Chicken & Wild Mushroom Casserole with Porcini Bechamel Sauce

One of my favorite Muppet characters growing up was the Swedish Chef. Like me, he is up for anything, always hungry, and one happy little utensil tossing dude.  I have discovered the secret to his happiness - he knew not to make Bechamel Sauce in a flipping pot. You might be wondering what in the heck a Bechamel Sauce is (I know I was since I have never done one before). It is one of the five French 'Mother Sauces that requires some attention, patience, and the correct cooking vessel.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 600 calorie servings ~ 23 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 45 minutes to make);

• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 5 Ounces Curly Egg Noodles
• 7 Ounces White Button Mushrooms
• 1 Bunch Curly Kale
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Bunch Thyme
• 4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Ounce Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. Couple of things that might help your experience;

• I read online that a couple of folks added butter to the sauce to make it creamy. I didn't do this tonight but, I can see where one might elect to do so.
• Remember that stainless steel wok I used the other night to make the "Paella", I should have used it again to cook the veggies, kale, and chicken (it would have been a lot less messy).
• I kept more than 1 cup of the porcini water and I am that much happier for it. Trust me, use at least 1.5 cups and you will join me in a blissful state.
• To make the Bechamel, the instructions tell you to use the same pot that you used to cook the pasta. This is the idea of a lunatic, who should be kicked in his nards, and should be ignored. I damn near burned the whole damn thing as you cannot get your whisk into the corners of the pot mix everything. I saved it thanks to pulling the affair from the heat and using a fork. Next time I need to make a sauce like this, I will either use my 8 inch skillet or, better yet, I will buy a Saucier. Then I will put it in a pot to combine everything prior to going into the baking dish.

If you had told us six months ago that we would fix a dinner with not one but, two types of mushrooms, I would have laughed in your face. Here we are though, the dinner dishes are done and we loved this.  The effort (and lessons learned along the way) were worth it and this is a meal that we will enjoy another night.