Chicken Tetrazzini

This is a total comfort dish for me.  I want to sit by the fire, with fuzzy socks, a good book and a blanket after this for dinner.  The flavors are mellow and work so well together.  It reminds me of a Sunday dinner at my Grandmothers.  Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, it's really great in here.  This is a perfect dish to make when the weather gets colder, or just when you're in a bad mood.  It makes me happy! :)  There can't be anything wrong with that!  Diva Alert~ I'm not typically a fan of leftovers, there are a few things I will reheat. This one is actually good reheated.

I recently brought a friend dinner and my husband bet me I couldn't make a casserole. Well, here it is.  I do live to prove him wrong.  Oops, that was a typo but it totally works.   I love to prove him wrong, lol.
 
This recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.  While the original is fantastic, I've made a few slight changes to suit my preferences.  When cooking the chicken use whatever seasonings you like to use.  I try to get a lot of flavor into the dish at this point.

9 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chicken seasoning blend, optional
1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 ounces linguine
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Italian~style breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Spread 1 tablespoon of butter over a 9x13x2~inch baking dish.  Melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil in a deep large nonstick skillet over medium~high heat.  Season chicken breasts with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, the 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and other seasonings.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool slightly.  Coarsely shred the chicken into bite~sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil to the same pan.  Add the mushrooms and saute over medium~high heat until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms become pale golden, about 12 minutes.  Add the onion, garlic, and thyme, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the chicken.

Melt 3 more tablespoons of butter in the same pan over medium~low heat.  Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk, cream, broth, nutmeg, remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3/4 teaspoons of pepper.  Increase heat to high, whisking often.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the linguine and cook about 9 minutes or until it is tender but still firm, stirring occasionally.  Drain, Add the linguine, sauce, peas, parsley, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese to the chicken mixture.  Toss until the sauce coats the pasta and the mixture is well blended.

Transfer the pasta to the prepared baking dish.  Stir together the remaining 1 cup of cheese and the breadcrumbs in a small bowl.  Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta.  Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.  Bake, uncovered, for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles.