Garlic Lover's Chicken Tetrazzini

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 medium broiler-fryer chickens (whatever's on sale!) or 8 chicken parts (whatever's on sale!)
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups chicken stock, from cooked meat or 2 cups canned chicken broth
• 2 cups grated colby cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter, for sauteing
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti or 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• salt and pepper
• garlic salt (about 4 tbs. is what i use)
• paprika (garnish) (optional)
• parsley (garnish) (optional)
• bacon bits (garnish) (optional)
• sour cream (garnish) (optional)

Recipe

• 1 place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover with water (about 3/4 pot full).
• 2 bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and let chicken simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is done.
• 3 remove the chicken from the pot and place on a plate to cool (approx. 20-30 minutes).
• 4 when cooled, skin and debone, placing chicken meat in a bowl for later.
• 5 remove 1 cup broth from pot and set aside for later.
• 6 do not discard the rest of the broth; will use later to boil the noodles for extra flavor.
• 7 while chicken is boiling, melt butter in saute pan and add minced garlic.
• 8 let it saute for just a minute or so, then add mushrooms.
• 9 if you like you can add a splash of wine here for a special taste.
• 10 cook mushrooms until tender and set aside for later.
• 11 the above steps can be done ahead of time and kept in refrigerator for assembly the day of the meal.
• 12 next, in a separate bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 cup of broth -- stir together until blended.
• 13 bring remaining broth to a boil once again and place the pasta in the boiling water (add a bit of water if you need to).
• 14 when the noodles are cooked, drain, and put back in the pot.
• 15 now, add in the rest of the ingredients, except for garnish: chicken meat, mushrooms, soup mixture, cheese, and seasonings (to your liking).
• 16 mix well and pour into a greased deep/large casserole dish.
• 17 the size of the dish depends on how much chicken you use and thicker noodles vs. thinner noodles, but generally a 9x13 dish is sufficient.
• 18 you can also put some of the mix, if there is too much, in a freezer-safe container to save for a quick dinner later on.
• 19 sprinkle with your garnish, and bake covered in a 350°f oven for about 30 minutes.
• 20 serve with sour cream on the side for a very creamy version of this entree.