Chicken Tetrazzini -- Clay's Growing Recipe Repertoire Deserves a Proper Celebration

November. Thanksgiving approaches. The countdown is comfortable this year — not the frantic countdown of Clay's deployment or the anxious countdown of his return. This is the good countdown. The anticipatory countdown. The countdown to a table full of people eating my food and telling me the dressing is right (it is) and the turkey is good (it is) and the sweet potato casserole is better with marshmallows (it is, but I will never publicly agree because the pecan camp has rights too).

Election week. Same as four years ago: I'm not talking politics. The blog is beans, not ballots. The kitchen is nonpartisan. The cornbread doesn't vote. What I will say is this: whatever happens in the country, Monday is still soup beans. The republic may be in turmoil but the republic of the kitchen is stable, governed by a cast iron constitution and a butter-and-lard judiciary that has never been impeached.

This week Clay made something on his own that surprised me: he made Connie's white chicken chili. Not Betty's recipe. Not mine. Connie's. He asked Connie for the recipe, made it in the kitchen on Wednesday night, and served it to us without announcement — just set three bowls on the table and said "Dinner." The chili was good. Eighty-five percent. He added too much cumin (common overcorrection — cumin is aggressive and punishes overconfidence) but the base was right and the cheese melted properly and the sour cream was stirred in off heat, which shows he's paying attention to technique, not just flavor.

The fact that he asked Connie for a recipe — not me, not Betty, Connie — is significant. He's expanding. He's learning that the Hensley kitchen has multiple voices and the voices include his mother, who doesn't cook Appalachian but cooks real and good and with a particular practicality that Betty would respect even if she'd never admit it. Clay is learning from all of us. The student has multiple teachers. The education is broadening.

Clay serving us bowls of white chicken chili without fanfare — just “Dinner” and three spoons on the table — reminded me that the best thing a cook can do is keep expanding. He’s learning from Connie now, which means the education is broader than I ever planned, and that calls for a celebration in the form of another chicken dish worth mastering: Chicken Tetrazzini. It’s creamy, it rewards attention to technique, and it’s exactly the kind of recipe Clay should have in his repertoire before the year is out.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 12 oz spaghetti, broken in half
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until just al dente — do not overcook, as it will continue cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute the mushrooms. In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 4–5 minutes until golden and most of the moisture has cooked off. Remove mushrooms and set aside.
3. Make the roux. In the same pan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes until the raw flour smell is gone and the mixture is lightly golden.
4. Build the sauce. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, then the milk, adding each in a slow, steady stream while whisking to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6–8 minutes.
5. Finish the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Stir until smooth and creamy — do not return to high heat after adding the sour cream or it may break.
6. Combine. Preheat oven to 375°F. Fold the cooked spaghetti, shredded chicken, sauteed mushrooms, and frozen peas into the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish if needed.
7. Top and bake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and all of the mozzarella evenly over the top. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese on top is golden in spots.
8. Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg