Chicken Tetrazzini
Real chicken Tetrazzini combines pasta and chicken in a sauce made with sherry and Parmesan cheese. It should come as no surprise that I have opted for an easier version that uses canned soup and can be made very quickly. Even though it serves four, I sometimes make it just for myself because it’s super tasty and makes great leftovers.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or oil.
Step 2
Cut the chicken into 2-inch chunks and place in a small saucepan. Cover with water and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. (Cut into one of the pieces to make sure there is no pink inside.) Remove from the heat and drain off the water.
Step 3
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the spaghetti in a colander.
Step 4
Meanwhile, cut the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces and place in the baking pan. Add the cream of chicken soup, Parmesan cheese, mushrooms with the juice, milk, salt, and pepper and stir well. Add the spaghetti and toss until it is completely coated and the chicken and mushrooms are fairly evenly distributed. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. (If you are in a hurry, you can drain the spaghetti, mix the remaining ingredients in the saucepan, add the spaghetti, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until warmed through.) Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
VEG OUT
Step 5
It couldn’t be simpler to turn this into a vegetarian dish: leave out the chicken and use cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup. I often add cooked broccoli or spinach, but it’s good without them too.
Food for Thought
Step 6
With the rise of low-carb diets, pasta seems to be getting a bad rap. But, consider this: one cup of cooked pasta has less than 200 calories; is cholesterol-free, low in fat and sodium, and a good source of thiamin, iron, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid; and provides 2 grams of dietary fiber and 7 grams of protein. Besides, it’s cheap and I like it.
