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Baked Garlic and Fontina Chicken Spaghetti

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Noodles:

  • 12 ounces (340 g) spaghetti
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for tossing the noodles

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped yellow or white onion
  • 8 ounces (227 g) baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste, but don’t leave it out completely as it adds great flavor!
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup (114 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (see note)
  • 1 cup (114 g) shredded fontina cheese
  • 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 cups more or less cooked, chopped chicken (see note)
  • ½ cup (57 g) grated Asiago cheese
  • ¼ cup (29 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch glass or ceramic dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water a few minutes short of al dente (the noodles will finish cooking in the oven). Drain and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside.
  • In a large, nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until rippling and hot. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 6-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are golden and have given up most of their liquid. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant
  • Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mushrooms along with the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Whisk or stir constantly for a minute or so over medium heat. The mixture will be a bit crumbly; that's ok.
  • Gradually add the chicken broth and milk, whisking quickly and constantly to avoid lumps. Stir, bringing the mixture to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and heat through.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the mozzarella and fontina cheeses, one handful at a time, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Stir in the parsley and add any additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Add the cooked chicken and stir to combine.
  • Toss the sauce and cooked pasta together and spread evenly in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the Asiago and Parmesan cheeses over the top. Cover the dish with lightly greased aluminum foil and cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, until the edges are golden and bubbling.
  • Let the casserole rest for for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Notes

Cheese: I've mentioned it before but if at all possible, grate your own mozzarella cheese (vs using pre-shredded cheese which is usually coated with a powdery substance that doesn't allow it to melt as smooth and creamy).
Chicken: for the cooked chicken, a rotisserie chicken or this pressure cooker chicken works great or here's my favorite stovetop method for delicious, cooked and shredded chicken.
Make Ahead: I've never frozen this before baking but you can assemble the dish beforehand. I recommend letting the sauce cool to warm room temperature before assembling. Once assembled, cover the dish with greased aluminum foil and refrigerate, up to 8 hours (possibly longer but that's the longest I've refrigerated it for). To bake, add about 10-15 minutes onto the baking time (while the dish is covered) and then follow the directions to remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.