NOUILLES

Nouilles Aa Djeij or Nouilles with Chicken gratin : This dish is a mixture of pasta and chicken with an amazing creamy white sauce. I don’t know why it’s called nouilles Aa djeij it’s a mixture of french and Lebanese, I guess this recipe passed with years until I started preparing it myself and gave it my distinctive creamy taste which already mixed with the flavor of chicken stock

I remember When my kids were young , as soon as they knew the lunch was nouilles with chicken gratin They all say at the same time YUMMY!! I know Kids love pasta but this Lebanese dish was one of their favorites and now my grand children enjoy it too.

Prep. time: 45 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 7 to 8

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INGREDIENTS:

tagliatelle pasta one bag 500 gr.

chicken 2 breasts

6 cups of water

one onion

3 bay leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

11/2 tsp salt

200 grams fresh mushrooms or one can whole mushroom.

2 cups shredded mozzarella.

The sauce:

3 cups milk

one cup cooking cream

4 cups chicken broth

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp corn flour

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp white pepper

Preparation: Put the chicken in a deep large pot, add water then put it over high heat. When it stars boiling clean all the white froth that comes up. Change the water of the chicken after boiling for few minutes using around 6 to 7 cups of hot water. Add the onion after cutting it into pieces, the cinnamon sticks, the bay leaves and the salt. Let it cook for half an hour or until the chicken is well done. Set the chicken pieces aside and drain the broth then set aside. Now cook the pasta for 5 mins or as shown on the package, drain and keep aside also.

How to prepare the white sauce: in a large pot put 4 cups of broth, the milk, the cream, the butter, the flour, the corn flour, the salt and the pepper. boil over medium to low heat until it starts boiling and thickens.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the mushrooms very well and cut into slices. In a large oven pan put the pasta, the sauce, the mushrooms and the chicken after breaking them into pieces. Mix all the ingredients together in the pan then sprinkle the cheese all over the top. Bake for about 15 mins. or until it starts boiling then few mins. from the top until golden.

It is an easy and simple recipe, when you taste it, you will enjoy it to the last bite that's why it’s one of the preferable dishes for the majority of the Lebanese. Give it a try and you will prepare it again and again and Bon Appetit!!!