Chicken Cannelloni With Cheese Sauce |
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Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes |
Ready In: 90 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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Chicken Cannelloni is a favorite of mine and I love mixing red and white sauce! Yummy, but not low fat! Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cooked chicken, diced |
1 lb lasagna noodle |
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine |
2 tablespoons olive oil |
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped |
1 small onion, finely chopped |
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped |
1 large egg, beaten |
2 tablespoons heavy cream or 2 tablespoons half-and-half |
1/4 teaspoon thyme |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
1 bunch spinach, cooked until |
3 tablespoons butter or 3 tablespoons margarine |
4 tablespoons flour |
1 1/2 cups chicken broth |
3 cups half-and-half |
salt and pepper |
1 cup parmesan cheese |
1/2-1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (optional) |
spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought) (optional) |
Directions:
1. THE NIGHT BEFORE (or early in the day): Cook lasagna noodles in 6 quarts boiling water for 5-7 minutes or until tender; drain, wipe noodles dry with a clean/dry cloth, lay flat on waxed paper.
2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
3. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms until they're tender; add remove from heat; set aside.
4. Place cooked chicken in food processor and pulse until chicken resembles a tuna salad mixture.
5. Combine chicken with the onions, garlic, mushrooms and the fat in which they were sauteed; add egg, cream and seasonings. Add spinach (cooked) and mix well.
6. Cut each lasagna noodle into 2 or 3 pieces-each piece should be 3 to 4 inches long; place a tablespoonful of the chicken filling on each piece and roll into a tubular shape. If you don't want to make canneloni, just layer the ingredients like you would for lasagna.
7. Arrange rolls next to each other, one layer deep, in a buttered baking dish; set aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.
8. CHEESE SAUCE: Melt butter then add the flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the floury taste.
9. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps; add cream, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth; remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.
10. I like to use, both, red and white sauce on this one. I spoon over a strip of the white sauce, next to it I spoon on some red; keep doing that across the dish until the sauce covers the noodles. The red/white pattern makes it look pretty and gives the dish a little more flavor. It also cuts back on some of the fat.
11. Spoon sauce over cannelloni in baking dish; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese, if used; refrigerate until you're ready to bake it.
12. BEFORE SERVING: Preheat broiler; place cannelloni 4-5 inches from heat and broil for 10 minutes or until sauce bubbles and top browns. If you'll be making lasagna, bake in a 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the top is browned a bit.
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