Chicken Tetrazzini

I believe I have mentioned this before - but I'll say it again, my mom is an awesome cook. 95% of what I know about food, cooking, and how it all translates into love came from years of being her sous chef. This is a dish that I'm sure isn't one she brags about, but it's one that Mike LOVES. Therefore, it's one that is requested in my house often.

Also, I should note that when this particular dish is spoken of in our house, it's in that tone of voice from the episode of Maury that talks about cheating for chicken tetrazzini... seriously - google it "chicken tetrazzini maury" is all you need to type in. You will laugh SO hard, and you will forever refer to this dish in the same way!

Since Mike asked again about this recipe this week I figured it was time to ask for the recipe. Now, have you ever asked someone for a recipe who has made something so many times that they just rattle off the ingredients, but they don't really give you the measurements... yea, that's what happened. I should note that she didn't MEAN to not give me the measurements... but still I got nothin'.

So, since I was "shooting from the hip"

Here's what I came up with:
1/2 a box of spaghetti, even a little less - depending on the size of your pan (I used a 9x9)
1/2 lb of mushrooms
3/4 cup peas
1 white onion, minced
2 cups of chicken, shredded
1 and 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1/3 cup of starchy pasta water
1/3 cup of white wine - just because Mike says I put wine in "everything" - I don't BTW - substitute for more chicken stock if you want
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of half and half
1/2 stick of butter
2 cloves of garlic
Breadcrumbs

Cook the chicken, shred it and set it aside. Or, cheat, and buy the rotisserie chicken that they shred for you like I did! Start cooking the pasta in a medium pot, make sure to salt the water well.

In a large pot melt the butter, add in the minced onion and the minced garlic. Cook on medium until translucent. Then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to brown, add the chicken stock and cook down for a few minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through. Add the peas, the remaining stock, the flour, the wine, the water, etc. and cook until it thickens a bit.

When the pasta is done strain it and add it to a large bowl. Add the chicken, and the mushroom mixture. Stir until well mixed, then pour into a 9x9 inch pan, and cover with breadcrumbs. Cook at 350 until the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Mike totally prefers it the way my mom makes it - oh well, I tried! I thought it was delish! :-)