1 chicken, cooked
1/2 lb. macaroni
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sautéed
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup almonds, slivered
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup whipping cream
3 tbsp. white wine, dry
preferred seasonings*

In a large pot or Dutch oven, simmer chicken in just enough lightly salted water to cover until tender.

Cooks Note: While the chicken is being simmered, you may want to make a soup stock; add a few stalks of celery, 3 cloves garlic, an onion stuck with whole cloves, a few bay leaves and a carrot or two. When the chicken is tender and may be easily removed from the bones, remove it from the stock. Reduce the stock by simmering until only half of the liquid remains. While this recipe calls for 2 cups of broth, any extra may be refrigerated or frozen and used whenever a recipe calls for a can of chicken broth or stock. Any excess fat should be skimmed off the top when the stock has chilled for several hours.

Remove meat from chicken bones. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain, add mushrooms and almonds.

Rub together butter and flour. Heat, stirring until the mixture takes on a light color. Pour chicken stock or broth into butter and flour mixture; remove from heat, stir in cream and wine.

*Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of salt and pepper, garlic or onion powder, or a dash of thyme or sage, as desired, according to your preferences. Remember that foods are better when slightly under-seasoned than over-seasoned. Allow extra salt and pepper to be added at the table.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add half of the sauce to chicken and half to the macaroni.

Place macaroni in a buttered casserole dish, make a well in the center and fill with chicken.

Bake until lightly golden brown. Since everything in this dish has been precooked so this should only be baked for about 20 minutes.

Submitted by: CM