Chicken Tetrazzini

The boyfriend found this recipe and it was the perfect time since I had just poached up a big package of chicken breasts (half were cubed and half shredded).  I used shredded for this recipe.  Also, as you can see by the picture, I opted for the casserole dish instead of cooking in the dutch oven (the cast iron dutch oven can't go in the dishwasher - the glass 10x13 pan can!)  The blog author included cooking times for both options (see recipe notes at the bottom).

Ingredients

For the Chicken Tetrazzini:

• 12 oz thin spaghetti or linguine
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken *or cook 2 lbs chicken breast
• 1 lb button mushrooms thickly sliced
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the Creamy Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups half and half or sub with equal parts milk & heavy cream
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until aldente according to package instructions then rinse to stop the cooking process, drain and set aside.
2. Cut 4 cups of chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 
3. Place a large dutch oven or pot over medium/high heat. Add 2 Tbsp oil then add sliced mushrooms and sauté 3 min or until softened. Add diced onions and cook until onions are soft and golden, 5-7 min. Add minced garlic and sauté another 1-2 min until fragrant. Remove to the cutting board with chicken.
4. In the same pot, melt 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour until lightly golden (1 1/2 min). Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and whisk until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups half and half and bring to a simmer. Season sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Return chicken, mushrooms, onions and pasta to the pot then sprinkle in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle the top generously with shredded mozzarella, cover and bake at 350˚F for 30 min then remove lid and continue baking 15 min.**

Recipe Notes

*To cook your own chicken: in your dutch oven or pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Season 2 lbs chicken breasts with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Once oil is hot, saute chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (about 4 min per side). Remove to cutting board to cool then cut into bite-sized pieces.

**If baking in a 13x9 casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes then bake uncovered an additional 10-15 min (it bakes 5-10 min faster in a casserole dish)