On a brisk fall day, enjoying the cooler weather, and blue skies, I was thinking about what to serve for dinner. A dish that would use leftover rotisserie chicken, and complement the vegetable medley from our garden that I was serving. As I looked through my blog and recipes I realized I hadn’t posted my Chicken Tetrazzini recipe. How did it slip through without a post to my collection? Well, here is the recipe at last!

Since we’re all trying to be more economical with our meals these days, this is one more dish you can make with leftover rotisserie chicken. Yes! And there are just three major steps to the recipe; make the sauce, and saute the vegetables, combine everything together and bake.

To address the pasta type to use in Chicken Tetrazzini, truly you could use any type. Traditionally, linguini is used, but feel free to use whatever pasta you like. I’ve made it using pappardelle, and even small shells or penne. The key to a great tasting Chicken Tetrazzini is in the bechamel sauce.

And just in case you were wondering what Tetrazzini means…

Tetrazzini is an American dish made with diced poultry and mushroom in a butter/cream and cheese sauce flavored with wine. This dish dates back to the early 1900s and was supposedly named after the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. There is some debate about the origin, but Good Housekeeping published the earliest description of turkey tetrazzini in 1908.

Oh by the way, I didn’t add mushrooms to my recipe today, mostly because I didn’t have any on hand when I was making it. Add them if you like.

I added a dash of nutmeg to the bechamel sauce. It adds a nice subtle flavor to the sauce.

Garlic and onions sauteeing in wine. Off camera, the cook is sipping a glass of wine just to make sure it is good. 🙂

Combining cooked linguini with chicken and onion/garlic mixture.

Add the bechamel sauce and mix it together.

Dot with shredded parsley.

Cover with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Crusty topping mixed with creamy sauced chicken and pasta – a delight!

Linguini Or Fettuccine? It's Chicken Tetrazzini!

Yields 4

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Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
Swirl of olive oil in the pan
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2-1 cup chicken broth
Dash of nutmeg
Chicken mixture:
2 cups chicken, precooked or rotisserie
1 small pat of butter
Swirl of olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup wine
Few sprigs of thyme
few sprigs of flat leaf parsley, torn or chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Pasta:
2-3 cups linguini, cooked
Topping:
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Optional: 2 tablespoons butter, dotted on top

Instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with cooking oil.
Bechamel Sauce:
In a medium-large frypan swirl a generous amount of olive oil and add butter to melt.
Sprinkle flour in the pan and whisk to soak up the oil and butter and cook the flour.
Whisk in milk, cream, and chicken broth, until smooth and sauce begins to thicken. Sprinkle with a dash of nutmeg and set aside.
Chicken Mixture:
In a medium frypan swirl a generous amount of olive oil and a part of butter. Once butter has melted, add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes.
Add wine and thyme. Saute until wine has almost evaporated.
Shred chicken and add to the onions. Add cooked pasta to the pan.
Pour bechamel sauce over chicken and pasta mixture and mix to coat well.
Assemble & Bake:
Place the chicken and pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle parsley on top.
Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on baking dish over chicken and pasta. Dot with butter (optional)
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bread crumb mixture has browned.

Notes

Optional: add 1 cup chopped mushrooms to the step where you saute onions.

https://christinasfoodandtravel.com/linguini-or-fettuccine-its-chicken-tetrazzini/