3 Cheese Chicken Cavatappi will have your family feeling like they are eating at a restaurant. Creamy, cheesy pasta topped with grilled chicken and bruschetta. It will be a family favorite!
This is a copycat recipe for the popular dish by the same name served at Applebee’s. Now, I’m not one to frequent a lot of chain restaurants. I prefer to explore more interesting local restaurants wherever I go. But Applebee’s is a huge American restaurant chain and it’s popular for a reason. This pasta dish is killer. Cheesy spiral pasta topped with grilled chicken and a fresh bruschetta? Ya, how can that not be absolutely delicious?
Can I use a different pasta besides cavatappi?
Cavatappi is the pasta of choice in this recipe. If you can’t find it, no worries. You can also substitute penne, or even elbow noodles. Cavatappi is not only fun to use, but it’s also functional as it helps the sauce cling to the pasta.
PRO TIP: The bruschetta on this recipe is a must make. It adds a fresh element to an otherwise heavy dish. If you have any leftover you could eat it on some toasted bread. Yes, it’s a real bruschetta and it’s divine!
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Italian style dinner recipes:
- Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Best Chicken Parmesan Recipe
- Authentic Cacio e Pepe
- Italian Meat Stromboli
Watch the video below where we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.
This was very good! I found the bruschetta lacking flavor so I added a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten it up. For the cheese I used an Italian blend. My family loved it and want me to add it to the menu rotation.
1593 Calories! Better make this a special occasion or the whole day’s food allotment :-). I may try it if I can trim it some – perhaps evaporated milk and less cheese would help. Your recipes are always so tempting, Rachel!
I was looking for a recipe similar to the three cheese chicken cavatappi dish from applebee’s and this was perfect. Didn’t have white pepper so I used normal, could not find basil so I used cilantro, and could not find provolone so I doubled the parmesan but it still tasted a lot like applebee’s, very tasty! Also, I know a lot of people said they could do without the bruschetta but it is a must for me!
I have a family member who loves this dish from Applebee’s. This recipe seemed easy enough to make (anything under 30-minutes from start to table is easy (in my book)). Tasted great and family says, “it’s a keeper!”
Thanks for this Rachel. Very easy to make, and satisfying. My wife and love it. She suggested that shrimp might be a good alternative to the chicken, although I’m thinking without the bruschetta…
This dish is Amazing ? I tweaked it a little since I didn’t have some ingredients. Substituted pesto for the fresh basil, and used Muenster cheese for the provolone, and used a roasted garlic seasoning for the chicken ? Rating it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!
this video made my day,,,,thank for such a delicious recipe..
I made this for my family this week. They loved it, except for the bruschetta, but that wasn’t a problem because we just left it to the side. My three daughters all said they would definitely eat it again, and that is a compliment, I can assure you! Thanks for the great recipe.
Excellent recipe! Easy to make and delicious for kids and adults.