Chicken Tetrazzini

Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

A classic that makes great use of leftover turkey or chicken. It’s so creamy and comforting that you’ll be glad it makes two casseroles—one for now and one for later.

Yield: Serves 12 (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups; 6 servings per casserole)

Recipe from

•   1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup finely chopped celery
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms $
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 (1-ounce) slice white bread

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. 2. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, black pepper, salt, and mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute.
3. 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. 4. Add 1 ¾ cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add pasta and chicken; stir until blended. Divide pasta mixture between 2 (8-inch-square) glass or ceramic baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
5. 5. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and ½ cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta.
6. 6. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.
7. To freeze unbaked casserole: Prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
8. To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350°. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 1 hour or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes.

 **This is the second time I've made this.  I altered a bit due to not having some ingredients; I only used 1 package of mushrooms-I think everyone in my family was not sad about that!  I used up all the onion on something else this week, so I omitted that, used rotisserie chicken and panko instead of white bread.  It's a little work, but delicious and very easy to make one pan for later! 

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 422
• Fat: 12.1g
• Saturated fat: 6.5g
• Monounsaturated fat: 2.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
• Protein: 35g
• Carbohydrate: 39.6g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 76mg
• Iron: 2.7mg
• Sodium: 702mg
• Calcium: 272mg