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Chicken Tetrazzini the Palace Hotel Way, with Sherry Mushrooms and a Parmesan Gratin Crust

Chicken Tetrazzini

This is the version that made the dish famous in 1905 San Francisco, long before canned soup got involved. Mushrooms caramelize hard in butter, sherry lifts the fond off the pan, and a real Mornay sauce carries it all through the spaghetti. Baked under buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan until the edges bubble and the top goes deep gold.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 685
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
  • 4 cups cooked chicken diced or pulled into bite-size pieces
  • 1 lb cremini mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 7 tbsp unsalted butter divided
  • 2 medium shallots finely minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup dry sherry fino or amontillado, not cooking sherry
  • 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups chicken stock warmed
  • 1.25 cups heavy cream or whole milk for a lighter sauce
  • 1.5 cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated, divided
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
  • 1.5 tsp salt plus more to taste
  • 3/4 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs coarse, preferably fresh from day-old bread
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 inch baking dish buttered
  • 1 Large Skillet 12 inch, preferably stainless for good fond
  • 1 Large pot for the pasta
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 Colander
  • 1 box grater

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 375 F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish and set it aside.
  2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes without stirring. They will release liquid, then that liquid will cook off. Keep going, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deeply browned at the edges and a brown fond has built on the pan bottom, 10 to 12 minutes total. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  3. Add the shallots and garlic and cook 2 minutes until softened and fragrant.
  4. Pour in the sherry. It will hiss and steam. Scrape the bottom of the pan hard with a wooden spoon to lift every bit of the brown fond into the liquid, and cook until the sherry has nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape the mushroom mixture into a bowl and set aside.
  5. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti 2 minutes short of the package's al dente time. Drain and set aside. It will finish cooking in the sauce and the oven.
  6. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to medium heat. Melt 4 tablespoons butter, sprinkle in the flour, and whisk constantly for 2 minutes until the roux smells faintly nutty and turns the color of pale straw. Do not let it brown.
  7. Pour in the warm chicken stock in a slow stream, whisking hard the whole time to keep it smooth. Whisk in the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 5 to 6 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  8. Off the heat, whisk in 1 cup of the Parmesan until melted and smooth. Stir in the nutmeg, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It should taste distinctly savory and just barely sharp from the cheese.
  9. Fold the reserved sherry-mushroom mixture and the diced chicken into the sauce, then add the drained spaghetti. Toss with tongs until every strand is coated. The mixture will look loose. That is correct, as the pasta drinks up sauce as it bakes.
  10. Transfer everything to the buttered baking dish and spread it level.
  11. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Scatter this evenly over the top.
  12. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the crumb crust is deep golden brown. If the top is pale at the end, run it under the broiler for 90 seconds, watching closely.
  13. Let it rest 10 minutes so the sauce sets. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top and serve straight from the dish.

Notes

  • Sherry matters here. Use a dry fino or amontillado you would actually drink, not cooking sherry, which is salted and harsh. Dry vermouth or a crisp white wine works if you have neither.
  • Do not crowd the mushrooms. Cook them in two batches if your pan is small. Steamed gray mushrooms give you nothing; browned ones give you the whole backbone of the dish.
  • Pull the pasta a full two minutes shy of al dente. It keeps cooking in the sauce and again in the oven.
  • Rotisserie chicken is genuinely good here and saves 40 minutes. About 4 cups diced meat from one bird.
  • Assemble up to a day ahead, refrigerate covered, and add 15 minutes to the bake time. Add the breadcrumbs only just before it goes in the oven.
  • Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat covered at 325 F with a splash of stock, then uncover for the last 10 minutes to crisp the top again.
  • Serve it on its own with a sharp green salad if you want anything at all. It needs no side.