Freezer Chicken Tetrazzini Food

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (for pasta). In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over high heat. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
• Make sauce: In same saucepan, melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add flour; cook, whisking, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, gradually add milk, broth, and wine. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and add 2 cups Parmesan and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package instructions for al dente; drain and return to pot. Add sauce, chicken, peas, and mushrooms. Toss well to combine. Divide between two shallow 2-quart baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Freeze (see below) or bake until browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

FREEZER CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 and use a 13 x 9 inch Baking dish (3 L).
• OVEN POACHED CHICKEN: Place chicken in roasting pan on rack. In a large glass measuring cup, combine chicken stock, wine, bay leaf, tarragon and thyme; pour over chicken. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 185°F Cool chicken in broth.
• Remove cooled chicken from broth, reserving broth. Remove all meat from carcass, keeping chicken in large strips. Discard skin and bones. Set chicken meat and stock aside separately.
• TETRAZZINI: In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook noodles until tender but still firm, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water. Drain and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat; cook onions, garlic, celery and green pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a large bowl. In same saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat; cook mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender. Add to other vegetables in bowl.
• Melt remaining butter in same saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour; cook, stirring, until flour pulls away from pan. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in reserved chicken stock. Return to heat. Cook, stirring until sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk in cheese, olives, hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in noodles, chicken and vegetables. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Serves 8.
• TOPPING: In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
• TO FREEZE: Wrap well with plastic wrap, then heavy foil. Seal, label and date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• TO SERVE: Thaw in microwave or in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350°F Unwrap casserole. Cover with foil. Bake in center of oven for 20 minutes, uncover and bake another 25 minutes or until heated through.
• TIP: If freezing, undercook the pasta just until firm; it will cook further in the juicy sauce upon reheating. If making to serve immediately, cook pasta a little further.
• Breadcrumb toppings become soggy on freezing. To crisp them, be sure to bake uncovered for at least 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
• Because casseroles dry out when freezing make sure sauces are thin before freezing. They will thicken once they are cooked.
• The Best Freezer Cookbook.

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Steps:

• Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cook Spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente, tender but still firm when bitten.
• Cook Onion & Garlic: Add the butter and olive oil to a saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until aromatic.
• Add Ingredients: Whisk in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the cream cheese and 1 ½ cups of the Parmesan cheese until melted.
• Assemble: Stir in the cooked turkey then add the cooked spaghetti. Toss everything together until well combined. Transfer everything to a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish and top with remaining ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Bake: Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 30 - 45 minutes until heated through and the top is starting to brown.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI- FREEZER FRIENDLY

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Drain.
• Heat butter in a large skillet until melted.
• Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat.
• Stir in chicken broth and half & half. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Stir in spaghetti, chicken, & grated parmesan cheese.
• Pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with fresh shredded parmesan cheese.
• To serve immediately: Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes until bubbly.
• Or to freeze for another day: After topping with the parmesan cheese, do not bake right away. Cover dish with plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw completely and bake as directed on serving day.

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Steps:

• Pasta: Cook pasta just until al dente according to package directions - don't overcook! Strain, rinse with cold water and toss in a drizzle of olive oil to prevent it from clumping.
• Prep: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
• Onions and Mushrooms: In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions and cook until mostly softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes.
• Sauce: Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and cook an additional 2 minutes (it will be thick, if not using mushrooms, you'll need an extra drizzle of olive oil). Slowly stir in the milk, heavy cream and 1 cup chicken broth. Whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 1 cup broth until smooth then add it to the pot. Add Worcestershire, chicken bouillon and all of the seasonings. Bring to a simmer until thickened (but not overly thick), 5-10 minutes.
• Add cheese: Reduce heat to low and whisk in cheddar until melted, followed by 3/4 cup Monterrey until melted, followed by Parmesan until melted.
• Add turkey: Stir in turkey and peas, followed by cooked spaghetti. Toss until evenly coated (it will seem like a lot of extra sauce which is a good thing). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired (I like about 1/2 teaspoon more pepper).
• Assemble: Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish. Top with 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese. At this point you can cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake or proceed with the recipe (see make ahead instructions in notes).
• Panko topping: In a medium skillet, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add panko and stir to coat. Continue cooking until crumbs become golden brown then immediately remove from heat and sprinkle over the casserole.
• Bake: Cover casserole with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Garnish individual servings with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

LARGE FAMILY FREEZER-FRIENDLY CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9x13 casserole dishes with nonstick cooking spray.
• Cook the linguine according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes in boiling water. Drain well.
• In a stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 3 to 5 additional minutes or until the mushrooms are softened.
• Add the flour and seasonings, stirring to combine. Cook for about 1 minute as you stir. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Allow the sauce to thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.
• In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, sauce, peas, cheese, and chicken, stirring until evenly blended. Divide between the two casserole dishes.
• Top the casseroles with the bread crumbs.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the edges bubble and begin to brown slightly.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish.
• Break the spaghetti up into shorter lengths and cook in boiling salted water following the package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove the mushrooms to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the same pan and place it over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk the cream and chicken stock into the flour mixture. Add the dry Sherry to taste, if using. Add about half of the Parmesan cheese and continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Taste and add kosher salt, as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add extra cream or stock.
• Add the mushrooms and cooked chicken to the sauce mixture and continue to cook until hot. Add chopped parsley, if using, and stir to blend.
• Turn the drained spaghetti into the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta and spread it to cover. Top the casserole with the remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned.
• Serve chicken tetrazzini with a salad or fresh vegetables and extra Parmesan cheese.