Chicken Tetrazzini

By Brie

Try this crowd-pleasing casserole for dinner tonight!

Ingredients

• 1-1.5 Lb penne pasta
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 Lb white mushrooms (quartered)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 block 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 whole chicken shredded or diced (reserve cooking liquid)
• 1 cup finely chopped black olives
• 1-1.5 cups frozen green peas
• 4 slices bacon (fried and cut into bits)
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper (to taste)
• Extra broth for thinning
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preparation

Step 1

Separate and boil one whole chicken in a large pot of water. Once chicken is cooked, about 45 minutes, remove the chicken from the water. Once cool, remove the skin and reserve. Take meat off bones and shred. Replace bones and skin in cooking liquid and boil for an additional 20-30 minutes. Reserve cooking stock to be used later in the recipe.

Cook pasta until not quite done - al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.

Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.

Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don't be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for a while; it'll melt eventually!) Add the Chicken, the olives, the peas, the bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.

Add the cooked pasta and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven. If it's a little soupy, that's fine! Add up to 2 more cups of liquid if you think it needs it.

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.