Instant Pot Chicken Tetrazzini

Instant Pot Chicken Tetrazzini - made April 4, 2020, modified from One Happy Housewife

Since I'm not baking as much as I used to, at least for now, and I can't run out and pick up takeout (confining myself at home and trying to only go out for my volunteer food bank shifts and grocery shopping which I try to do on the same days) whenever the urge arises, out of sheer survival, I've been cooking more.

Rotisserie Chicken

Layering in the noodles over the chicken

Adding the rest of the ingredients - do not stir

When I do go to Costco (trying to keep it to once a month), I snag a rotisserie chicken. For $5, it's a deal and sometimes, there's nothing better than that first juicy bite. Of course, after the next 10 bites and 3 meals of rotisserie chicken later, I have to admit, I get sick of it. There's only so much rotisserie chicken you can eat in a short amount of time. Yes, I  could strip the chicken from the bones and put it in the freezer but that just means I'll have it waiting for me later when I think I'm still sick of eating it. So I was pleased to find this recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Tetrazzini where I could easily use the rest of the rotisserie chicken to add to the noodles.

After cooking - still liquidy

add the cheese and let melt into the sauce

Thank goodness for the instant pot! As you know, I'm a big fan of putting "stuff" in a pot, closing it and letting it do its thing with very little involvement from me. This was no exception. I stripped all the rotisserie chicken off the bones, chopped it in to even-ish-sized pieces then layered in the ingredients.

toss the noodles in the sauce - still soupy while hot

After this finished cooking, at first it seemed too soupy and that I hadn't used enough noodles. But it does thicken up later so don't worry. Just serve up the noodles with a little sauce for the first meal. When I went back later to portion it out and put into single-serving containers, the sauce has thickened up considerably and was almost too thick.

This is a nice, easy and creamy pasta dish to make. The rotisserie chicken gives it some flavor. It's not as rich as an alfredo or carbonara sauce but is still plenty creamy. And tasty.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 pound dry spaghetti noodles
4 cups unsalted chicken stock

Cream sauce
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon (roasted chicken flavor)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Turn Instant Pot to saute mode and heat olive oil. Add shredded rotisserie chicken, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper and stir until hot. Cancel Saute setting.
2. Break dry spaghetti noodles in half and add to the pot, spreading evenly over chicken. Pour chicken stock over noodles; do not stir.
3. Prepare cream sauce: mix flour into heavy cream until fully dissolved. Add Better Than Bouillon, salt and lemon juice; mix until combined. Pour the milk into the cream sauce and whisk until combined. Pour cream sauce into instant pot; do not stir.
4. Seal Instant Pot and, with the pressure valve set to "sealing", set pot to Manual for 9 minutes. Once Instant Pot has completed its cycle, allow to naturally release for 2 minutes then move pressure seal to release.
5. Once Instant Pot is completely depressurized, remove lid and add mozzarella cheese. Stir and toss to coat pasta with sauce. Serve warm.