up with not one, not even two, but THREE casseroles, ladies and gentleman. That’s right, THREE casseroles for the price of one hour of work. Pop two in the freezer for those busy work nights, and the other in the oven.

First, you’ve got to get yourself some chicken. I don’t care how you do it. Go buy a rotisserie chicken, get those leftovers from your fridge, or bake some. Just get some chicken. Or turkey. Then shred it until you have about four cups. I baked three pounds of chicken breast and it was way too much! Probably only need about 1.5-2 pounds if you go this route.

And, prepare some pasta. A whole pound, kids! The recipe suggests vermicelli, which I used and is similar to spaghetti, just a bit thinner. One could also use spaghetti, fettuccine, bucatini, or really, whatever your little heart desires. It’s best to cook it only until al dente, or even a bit underdone, since the pasta will continue to bake in the oven.

Meanwhile, I got all the good stuff going in a giant pot. Yes, your biggest stock pot is what I suggest. I sautéed 1.5 pounds of sliced mushrooms (SO many!), with on butter, onion, celery, salt, and pepper. Then I added in 1/2 cup of sherry. Not cooking sherry, but real dry sherry. Do yourself a favor and invest in a bottle! You can find it in the wine aisle for under ten bucks and it will last you for oodles of recipes.

Get to work on that creamy, comforting mushroom sauce. Both parmesan cheese and cream cheese elevate the wonderfully rich flavors going on here.

Then, divide it between three casserole dishes! To be honest, Cooking Light suggests dividing the dish between only two 8-inch square baking dishes but I can’t imagine that ever happening. Three worked perfectly for us. I froze two, and baked one.

And dang! After topping with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and baking, this came out of the oven bubbling and golden brown! It smelled amazing!

Get a closer look. Oh yeah, this is not some wimpy pasta with plain-jane alfredo sauce here. This is serious business. The rich, creamy, mushroom-y sauce is oh-so-comforting and delicious. I can imagine this would please children and adults alike. I know it pleased at least two adults – myself and the huz!