Garlic Lover's Chicken Tetrazzini

This is good comfort food "kicked up a notch". The directions appear lengthy, but not really difficult. This recipe is also very flexible; you can modify it to whatever your taste is. It can be "stick-to-your-ribs" with bacon and sour cream additions, or it can be elegant with white wine and fresh parsley. It has been in my family for some time, but never really written down. But this is a good "wing-it" kind of dish. Have fun with it!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  medium broiler-fryer chickens (whatever's on sale!) or 8  chicken parts (whatever's on sale!)
• 1 (10 1/2ounce) can  cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 1/2ounce) can  cream of mushroom soup
• 2  cups  chicken stock, from cooked meat or 2  cups canned chicken broth
• 2  cups  grated colby cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package  sliced mushrooms
• 2  tablespoons butter, for sauteing
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  minced garlic
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti or 1 (16 ounce) package angel hair pasta
•  salt and pepper
•  garlic salt (about 4 Tbs. is what I use)
•  paprika (garnish) (optional)
•  parsley (garnish) (optional)
•  bacon bits (garnish) (optional)
•  sour cream (garnish) (optional)

Directions

1. Place chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water (about 3/4 pot full).
2. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and let chicken simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is done.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a plate to cool (approx. 20-30 minutes).
4. When cooled, skin and debone, placing chicken meat in a bowl for later.
5. Remove 1 cup broth from pot and set aside for later.
6. Do not discard the rest of the broth; will use later to boil the noodles for extra flavor.
7. While chicken is boiling, melt butter in saute pan and add minced garlic.
8. Let it saute for just a minute or so, then add mushrooms.
9. If you like you can add a splash of white wine here for a special taste.
10. Cook mushrooms until tender and set aside for later.
11. The above steps can be done ahead of time and kept in refrigerator for assembly the day of the meal.
12. Next, in a separate bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, and 1 cup of broth -- Stir together until blended.
13. Bring remaining broth to a boil once again and place the pasta in the boiling water (Add a bit of water if you need to).
14. When the noodles are cooked, drain, and put back in the pot.
15. Now, add in the rest of the ingredients, except for garnish: chicken meat, mushrooms, soup mixture, cheese, and seasonings (to your liking).
16. Mix well and pour into a greased deep/large casserole dish.
17. The size of the dish depends on how much chicken you use and thicker noodles vs. thinner noodles, but generally a 9x13 dish is sufficient.
18. You can also put some of the mix, if there is too much, in a freezer-safe container to save for a quick dinner later on.
19. Sprinkle with your garnish, and bake covered in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.
20. Serve with sour cream on the side for a very creamy version of this entree.