Chicken Tetrazinni

Chicken Tetrazinni

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 medium-size sweet onion, diced 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk 
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken 
• 12 ounces vermicelli, cooked
• 1 (6-ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
•  
•  
• The Topping
•  1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup soft Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Preparation 

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add diced onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. 

Whisk in flour until smooth, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk and broth; cook, whisking constantly, 5 to 6 minutes or until thickened. 

Add pepper, and 1 cup cheese. Cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute until cheese melts. Remove from heat. 

Stir in chicken, pasta, and mushrooms. 

 Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. 

Bake chicken mixture, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. 

Stir together remaining 1/2 cup cheese, breadcrumbs, and 2 tablespoons melted butter, and sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake casserole 10 to 15 more minutes.

The Ingredients:

and this guy, who didn't get pulled out of the pantry 

in time for the "group photo" :)

 

I'm roasting my chicken breasts while I get everything else ready.  

I sprinkle them with Morton's Nature Seasoning, 

throw in a bit of butter, 

cover with foil and bake 45 minutes--400 degrees.  

I take the foil off and let brown about 10-15 minutes. 

 

Get the water ready to boil the pasta...

Throw the pasta in the boiling water and 

cook per package directions...

Drain...

Melt the stick of butter in your saucepan...

 

The directions say to saute' the onion in the butter...

I have no picture  of  this...

I had no onion...

I cannot remember the last time I ran out of onions...sigh... 

life is just not the same...but I digress...

You just make sure you have the onion...

I'm going to try to go on without one....tears...

Add the flour..

 

Whisk up a storm until thick and smooth...

Add the broth...

Add the milk...

 

And the lovely shredded Parmesan cheese...

Mmmmm...cheese...

Add the mushrooms...

Add the noodles and stir it all up..

 Dice up your roasted chicken...

Add to the pasta mixture...

Pour in in your baking dish..

The Topping Participants

Pour the breadcrumbs in a bowl...

 

I threw in 1/4 cup Monzarella cheese...

with wild abandon, I must say... 

just because I wanted to...

I'm like that... 

I think it was because I was trying to make up for having no more beautiful shredded Parmesan Cheese--

only the powdered Parmesan...

I am not a fan...

It reminds me of washing powder...

just saying... 

it doesn't melt beautifully and creamy like shredded cheese...

and I wonder...

why would anyone want to powder-up beautiful cheese...

It must be a sickness...

I want to state for the record that I also did not buy this cheese...

I think it's my brother's fault...

He's not here so I'm blaming it on him anyway...

But it's been in Mom's refrigerator since he left...

I see it in the refrigerator at times and 

the cheese and I try to avoid each other....

but to make a LONG story short...

Ha!  

I had to finally use the powdered cheese...

I hope you do not...please avoid it all costs...

(see the above "'cheese rant"!)

Ok, I feel better now!   

(except for the fact that I had to use this powdered stuff..)

  

Mix the cheeses with the breadcrumbs...

Pour on the melted butter...and mix well...

You're going to put this topping on the casserole

 the last 15 minutes of cooking...

And it looks like this after baking!  Yum!

  Enjoy!