Creamy Chicken-Noodle Casserole With Spinach And Mushrooms

Recipe Ingredients

1 lb	454g / 16oz	Skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 cups	355ml	Water - approximate
2 cups	186g / 6.6oz	Garlic cloves - minced (large)
1		Bay leaf
		White Sauce
1/3 cup	20g / 0.7oz	All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons	30ml	Cornstarch
2 cups	474ml	1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon	15ml	Fresh tarragon
		OR 1-tsp dried tarragon
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt - or less
1/8 teaspoon	0.6ml	Ground nutmeg - or to taste
1/4 cup	59ml	Dry white wine
10 oz	284g	Frozen spinach
		Thawed and squeezed dry
		Add
8 oz	227g	Spinach pasta - fresh
8 oz	227g	Mushrooms - sliced
		Topping
1 1/2 teaspoons	7.5ml	Olive oil
		OR olive oil spray
3/4 cup	109g / 3.8oz	Fresh breadcrumbs - coarsely ground
		From french bread
1/4 cup	36g / 1.3oz	Parmesan cheese - freshly grated

Recipe Instructions

COOK CHICKEN: Combine chicken, 1 cup water, garlic and bay leaf in large saucepan. Cover and simmer just until chicken is cooked through, turning once, about 15 minutes Transfer chicken to plate; cool. Shred chicken. Pour cooking liquid into measuring ing cup, adding more water to measure 1 cup if necessary. Reserve cooking liquid.

WHITE SAUCE: Whisk flour and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan. Add 1 cup milk; whisk until smooth. Stir in 1 cup milk, tarragon, salt, nutmeg and reserved 1 cup chicken cooking liquid. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Add wine; stir until mixture is very thick about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in shredded chicken and spinach.

(Can be made 1 day ahead to this point. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray an 11x7x2 inch glass baking dish.

PASTA: Cook fettuccine it large pot of boiling salted water unto just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add mushrooms and chicken mixture ture; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

CRUMB TOPPING: Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; stir 1 minute. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake until casserole bubbles and breadcrumb are golden, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

PAT'S VARIATION: Low-fat milk is the base for the cream sauce; the dish resembles fettucine alfredo. We had leftover chicken from another meal that totaled about 2 ounces per serving. White sauce would not thicken without some oil so 1 teaspoon whipped butter was added to the liquids. We used a combination of flour ("Dry" roux) and cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Chardonay, fresh tarragon and a more generous helping of nutmeg completed the sauce. We used a combination of short curly "egg" noodles and linguini. The assembly was as stated above with one exception. Instead of spinach, we used 2 collard leaves per serving: trimmed, stripped and julienne; sauted briefly (to a bright green) in nonstick pan sprayed with butter flavored corn oil. The crumbs, too were sauted in spray instead of oil. Baked at 400F for about 22 minutes. Served with freshly grated Parmesan. One-quarter acorn squash and cranberry conserve completed the meal. A little dry but very tasty, especially with the extra pinches of nutmeg. - - ph [email protected]

*"The Lighter Side of Casseroles," article by Jim Fobel for Bon Appetit (1998:Feb p.66). Quintessential home cooking, casseroles can be heavy on flavor but light on fat and calories. Also available: Lighter Than Mom's Tuna-Noodle Casserole and the Mixed-Mushroom Lasagna with Parmesan Sauce, both updated versions of time-honored dishes.

Source:
Jim Fobel (1998-Feb) Bon Appetit*

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