- 1 ½ pounds white mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 ¾ pounds chicken breast (sliced – if using raw meat) or use cooked chicken (shredded)
- 1.25 pounds linguini (broken into 2” pieces)
- 4 ounces gruyere (grated)
- 6 ounces parmesan (grated)
- 1 cup (?) panko bread crumbs
- 3 cups milk
- 2 cups (16 ounces) chicken broth
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
- 12 ounces frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
- 2 tablespoons Penzey’s Sunny Paris
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Bring water (for pasta) to boil in a large stock pot. Cook pasta for about 4 minutes or until very al dente. Drain pasta, rinse and set aside.
To prepare chicken breast, add chicken broth and milk to a large sauce pan. Add sliced chicken breast and simmer until white, but still pink in the center. Remove chicken breast and set aside to cook. Retain milk/broth.
Add 4 tablespoons of butter to now empty stock pot. Sauté mushrooms until liquid is released. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Add wine to pan and stir, scraping up and remaining mushroom pieces. When wine is evaporated, add remaining 4 tablespoons butter. When melted, add flour and sauté to make a roux. When flour is browned, slowly add milk mixture, stirring continuously until smooth. Continue to stir mixture until it thickens into a gravy.
Add 2/3 of the cheese mixture to gravy and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper, thyme, seasoning and vinegar – to taste.
Shred chicken breast into small pieces and add to gravy. Stir in pasta to coat. Add peas and stir to combine.
Combine panko bread crumbs with remaining cheese mixture. Pour pasta mixture into 2 – 5.5” x 8” loaf pans and top with bread crumb/cheese mixture.
To prepare fresh casserole: cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. To prepare frozen casserole: bake covered with tinfoil for about 2 hours. Uncover and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes. To prepare thawed casserole: thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake covered with tinfoil for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes.
Red wine, honey... and morning bread 