New Recipe: Chicken Tetrazzini

I love chicken and Torsten isn't the biggest fan, so I'm always looking for ways to prepare it so that it will be moist and tender, preferably in a sauce that Torsten will enjoy. Chicken tetrazzini, with its thicker sauce than a lot of the broth-based sauces I like to make, seemed like it would fit the bill.

Chicken Tetrazzini: Makes 6 servings; 5 WW points per serving Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine [I used light butter instead.]
  
• 1/2 cup scallions, chopped (about 5 scallions)
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fat-free skim milk
• 1/2 pound chicken breast, cooked, skinless, cubed [I used more than 1/2 a pound, and I cooked it with the vegetables instead of doing it separately.]
  
• 1/4 cup canned pimento, drained and sliced (about a 2 oz jar) [I didn't have pimentos, so I used red pepper flakes to add kick instead.]
  
• 2 Tbsp sherry cooking wine
• 3 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into thirds and cooked [I did not break up the spaghetti because I like it better in the long noodles.]
  

Instructions

1. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add scallions and mushrooms; cook until tender, stirring, about 5 minutes. [I also cooked the chicken at this point.]
   
3. Combine flour, garlic powder, pepper, broth and milk in a small bowl; mix until well blended.
   
4. Add flour mixture to saucepan; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. [It didn't take the full ten minutes for this to thicken for me.]
   
5. Add chicken [mine was already in because I cooked it with the vegetables], pimentos and sherry; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
   
6. Stir in cheese and add cooked spaghetti; toss gently. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

The verdict: This was delicious! Torsten loved it and so did I. The thicker sauce was a nice change of pace, and the vegetables gave it a nice flavor. I added a few extra spices and it definitely made a difference; without them, this dish might have run the risk of being bland. However, as it was, it was great, and really easy to make. I will definitely be making it again.