Chicken Tetrazzini

Adapted from America, the Beautiful Cookbook (HarperCollins, 1990)

Serves 4 to 6
I cut it in half for 2

Amy made this when she had her catering business in Atlanta. The original recipe calls for sherry, but I use Rainwater Madeira because Madeira has a more stable shelf life than sherry. Chicken stock makes sense, but I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base because it is very umami, and I always have it on hand. I also sometimes finish the dish with toasted slivered almonds for crunch.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter for the baking dish
1 tablespoon unsalted butter for the almonds
1/2 pound mushrooms (I use cremini)
1/2 pound spaghettini
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups stock (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons Madeira
A big pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt
2 cups pulled-apart chicken (or turkey if it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving!)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small ovenproof pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the slivered almonds and toss to coat. Bake for 5 minutes, stir, and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Butter the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

Heat both the stock and cream to warm, not boiling, in separate vessels.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet and cook the mushrooms until golden. Turn off the heat.

Boil the spaghettini in salted water until tender. It will continue to cook later in the oven but not for a very long time, so don’t undercook it too much to compensate.

Next, make the sauce. I use what is known as a Windsor or fait-tout pan, which has slanted sides; a saucier also works well. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time. Whisk in the warm stock, raise the heat, and cook for 2 minutes, again stirring constantly. Add the cream and Madeira and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. This will take about 8 minutes. When thickened, add the nutmeg and salt to taste, if you need it, which you may not because of your stock.

Spread the spaghettini over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour half the sauce on top. Spread the chicken and mushrooms over the sauce. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds on top. If you’re plating individually in the French style (service à l’assiette), sprinkle the almonds over each portion.