Chicken Tetrazzini

Tetrazzini is a dish named after an opera singer, and it's traditionally made with turkey breast. However, my local grocery store has stopped carrying turkey breast (unless you buy the whole frozen kind, or ground turkey), so I decided to make this yummy casserole with chicken breast instead. I got this recipe from the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. I don't have a subscription to her magazine because some issues can be disappointing to me (recipe-wise), but October's issue is PACKED full of fantastic and interesting recipes I want to try...this was the first one. It was a hit, for sure.

Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients:
8 oz. linguine pasta, broken in half
3/4 lb, boneless chicken breast (or turkey breast), cut into 1/2 inch chuncks
Salt and pepper
6 tbs butter
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 tbs chopped fresh thyme
3 tbs flour
2 cups nonfat milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9X13 baking dish. Cook the pasta according to package directions until just barely al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, season the turkey with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs butter over medium high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add 2 tbs butter to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms start to soften, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the turkey.

4. Melt remaining 3 tbs butter in the skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and broth and bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and the peas and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.




5. Add the pasta and turkey-mushroom mixture to the sauce and toss well to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden-brown and the sauce is bubbling, about 12-15 minutes.



**You could also top with some breadcrumbs before cooking for some crunch. Just add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 2 tbs olive oil and mix. Top with the Parmesan.