Chicken Tetrazzini

Hands down, this is on my husband's top-five favorite meals.

It's very good and really easy.  Once you get the ingredients together, you just throw them all in the pot with the (drained) pasta, and mix it up.  Put it in a casserole, top it with cheese, bake, and there you have it.  Dinner.

You want to start by cooking the pasta.  While it's going, saute the mushrooms in some butter.

Once you cook the pasta, drain it and return it to the pot.  Now start pouring stuff in.

So far we've got the mushrooms, some chopped cooked chicken, chicken stock, and parm.


Now we're going to add all the creamy stuff:


Stir it all up.












This makes a lot of casserole, so I always make one to bake and one to freeze.

And I forgot to photo the baked one, because it was eaten too quickly to get a shot.  Trust me, it was good.

You can also make this with leftover turkey!  Just a little Thanksgiving tip for you.  More turkey day recipes tomorrow.

Chicken Tetrazzini
Adapted from Southern Living

1 pound vermicelli, cooked according to package directions, drained and returned to pot
1 cup liquid (like white wine, chicken stock, milk or half-and-half)
4 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken (about 3-4 breasts)
10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
10 oz. can cream of celery soup
10 oz. cream of chicken soup
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 T butter
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 cups (12 oz.) cheddar cheese, grated

While the pasta cooks, saute the mushrooms in the 2 tablespoons of butter for about 10 minutes, until soft and browned.  Set aside.

Return the cooked and drained pasta to the pot.  Add the chicken stock (or other liquid) to the pasta and stir to coat.  Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cheddar cheese.  Stir well to combine.  Grease two 3-quart casserole dishes (or one large dish) and pour in the pasta mixture.  Top with the cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until very bubbly.

If you freeze one casserole like I did, just cover it well with foil (I usually wrap the entire dish in foil) and it will keep in the freezer for a couple of months.  When you are ready to bake, thaw it and bake it as directed.