Chicken Tetrazzini is creamy, cheesy, and satisfying. This easy pasta dish has tender chicken and spaghetti baked in an easy cheesy cream sauce.
A handful of add-ins make this casserole flavorful and delicious, the perfect way to enjoy rotisserie or leftover chicken!
What is Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Tetrazzini is said to be named after a famous Italian soprano. Whether the story is true or not, this casserole will give everyone who eats it something to sing about!
It’s simple to make (from scratch), and so versatile for any occasion. In a rush? Just drizzle the sauce over spaghetti and serve right away without baking. It’s a breeze to pull this recipe off!
Ingredients & Variations
CHICKEN
Use rotisserie chicken, baked chicken breasts, or even thighs. Shredded chicken makes for terrific flavor, but it’s just fine to chop it into larger chunks if preferred.
SAUCE
Anyone who has ever sauteed butter with mushrooms and onions knows it’s a winning combination. This starts with a roux which only gets better with the addition of white wine, cream, garlic, and Italian seasoning!
No Wine? No Problem! If you don’t have white wine or sherry on hand, use extra broth or even water, alone or mixed with a bouillon cube.
VEGGIES
It’s OK to sub canned mushrooms for fresh, if necessary. Just drain well and saute with onions. Not a fan of peas? No problem, leave them out.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
Don’t let the fancy name fool you, Chicken Tetrazzini is a cinch to make! Just a few steps and a delicious dinner will be in the oven!
- Preheat oven and cook pasta.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce according to recipe instructions below.
- Toss the two together with chicken, add a sprinkle of cheese and bake until bubbly.
Feel free to add favorite toppings like fried onions or chopped parsley!
Tips for Making Casseroles
- Be sure to undercook the pasta (al dente) so that it stays firm while it’s baking in the sauce.
- Use only pre-cooked chicken. This casserole isn’t going to be the oven long enough to cook raw chicken.
- No cooked chicken on hand? Just poach breasts in boiling water for 20 minutes while prepping the other ingredients. Cool in the freezer for a few minutes before chopping or shredding.
- This dish can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and baked before serving. If baking chilled from the fridge, cook time will need to be increased.
- Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
More Creamy Casseroles
More Creamy Casseroles- Poppy Seed Chicken
- Cheesy Chicken Casserole
- Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole
- Easy Tuna Casserole
- Chicken Broccoli Casserole
- Homemade Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti or linguine
- 2 cups chicken cooked shredded
- ½ cup frozen peas defrosted, optional
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion diced
- ½ pound mushrooms sliced
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 ⅓ cups chicken broth reduced sodium
- ½ cup white wine or extra chicken broth
- 1 ⅓ cups light cream or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Stir in mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth, wine, cream and seasonings. Stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Add cream cheese and stir until smooth and melted.
- Combine pasta, sauce, veggies, cooked chicken and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Spread into a 2qt casserole dish, cover and bake 20 minutes.
- Uncover, top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Bake 10-15 minutes more or until casserole is hot and cheese is melted.
Notes
Peas can be omitted or replaced with asparagus.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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loved it, I didn’t have fresh mushrooms so I did canned. perfect!
Love this recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Just looking at the ingredients excited me.
It is great recipe my husband are 3helping
Next time I will not be adding the thyme,
So glad you enjoyed it.
Love this recipe! Thank you! I think I will double the sauce next time. Maybe. Really delicious and fun! I did broil for 1 minute at the end for a golden brown.
I made this today 1/4/2021. I’ve never made this. I used asparagus instead of peas. It’s delicious!
First time I made this dish and it did not disappoint! Easy and delicious. Definitely will make again!
Wonderful recipe!
Made this last night for a birthday celebration. Was a hit! the Birthday boy, 30 yo, had 3rds! So did the 9yo and the 6 yo. Typically, the 4yo wouldn’t touch it, she’s picky.
Followed the suggestion of doubling the sauce, used 16 oz of linguine, and subbed dry sherry for the white wine. Will cut back a little on the sherry next time. Definitely a keeper!
So happy they enjoyed it Sally! Happy Belated Birthday to the birthday boy!
Doubled the sauce and added fresh spinach instead of peas
This is an absolutely delicious recipe! I agree with some comments about needing to double the sauce, though. I will do that the next time I make this dish because the sauce is the best I’ve ever had, and more sauce is never a bad thing, right? I now will use this sauce for the base of a few other recipes I have.
Great recipe. We added bacon and I didnt have enough mozz cheese on hand so I augmented with shredded parm. Next time I might add broccoli. It was yummy and I’ll freeze the leftovers.
Broccoli would be a great addition!
I made this last night. This was amazing. I did not add peas> doubled the ingredients for the sauce since pasta seems to absorb the sauce. It can out amazing. I will make this again.
Glad you enjoyed it Tracy! :)
I’m so happy that I made my first gluten-free bechamel for this recipe. Overall, though, it would not have fit into two 2-quart casseroles. I filled my 9X13 casserole with it. I would add more chicken and peas next time, as well as salt and pepper (it was a little bland). But overall I loved it and will make again with changes.
I made this and it was chalky , wasted some pretty expensive ingredients
Oh no Mary, how disappointing! A chalky or floury flavor can come from not cooking the flour long enough when making the sauce in step 4. Once the flour is added to the butter, cooking for at least one minute will get rid of the floury flavor. I hope that helps.
Not a fan of mushrooms is there a substitution or will it have enough flavor if I omit them?
I’ve only tried this as written although I do think you could leave them out in this recipe. It will change the flavor slightly but still be delicious. You could also try a little bit of eggplant or zucchini in place. Let us know how it goes!
Looks wonderful
It was very good I did it with pork and I add with the onion 1 fresh garlic. Next time I will do it with chicken. Thank you.
This sounds yummy. I hope to make this soon.