Let the Carbo-loading begin: Chicken Tetrazini

Whenever I hear the words, I can't help but think of The Soup!  Have you ever watched it?  Have you seen the Chicken Tetrazini zingers Joel McHale so lovingly repeats?  It's hilarious!

Anywho...growing up, my mom served us her version of Chicken Tetrazini on a semi-regular basis and it became one of my faves.  I decided to tweak the recipe and make it South Beach style.  Please note that I don't really measure stuff, so it's usually a little bit of this and that and you kind of have to do whatever works for you, but if you do decide to make it, I do guarantee deliciousness!

Here is what you need:

Chicken - I used whatever size package that had 3 large chicken breasts
2 cans of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 container of plain Greek yogurt OR 1 container of low fat or no fat sour cream
Whole wheat pasta - 1 box whatever kind floats your boat - I used linguini
Parmesan cheese
Seasonings - whatever strikes your fancy - I used Adobo, Italian Seasoning, and Rosemary

In the past, I have marinated (in fat free Italian dressing) and grilled the chicken.  This time, I decided to shred it in the crock pot.  It tastes great either way - depends on what flavor you are going for.

Boil your pasta.  I always toss in a wee bit of olive oil into my water and add a pinch of salt.  With whole wheat, it is always important to make sure you cook it thoroughly.  I think that is why people have a tendency to complain about whole wheat pasta - they don't like the texture because they don't cook it enough.

While the pasta is a'boilin', you need to prepare the "goop" (as my mom calls it) by pouring the 2 cans of soup into a bowl and mixing it with the yogurt or the sour cream.  This was the first time I ever used Greek yogurt.  I was inspired by Lindsay (check out her blog:  Pancakes N Pajamas) as she uses Greek yogurt in a lot of her cooking and I was encouraged by older sister Cathy who swears by Greek yogurt because she is big on the incorporation of nutritional protein into one's diet.

So, after mixing the soup and creamy textured substance of your choice together, season it accordingly.  As I mentioned above, I threw in some Rosemary, Adobo (pretty much a staple in all my cooking), and Italian seasoning.  Then I set the bowl to the side.

Once the pasta was done, I drained it, rinsed it, and drained it again and put it into the bottom of one of my favorite Pampered Chef Stonewear casserole dishes.

Next, I put down the layer of my shredded chicken.  

Finally, I poured the "goop" over all of it. I then sprinkled the casserole with Parmesan cheese. You bake it for 45 minutes to an hour on 350 degrees.  (um...looks like the flash didn't "flash" for this pic - sorry!).

Then voila - serve it and enjoy it!  I have made other "versions" of this dish in the past.  For example, I have used lemon pepper and lemon zest in the  "goop" for a different flavor and even added some lemon juice to the pasta.  I have also sprinkled sundried tomatoes throughout the chicken layer and some sundried tomato pesto to the pasta for another kind of kick .  Get creative to give it a twist!  Add veggies like broccoli in lieu of serving veggies on the side (isn't that the beauty of a casserole?). 

What's one of your childhood favorites?

***Don't forget to enter my Bobo's Oat Bar giveaway.  It ends TONIGHT at 9pm CST.