Chicken Tetrazzini

This is what we are having tonight. I know this for sure because I made this as a freezer meal last month and it is thawed in my fridge ready for me to bake momentarily. This recipe is from my friend Kellie, who is an excellent freezer meal cook! I know this because we were in a freezer meal exchange group together a few years ago and I always looked forward to Kellie's meals! So thanks to Kellie for this fantastic tetrazzini recipe! Oh you can make this with leftover turkey too and its very good.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Topping:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan


Filling:

6 tablespoons butter
3 cups or 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
2 medium onions, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
salt
ground black pepper
3/4 lb. thin spaghetti, strands snapped in half
1/4 cup flour
1 can chicken broth
3/4 cup grated/shredded Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cups frozen peas
4 cups cooked cubed chicken or turkey (I use the meat from a Costco rotissery chicken)


Directions:

Mix the ingredients for the topping and set aside.


In a skillet (medium heat) heat 2 tablespoon butter till melted and foam subsides. Add mushrooms, onion and saute, stirring frequently until onion softens and mushroom liquid evaporates, 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain spaghetti and return to pot with reserved liquid.

Clean the skillet that you used for the mushrooms and then heat 4 tablespoons of butter in it over medium heat. When foam subsides, whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly until flour turns golden, 1 - 2 minutes. Whisking constantly add chicken broth. Adjust heat to medium high and simmer until mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Off heat whisk in Parmesan, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and thyme. Add sauce, sauted vegetables, peas and meat to spaghetti and mix well. (I usually add a bit more Parmesan cheese to the spaghetti as well.) Adjust seasonings to taste.

Turn mixture into a buttered 9x13 pan. Or you can do what I do and put half into a 8x8 foil baking dish to freeze and the other half into a 8x8 baking dish to cook right away. (Gotta love double duty meals!!) Sprinkle evenly with topping mixture and bake at 400 until breadcrumbs are browned and mixture is bubbly, 13 - 15 minutes.

Freezer Meal Instructions: If you are making this as a freezer meal pour spaghetti mixture into a 9x13 foil baking pan for a large family or 2 8x8 foil baking pans for a smaller family. Cover with plastic wrap and then a double layer of foil to ward off freezer burn. Put topping mixture into 1 small or divide in half and put in 2 small zip lock bags. Tape the topping mixes to the freezer meals to keep them together and label with cooking instructions.

Freezer Meal Reheating Instructions: Thaw in fridge for a day or 2. Remove plastic wrap and foil and cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on the topping mix and cook 5-7 minutes more, until bread crumbs are browned.