In the quest for using up food leftover from the holidays, I’m targeting a large container of mushrooms I bought. I made a small portion of chicken tetrazzini for dinner, trying not to create more than one portion of leftovers! I had some cooked chicken leftover from making this fantastic “cure-all chicken soup” with spicy chicken broth, bean sprouts and rice. (Note that I didn’t have the kombu it calls for and the soup was still really good. Simmering the broth with ginger, onion, garlic, cloves, star anise and cinnamon made it delicious!)
So I had some leftover cooked chicken and a lot of mushrooms and I felt like pasta so chicken tetrazzini it was! Apparently this dish was named after an opera singer, Luisa Tetrazzini. I’ve made this with leftover turkey many times.
![sliced mushrooms](https://i1.wp.com/cheapcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9701.jpg?fit=610%2C813&ssl=1)
My measurements could be a little off so follow your instincts (and let me know in the comments!). I was definitely winging it. But the gist of it is easy:
- Cook some sliced mushrooms in a bit of butter and set aside.
- Cook your pasta.
- Make a white sauce with half chicken broth and half milk and stir in a little grated Parmesan.
- Stir the mushrooms and shredded cooked chicken into the white sauce.
- Top with some bread crumbs and cheese, then bake half an hour.
![chicken tetrazzini](https://i0.wp.com/cheapcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/chicken-tetrazzini.jpg?fit=610%2C813&ssl=1)
When I made it last night, I quickly blanched some spinach in the hot water before I cooked the linguini. I squeezed it dry, chopped it, and stirred it into the white sauce. Other times, I’ve added cooked broccoli.
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
- salt to taste
White Sauce
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 Tbs flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup milk
- pinch nutmeg
Tetrazzini
- 1/4 pound linguini
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, divided
- 2 Tbs bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350.
Mushrooms
- Heat the butter and oil in a small skillet.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, salting to taste. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
White Sauce and Pasta
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Break the linguini noodles in half and cook them while you make the sauce.
- In the same skillet you cooked the mushrooms in, heat the butter until melted, then stir in the flour. Use a whisk or a flat bottomed wooden utensil to incorporate the flour and butter, then cook, stirring, another minute or two, until it’s light brown.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, making sure to eliminate any lumps. Bring to a simmer and whisk in the milk, then add the nutmeg. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the grated cheese, mushrooms, and chicken. As soon as the pasta is done, drain it and stir it into the sauce.
- Butter a small baking dish and pour the tetrazzini in.
- Stir together the bread crumbs and the rest of the cheese and sprinkle over the sauce.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
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