This easy Linguine Chicken Tetrazzini is a perfect East Side Mario's copycat with juicy chicken, delicious bruschetta and the creamiest sauce!
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How to make this recipe
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Grill or bake the chicken and slice it into bite-sized pieces.
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Make the bruschetta.
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Bake the mushrooms.
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Cook the pasta until it's al dente and then drain.
- Make the cream sauce then add the pasta, bruschetta, mushrooms and chicken.
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Toss to combine and cook until hot.
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Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts – chicken thighs will also work well in this recipe and may even offer a juicier cut of meat.
- Olive oil – any neutral oil can replace olive oil in this recipe. Some neutral oils you can use are avocado oil, sunflower oil and canola oil.
- Button mushrooms – in a pinch, chopped up cremini mushrooms will also work well in this recipe.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic, garlic powder or garlic paste can be used in this recipe.
- Butter – replace the butter with any butter substitute or a neutral oil.
- Flour – cornstarch, rice flour or potato starch can also be used to thicken the sauce.
- Milk – use any milk variety of your choice. Substitute with a nondairy milk if that’s all you have on hand.
- Heavy cream – half and half will also work well in this recipe or extra milk with added butter.
- Parmesan cheese – shredded parmesan cheese is preferred for this recipe.
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- Linguine – another pasta noodle that can be used is fettuccine, tagliatelle or a spaghetti noddle if you’re in a pinch.
- Parsley (to garnish)
Bruschetta
- Plum tomatoes – cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes or an heirloom tomato will also work to create your bruschetta.
- Olive oil – another neutral oil can be used in place of olive oil if necessary.
- Balsamic vinegar – red wine vinegar, lemon/lime juice, or caramelized red wine vinegar can be used in place of balsamic vinegar.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic.
- Basil – fresh basil leaves are best but dried basil will also work. Feel free to leave this out if you’re in a pinch.
- Salt (to taste)
What is chicken tetrazzini?
Chicken tetrazzini is a delicious pasta dish made with chicken, roasted mushrooms and a creamy buttery sauce. This recipe is a copycat version of the linguine chicken tetrazzini East Side Mario's is famous for.
What to serve with chicken tetrazzini
Because this dish is heavier, I like to serve it with a side salad for some added greens and veggies. If you're going for ultimate comfort food, you can also serve some garlic bread on the side!
Storing and reheating
To store this dish, keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. This dish will last in the fridge for up to 5 days making it an amazing meal prep option for your weekly lunches/dinners! Store your leftovers together in one container or in individual servings in a few containers for reheating. To reheat, heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
Freezing this dish
If you have a lot of leftovers, or want to prepare a freezer meal for a busy day, you can freeze this tetrazzini for up to three months in an airtight container. When the dish has cooled down completely, transfer it into airtight containers as individual servings. Storing the pasta as individual servings makes this dish much easier to reheat and enjoy.
To reheat from frozen, bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F or microwave on high for 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, move the dish to the fridge the night before to thaw and then microwave for 1-2 minutes until fully warmed.
More delicious pasta recipes
Meal prep tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this pasta into meal prep.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
The Creamiest Linguine Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 16 oz small button mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 375 g linguine
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
Bruschetta
- 4 plum tomatoes, deseeded and diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat grill to med-high. Add chicken and grill for 7-8 min per side. If not using BBQ, preheat oven to 425 F. Place chicken in a small oven-safe dish and cook in oven for 20 min. Once chicken is cooked, let cool then slice across the grain into bite-sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, make bruschetta by mixing all ingredients under the bruschetta heading together.
- Preheat oven to 450 F and toss olive oil, mushrooms, garlic and a little bit of salt and pepper in a large bowl. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 min, stirring every so often. Mushrooms can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Cook pasta for 8-9 minutes until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add flour and whisk to combine. Slowly stir in milk, whisking along the way. Add cream and stir. Wait until mixture comes just to a boil, then add cheese, salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta, and add to cream sauce. Add bruschetta, garlic roasted mushrooms, and sliced chicken, tossing to combine. Cook mixture for another 3-4 min until all ingredients are hot. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Natasha @ Salt & Lavender says
I loooove creamy pasta dishes. And I’ve been meaning to make chicken tetrazzini at home for a while now, I guess you beat me to it! I’ve been eating really healthy the last few days, and I’m feeling pretty hungry right now. These photos aren’t helping. *whimper* Lol re: the TV dinners thing. I can relate to pre-packaged foods being off-limits as a kid. That made me laugh!
Taylor Stinson says
Lmaooooo I’m so glad someone else feels me on the TV dinners!!! Nowadays I still eat the Loblaws PC Blue Menu ones every now and then…And yes this pasta is crazy good but I don’t even wanna know the calories hehe
Lee-Anne Thornton says
Yummy! It was a lot of work to make but totally worth it. I wasn’t sure what size box of pasta to use. I had the small box of linguine and it was perfect. I also added 1 cup of milk and the 2 cups cream. The instructions say milk and cream but the ingredients just say cream. It seemed to work. This is delicious and I will be adding this to my collection of recipes for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Lee-Anne! I’m so happy this turned out for you! 🙂 This is definitely one of my older and more involved recipes but it’s such a good treat meal for a weekend in! I’ve updated the recipe based on your feedback on timing and the pasta box size (I used a 375g box of Catelli linguine) I’ve also fixed it to read 1 cup of milk and 2 cups of cream (that’s actually exactly it so good guess and I apologize for the unclear directions). So glad you liked this recipe!
Emma says
THIS IS THE BEST TETRAZINI RECIPE I HAVE EVER MADE (it tastes just like East aside Mario’s!) 10/10 would HIGHLY recommend. Wasn’t too much work (took about an hour or so) and super delicious!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Emma!!! This is definitely one of my favourite recipes to indulge in for a special occasion! I find East Side Mario’s doesn’t serve enough toppings so I just do it myself hahah. Glad to hear you loved it!
Ethel Anderson says
This recipe is awesome, even better than East Side Mario’s. I followed the recipe as is and it’s perfect. I will be making this again.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you liked it Ethel!!! Thanks for sharing with me 🙂
Lisa Bourque says
I’ve made this dish several times following this recipie. I have used the brand summer fresh bruschetta mix mid week to make it even faster. This recipie never disappoints. The whole family loves it! Amazing! Tastes better than East Side Mario’s
Cariann says
When do u add the 2 cloves of garlic?
Taylor Stinson says
You add it with the mushrooms, it states that in the recipe. Wondering if you missed it!
Terry says
In fact this dish is the only thing I’ve ever ordered at East side Marios. This is spot on. I usually just use knorr Alfredo sauce because of convenience. Thanks so much for posting this!!! I never comment but this is exceptional.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Terry 🙂 It’s one of my faves too, you’re reminding me I have to make it again soon!
Cindy Eaton says
This is amazing! The whole family loved it, this is the only thing I order from east sides as well. 👍👍 for this recipe
Em says
Back in my university days (I won’t say how long ago….) this was my go-to order at East Side Marios when we went off campus to use our flexible meal plan money. I was having SUCH a craving for it and found this recipe via google. It was exactly what I was hoping for! So much nostalgia packed into this dish. A bit involved to make but so worth it (and my kids loved it too). Thanks so much for this, I’m glad I can now recreate this old favourite when I get that craving!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed!! I know, it’s a bit more work than most of my recipes but it’s worth the craving haha. So happy I could be of assistance 🙂
Katie says
I am not one to ever leave reviews but I had to for this one!! My favourite dish at East Mario’s Side is the Linguine Chicken Tettrazini!! This recipe is just as good, if not better then East Side’s!! It has become one of my favourite dishes to make and the kids love it!! It’s SOOOOOOO delicious!!!!!