chicken tettrazzini

2 small chicken breasts or 1-1/2 cup chopped chicken
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
8 oz. thin spaghetti
parmesan cheese

This recipe can be made in a variety of ways. Here's how I make it, then I'll tell you some of the variations. This version is pretty bland, but is a great comfort food.

Usually I use 1 or 2 boneless chicken breasts and just boil them. You could use leftover chicken. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces. Salt and pepper them. Set aside.

Cook 8 oz. of thin spaghetti--I use angel hair pasta. Cook to al dente, don't overcook. Set aside.

For the chicken broth you can use canned broth, but I use 2 chicken bouillion cubes, dissolved in the 2 cups of water in the microwave--sometimes I use 3 bouillion cubes but in same amount of water, 2 cups, to add more flavor.

On the stove in a heavy saucepan, melt 3 T. of butter. Add 3 T. flour to it. Let this cook for a few minutes. If you aren't using a teflon pan, just keep stirring it for a few minutes. You cook it at this point to get rid of the flour taste.

Then add your chicken broth and 1 cup of milk. Use a wire whisk to stir it up so you don't get lumps.

Let it come almost to a boil, or to a boil*--you will see it get a little bit thick.

Now you put it all together. I always use my glass rectangular baking dish which I thought was 9 X 11, however when I measured this pan it measures 7 1/2 X 11. But if you have 9 X 11 it will work fine.

Put the pasta in--you can cut up the pasta a bit if you want. Salt and pepper the pasta.
Put the chicken on the pasta.
Pour the chicken broth/milk sauce you just made over all of it.
Stir it around so all is evenly dispersed.
Top with loads of parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees, until its lightly browned on top or until everything is bubbly.

*Some people say you should add the chicken broth, bring it to a boil for a minute or two and then add the milk and remove from heat. I don't bother with that, I just dump in the broth and the milk, whisk it, let it heat until it is almost boiling and is starting to thicken. Then I remove it and pour into the pasta.
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Variations:

Saute some sliced mushrooms in butter, add some sherry to them, with a touch of nutmeg. After you have poured in the cream sauce and stirred it all around with the chicken and pasta, sprinke the mushrooms over the top. Then top with parmesan.

Top with some other kind of cheese. I've used cheddar and monterey jack.

Some people add black olives to this dish, or pimentos.

You can add some poultry seasoning to the cream sauce.

You could add some frozen peas to this dish also.

You can adjust the amounts of ingredients:
Add more chicken.
Or
Use 2 bouillion cubes and 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups milk.
And
Obviously just increase everything if you want a bigger amount.

Posted by pam at July 05, 2002 01:02 PM