Creamy Baked Chicken Pasta

Last Updated on February 23, 2019 by Liza Hawkins

I love Tetrazzini. Chicken or turkey – it really doesn’t matter. Creamy pasta, crispy topping, rich sauteed mushrooms, all baked to delicious perfection – and even better the next day for lunch leftovers.

Yesterday after getting home from my daughter’s dance competition – we were in Baltimore, Md. for a night – I was craving some sort of comfort food, and I was exhausted. Yes, she did all the work, but after standing for 8 hours on the concrete floor of the convention center on Saturday, with awful food options, I was ready to collapse.

And eat really good food.

For whatever reason, I was craving Tetrazzini. Except – I forgot to add mushrooms to the grocery list, which means we had none.

Annnnnd, it’s kinda hard to make a traditional Tetrazzini without the mushrooms. {sad face}

But, that’s okay! There were some beautiful ripe cherry tomatoes in my last Hometown Harvest fixed bag, and I thought to myself:

Forget the Tetrazzini! Let’s just make a creamy baked chicken pasta dish, with fresh cherry tomatoes, sauteed onions + garlic and fresh herbs.

Doesn’t that look delicious, and fresh, and totally yummy?

It was.

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Yield: 4 to 6

Creamy Baked Chicken Pasta

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 stick of salted butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 8-ounces spaghetti

Instructions

Set a large pot of salted water to boil and preheat the oven to 450°F.

Heat 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a large, nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Once the butter has melted, add the chicken. Cook the chicken 4 minutes per side, or until it's cooked through. Remove the chicken to a paper towel, let it rest for 5 minutes, and then cut it into bite-sized pieces and toss them into a large bowl.

Add another tablespoon each of butter and olive oil to the large saute pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions. After 2 minutes, once the onions start to become soft, add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and continue sauteeing them for another 5 minutes, and then add them to the chicken in the large bowl.

Add the spaghetti to the boiling, salted water and cook it for 9 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, while the pasta's cooking, add 3 tablespoons of butter to the saute pan. Once it's melted, whisk in the flour and let it cook for 2 minutes, continuing to whisk. Pour the milk and chicken stock in all at once, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil - whisking frequently. Whisk in 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, then reduce the heat to keep the mixture simmering until it becomes thick and bubbly, whisking occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked spaghetti, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the sauce, 3/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes, green onions and parsley to the large bowl with the chicken. Toss it all together until the spaghetti is well-coated.

Add the pasta mixture to a buttered 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs and remaining cheese together, then sprinkle it on top. Add the remaining sliced cherry tomatoes, dot with 3 tablespoons of butter, then bake it for 20 minutes (or until the sauce is bubbly and the topping is golden brown). Let the creamy baked chicken pasta rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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