Happy Birthday to Mom!

Okay, so it's time for the recipe of the week!  This week's dish comes from one of my favourite recipe books, simply titled, Favourite Brand Names: Italian Cooking by Publications International Ltd.

So, last week was my mom's birthday, and amongst many gifts, I gave her the choice of what I would make her for dinner.  To my surprise and excitement, she chose chicken tetrazzini with roasted red peppers.  This is a crowd favourite, let me tell you.  It's also one of the easiest things to make. 

I don't make it too often, and after you see the ingredient list you'll know why.  haha...but it's SOOO good!

This meal is great when you're making dinner for a group of 6 to 10 people.  I find it tastes best the day it's made, although the leftovers aren't 'that' bad.

Okay, so if you're ready to get started, here we go.  The whole recipe can be done in 4 easy steps.  The prep, the sauce, the noodles, and the mixing. 

Here's what you'll need to have on hand:

~6 ounces of uncooked egg noodles (I love the no yolks brand)

~3 tablespoons of butter

~1/4 cup all-purpose flour

~1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth (I usually pick a low sodium kind)

~1 cup whipping cream (oh yeah!)

~2 cans (6 ounce each) of sliced mushrooms (I usually omit, due to people's fear of mushrooms)

~1 jar (7 ounces) of roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2 inch strips

~2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I actually use about a chicken breast per person)

~1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (...and if you don't have any, just mix some basil and oregano and parsley)

~1/2 cup (or more!) grated Parmesan cheese (and use the good stuff...non of that Kraft crap...lol)

The Prep

If you haven't done so, cook your chicken.  I like to chop it up and cook it in a little EVOO.  Make sure to season it well with salt and pepper.  I like to fry a little garlic with it as well (it gives it a nice taste).  Once that's done, set it aside. 

Have your peppers and mushrooms (if you're using them) all ready to go.

Also have your Parmesan cheese grated and ready to go.

The Sauce

Okay, so this will be the toughest part of the recipe (and it's not that tough).  The main thing here is to have all your ingredients already measured.  This will make for nice transitions when making your delicious sauce.  You may also want to double the ingredients here, if you wish to have a lot of sauce on your pasta, or if you're entertaining a lot of people. 

Start by melting your butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  I like to continuously whisk it, so it doesn't burn.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Add the chicken broth; bring to a boil over high heat.  Once it's boiling, remove from the heat and slowly add your whipping cream.  Continue stiring until well blended.  For a different flavour, here you could add a couple tablespoons of dry sherry.  I personally like to add a few dashes of nutmeg.

The Noodles

Cook your noodles according to package directions. 

The Mixing

Here is where you can be as creative as you like.  Personally, I just throw everything into the pot and do a big mix.  You could also just mix the sauce with the noodles, and then add the peppers, mushrooms, cheese, and chicken separately on top of each person's plate (so much more work!).

Regardless, make sure the noodles, the sauce, the peppers, the chicken, the mushrooms, and the Parmesan cheese all get put together one way or another.

Add the sauce to the noodles slowly.  You don't want your poor noodles drowning the the thing. 

Final Words

And there you have it.  A delicious, easy, 'not-so' healthy meal, that will  please even the pickiest of eaters.  The whole thing shouldn't take you longer than 20 minutes.  I like to serve it with some nice crusty bread and a big veggie salad (with homemade dressing of course...stay tuned...haha).

Enjoy!

P.S.  HBd Mom!!