Chicken Tetrazzini

Growing up, my mother would make this on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and use the last of the turkey, so for years I thought it was called “Turkey Tetrazzini”.  I’ve had it with wine, no wine, peas, diced jalapeno peppers, french fried onions on top, monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar…it’s a versatile dish.  Add or subtract as you’d like, because it’s a very basic recipe.  As a rule in life (unless you’re talking about birthday presents), I believe less is more--tetrazzini included.  They say that simplicity is the very form of elegance…and quite obviously, deliciousness  :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 pound (1 box) spaghetti noodles

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 can cream of  mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1   8 ounce container sour cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup dry white wine

dry sherry

butter

In sauté pan, sauté mushrooms and garlic until nicely browned.  Scrape up the brown bits and deglaze pan with a little water.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place back in pan.  Toss with chicken broth.

On top of pasta, add chicken and next 5 ingredients.  Add sautéed mushrooms.  Add wine and 2 or 3 capfuls of sherry (what I mean by this is:  sherry usually comes in a wine bottle with a screw top.  Fill up the cap twice. Maybe three times...heehee)  Mix all together.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well.

Spoon mixture into lightly greased 11"x17" baking dish.  Sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, until cheese is melted and bubbly.