Caretaker Creations: Chicken Tetrazzini

If you're looking for a recipe that caters to nearly all of our most basic cravings, this is the recipe for you! It's rich, it's creamy, it's salty and savory, and it has a conveniently high calorie density. A dear friend brought a dish of this over to me while I was on chemo, and it was irresistable. Due to the relatively extensive preparation efforts, this recipe is best made by a friend or caretaker. Alternatively, if you'd like to make it for yourself, it can be made ahead of time and stored - it's excellent on the second or third day after cooking as well.

Many thanks to my friend for customizing this recipe for me, and thanks to Giada De Laurentiis for sharing the inspiration recipe through foodnetwork.com.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp butter

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 skinless chicken breasts

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 1/4 tsp blcak pepper

• 1 lb white mushrooms, sliced

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 5 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1/2 c dry white wine

• 1/3 c flour

• 3 c whole milk, at room temperature

• 3/4 c heavy whipping cream

• 3/4 c chicken broth

• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

• 8 oz linguini

• 3/4 c frozen peas

• 1/4 c fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped

• 1 c grated parmesan

• 1/4 c Italian-style breadcrumbs

1. Heat oven to 450F and heavily grease a 9" x 13" x 2" baking dish, using about 1 tbsp of butter.

2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

3. Season the chicken with about 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. When the butter and olive oil are hot, add the chicken and cook until just cooked through (around 4 min on each side).

4. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred or chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl.

5. Add another 1 tbsp of butter and remaining olive oil to the frying pan. Add mushrooms and saute until the liquids have evaporated and the mushrooms are pale golden - about 2 minutes.

6. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and saute with the mushrooms until the onions are soft and translucent.

7. Add the white wine to the onions and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

8. Melt remaining butter in the hot pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the flour and whisk for 2 min.

9. Add milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, and remaining salt and pepper. Whisk into the flour roux. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

10. Remove cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking frequently.

11. Cook linguini according to package directions until barely tender, usually about 9 min. Drain.

12. Combine the linguini, sauce, peas, and parsley in the bowl with the chicken. Toss until evenly combined. Transfer mixture to the greased baking dish.

13. Combine parmesan and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the pasta.

14. Bake in heated oven for about 25 min or until the top is golden-brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Tips & Variations

• The chicken may get to be slightly dry after being stored for a day or two, so be sure not to overcook it during preparation. Alternatively, try using prepared frozen chicken (such as for fajitas) to reduce the amount of kitchen work and to help with texture.

• To help flavors blend, the mushroom and onion combination can be set aside separately and then added back to the sauce to simmer rather than being added to the chicken to wait.

• To accomodate my digestive restrictions while still incorporating veggies for herself, my friend divided this into two batches, leaving the veggies out of my batch. Having tried this recipe with the peas and mushrooms included prior to my chemo days, I can say that both ways are delicious.