Woo-hoo! No school! No work! It’s a snow day! On a winter-wonderland-y day such as this, sure, we could make soup, but why not make Snow-Day Chicken Tetrazzini to really make things fun?! After building the perfect, icy fort and sliding down the hill a million times, a plate of these tender noodles draped in cheesy, creamy goodness and some hearty chicken is just what you need. You heard it here first; Snow-Day Chicken Tetrazzini is in and soup is out when it comes to snow day cuisine!
Ingredients
For the breadcrumb topping:
- 2 slices white sandwich bread, lightly toasted and torn into 2-inch-wide pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the casserole:
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- hot sauce, to taste
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cooked, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup frozen peas
Directions
Step 1 –Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
Step 3 –In a food processor, add the bread pieces and process until they are finely ground.
Step 4 –In a small bowl, add the processed breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and toss until they are evenly coated. Set them aside.
Step 5 –In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 6 –Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
Step 7 –In the same pot over medium-high heat, melt the remaining butter until it is foaming.
Step 8 –Add the onions to the melted butter and cook until they have softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 9 –Stir the garlic and the thyme into the onions and cook until they are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 10 –Stir the flour into the onion mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it is golden, about 1 minute.
Step 11 –Whisk the chicken broth and the half-and-half into the onion mixture.
Step 12 –Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 1 minute longer.
Step 13 –Transfer the pot from the heat and whisk the parmesan cheese into the sauce.
Step 14 –Add the hot sauce to the sauce and stir to combine.
Step 15 –Taste the sauce and season with the salt and the pepper, as needed. Stir to combine.
Step 16 –Add the cooked pasta, the cooked chicken, and the frozen peas to the sauce and toss to combine.
Step 17 –Pour the chicken tetrazzini into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the prepared breadcrumbs.
Step 18 –Bake the chicken tetrazzini until the sauce is bubbling and the topping has browned, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 19 –Transfer the baking dish from the oven and allow the chicken tetrazzini to cool, about 5 minutes.
Step 20 –Serve.
