Chicken Tetrazzini is a simple, yummy meal the whole family will enjoy! It’s so flavorful and filling too!
We love pasta at our house, and I appreciate that it is so easy to open a can of sauce, cook some noodles and combine the two for the easiest meal ever. But sometimes I like to switch things up with a simple homemade cheese sauce, some chicken, mushrooms, green chiles or green peppers. It’s a totally satisfying dish that’s unbelievably tasty!
Actually I have a funny story about this one. This is a family recipe, so I grew up eating it and looking forward to dinner every time it was on the menu. After just getting married, my cooking struggled a little. I think it was because I was so distracted with my duties at work and as a full time college student. Life was crazy!
When I actually took the time to make dinner, my mind was in a million places and it was difficult to focus on putting that meal on the table rather than on an assignment that was due tomorrow or a midterm exam that I had next week.
So one evening I decided to make Chicken Tetrazzini and everything went really well up until the point that I forgot to set the timer when I put it in the oven to bake. When I finally pulled it out, it was bone dry and the noodles could easily break. It was bad!
I was nearly in tears because I’d just ruined dinner, when we were still in the “impress your spouse stage” and I wanted to be the ideal wife and homemaker. Well my dear husband didn’t murmur a word of complaint, but, without even thinking, proceeded to use his glass of milk to moisten his helping. I won’t go into any details, but I didn’t appreciate his response to the situation and let him have it. 🙂
Now, whenever we eat Chicken Tetrazzini, we chuckle and reminisce about our newlywed days when I took it personally that something had to be done to my flop of a meal in order to make it edible. Ha! Good times and fun memories.
{CHICKEN TETRAZZINI}
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. chopped green pepper or 1 small can green chiles
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 c. water
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese, I use Monterey Jack
8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
12 Ritz crackers, crushed for sprinkling on top (optional)
In a large pan over medium-high heat on the stove top, melt butter with garlic and saute pepper or chiles and mushrooms in it. In a separate bowl add flour, salt, pepper, bouillon and stir. Add milk and water to flour mixture and whisk until completely combined and no lumps remain. Add liquid to pan and cook, while stirring, until mixture is thick and bubbly. Add chicken, noodles and cheese and stir until cheese is fully melted. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15-17 minutes. Don’t over bake or it will lose its moistness and flavor.
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Chicken Tetrazzini has always been a family favorite dish that we won’t soon forget the underlying story that’s attached.
I hope you enjoy this incredible dish. Just don’t over-bake it. 🙂
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