This Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe is a comforting, supremely creamy, and cheesy pasta bake loaded with tender chicken and plump mushrooms. This meal is a crowd-favorite casserole dish perfect for casual family dinners, holiday potluck parties, bringing a meal to a new mother, and every occasion in between. Watch the video below to see how simple it is!
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Helpful Reader Review
“Excellent recipe! Creamy and cheesy in perfect combination also simple to put together makes it a winner” – Janet ★★★★★
Easy Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
Classic chicken tetrazzini has been around forever and for good reason! It’s ridiculously good, easy to prepare, kid-friendly and reheats well. It’s sometimes made with soup flavor packets or canned soup, but my friends, you don’t need those to make this flavorful meal. I based this winning recipe on my popular Chicken and Mushroom Casserole recipe. The simple ingredients add all the creamy delicious flavor, and it’s nice to know there aren’t any mystery ingredients in the dish.
When you bake this Chicken Tetrazzini pasta casserole, some of the sauce bakes into the pasta, the flavors marry and [!!BAM!!] something wonderful happens. You’ll know what I mean when you try it. P.S. you can further simplify this by using rotisserie chicken – You’re welcome ‘ma friends :).
This Chicken Tetrazzini is one of my most popular pasta dishes, along with my Cajun Chicken Pasta, American Goulash, and Lasagna.
Chicken Tetrazzini Video
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing, easy meal for dinner tonight, you’ll love this Chicken Tetrazzini! Watch how easily Natasha turns these simple ingredients into an incredibly creamy pasta casserole.
Ingredients for Chicken Tetrazzini
These ingredients for Chicken Tetrazzini are simple fridge and pantry staples that combine in the perfect way.
- Pasta – I’ve made this with linquine and thin spaghetti, but you I used thin spaghetti, but you can use your favorite noodles.
- Shredded chicken – I like using 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken to keep it simple, but you can cook the chicken breast (instructions below). Light or dark meat will work here.
- Mushrooms – White mushrooms are nice for their neutral color. Rinse (yes, it’s ok to rinse mushrooms for sauteeing) and dry the mushrooms, then slice thickly.
- Aromatics – onion and garlic add great flavor to the sauce.
- For the Roux – You’ll need butter and flour, which thicken the sauce.
- Chicken Broth – I opt for low-sodium chicken broth for tetrazzini. Regular chicken broth is ok, but go easy on the salt and add more to taste when making the sauce.
- To Build Flavor – salt, pepper, parsley, and lemon juice help brighten up the casserole.
- Half and Half – You can also make your own by substituting equal parts milk and heavy cream.
- Cheese – Mozzarella cheese is my favorite to use here. The cheese seals in the moisture in the casserole.
Pick the Correct Pasta
Skip the value-brand pasta or pasta that is mass-produced like Barilla for this recipe since it can absorb too much water and seem mushy or dry. Choose bronze-cut, higher-quality pasta made with hardier Durum wheat semolina flour that will stand up to baking (these are easily found in your grocery aisle, like De Cecco, Rustichella d’Abruzzo, Garofalo, Liguori, and others).
Variations for Chicken Tetrazzini
- Protein – swap leftover turkey, or even tuna for the baked chicken breast
- Veggies – You can easily substitute the mushrooms and dice up your favorite veggie to add with the onion. Try sauteed red peppers, steamed broccoli florets, artichoke hearts, fresh spinach, or frozen carrot/pea mix.
- Cheese – experiment with other cheeses like Havarti, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or pepper jack. Or you could add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
Traditionally, tetrazzini is made in a 13×9″ casserole dish, but it can also be done entirely using a Dutch oven so it can go from the stove to the oven saving you some dishes.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F and then grease your baking dish if using (9×13 baking dish, or two 9″ squares). **If cooking the chicken breasts instead of using rotisserie chicken, see my directions below for prepping the chicken.
- Cook Pasta in salted water until barely al dente. The pasta will continue to cook when in the oven, so don’t overcook it here. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the rest and set the pasta aside.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
Salting the pasta water is so important for taste, but also for texture. Well-salted pasta water should taste like the ocean (about 1 Tbsp for 4 quarts of water).
- Saute the veggies – Soften the mushrooms with some olive oil then add the onions and saute until golden (5 minutes). Finally, add garlic and cook another minute then transfer the mixture to a plate.
- Make the sauce in the same skillet as cooking the veggies. Melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking for 1-2 minutes to get rid of the flour taste. It should look golden and smell a bit nutty. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the chicken broth then lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Combine the Casserole – into the pot with the drained pasta, add chicken, veggies, pasta, sauce and stir together. I like to add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water for a creamier sauce. Spread into the buttered casserole and sprinkle with the cheese.
- Bake covered in foil or a lid in the oven for 20 minutes, and then remove the foil and cook another 15 minutes. For a crispier topping, broil for a minute or two. Serve!
Helpful Reader Review
“Made this tonight.Yum! Delish! Hubby and I both loved it. Put in 2 8×8 pans. Baked one froze other for another quick easy weekday meal“ – Karen ★★★★★
How to Cook Chicken Breast for Pasta Casseroles
It’s easy to substitute the rotisserie chicken in this chicken tetrazzini recipe for chopped chicken breast. You can use baked chicken breast or sautee 1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast. If the chicken breasts are very large, you can cut them in half crosswise for faster cooking.
- Add 1 Tbsp of oil in a large Dutch oven pot (I can use this same pot to make the veggies and sauce and cook the casserole- Easier cleanup!)
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken breasts and sautee about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through to 165˚F on a thermometer. Chop into 1″ pieces. Proceed to the recipe!
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
It’s simple to serve Chicken Tetrazzini ahead and also to store leftovers. This is one of my favorites to bring to friends or freeze for another night.
- Make-Ahead: Mix the casserole and place it in a freezer-safe, oven-safe dish, but don’t top it with cheese. Store in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 6 months. When ready to serve, thaw in the fridge overnight, top with cheese and cook. You may have to add a few minutes to the bake time.
- To Refrigerate: Allow leftovers to cool completely, then cover and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Cover and freeze cooled leftovers for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To Reheat: Place casserole covered in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through.
What to Serve with Chicken Tetrazzini
The best part about making casseroles is that they hit all the major food groups for a complete meal. Whip up this chicken tetrazzini recipe and include one of these quick side dishes for a filling and nutritious meal.
- Sourdough Bread
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Caesar Salad
- Maroulosalata – Greek Lettuce Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad
- Roasted Broccoli
- Tomato Cucumber Mozarella Salad
My Chicken Tetrazzini recipe will quickly become your favorite! It’s satisfying, easy to make, crowd-pleasing, and most importantly, creamy and cheesy. The pasta casserole is the perfect dish for family dinner, but travels well in a casserole dish to share with friends. Make this classic dish today!
Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken Tetrazzini:
- 12 oz linguine, or spaghetti*
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or diced, or cook 1.5 lbs of chicken breast*
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb button mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
For the Creamy Sauce:
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups half & half, or sub with equal parts milk & heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350˚F and butter a 9×13 Casserole dish.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water (it should taste like ocean water) and cook until barely al dente according to package instructions – do not overcook. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta, partially cover, and set aside.
- Saute the Veggies: Place a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add oil then add sliced mushrooms and sauté 3 min or until softened. Add diced onions and cook until onions are soft and golden, 5-7 min. Add minced garlic and sauté another 1 min until fragrant. Transfer to the cutting board with chicken.
- Make the Sauce: In the same pot, melt butter and whisk in flour until lightly golden (1 1/2 min). Slowly whisk in chicken broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add half and half and bring to a simmer. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine the Casserole: Into the pasta pot, add the chicken, mushrooms mixture, parsley, and all of your sauce. Stir to combine. You can add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to make it saucier then spread it evenly into your prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the top generously with mozzarella.
- To Bake: Cover with foil and bake at 350˚F for 20 min, then remove the lid and continue baking for 15 min. You can broil for the last 1-2 minutes to get some golden spots on top.
Notes
*To cook your own chicken: in your dutch oven or pot, add 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Season 1.5 lbs chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Saute chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (about 4 min per side). If chicken breasts are very large, cut them in half lengthwise for even cooking. Remove to cutting board to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Make Ahead and Storage
- Make Ahead – assemble the casserole, but cover and store in the fridge for 5 days or the freezer for up to 6 months before baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then add cheese and cook as directed.
- Leftovers – allow leftovers to cool completely, then cover and store in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Casserole Recipes
Casserole dishes like Chicken Tetrazzini are fantastic dishes to feed a family. You’ll love these great recipes:
- Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Baked Tilapia and Vegetable Casserole
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Green Bean Casserole
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Baked Ziti Recipe
- Meatballs Parmesan Casserole
- Chicken Orzo Bake
My family and I made this for thanksgiving and it was soooooooo good! We had it with cream of mushroom soup and grilled vegetables and they went perfectly together. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Aleeza! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi, Natasha
I am a big fan and need your help! Our church made thanksgiving dinner for our neighbors who are homeless last week. We have 7 lbs of slice turkey left and want to made tetrazzini this week. Can you help us with the appropriate amounts of ingredients. Thank YOU!
Hi Laura, I recommend using the recipe slider to adjust your ingredients on the printable recipe card. I hope that helps!
My daughter is having her first child in January. I want to make some cassoroles to freeze. How would she go about cooking this one from frozen?
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried freezing it yet, but one of my readers said it freezes well. I think it could work in the oven. I would only reheat from frozen if I were reheating in the oven, but it will take longer.
Hi Natasha. Not clear on your answer to Linda. Are you saying to defrost it and then reheat in the oven or cook from frozen? I would like to make this but break it down into freezable portions for just 2 people 🙂
Hi Phyllis, we haven’t tested this, but the recommendation is to cook from frozen.
When you make chicken tetrazzini can I use minced garlic and do I have to use fresh parsley
Hi Tammy, I imagine minced garlic should work well with this too
Thank you!!! I love chicken & pasta so I will enjoy your several recipes!!! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Joan! I’m glad you’re enjoying our recipes!
Made this the other day using leftover turkey thighs and the broth left over from turkey dinner. Absolutely a HIT! I froze it because of wanting to save it for another day and cooked it from frozen and it worked great! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re most welcome, Jane. I’m so happy to know that you loved this recipe!
Do you remember how long you cooked it in the oven from frozen? This is a great time saving idea
This looks absolutely amazing. Im sure a lot of the flavor comes from the mushrooms. I love the concept of this dish, but im not able to have mushrooms.
Is there anything else that can be subbed in for it and still have great flavor?
Hi Deven, I think the mushrooms add great flavor but one of my readers reported great results with adding frozen peas instead of the mushrooms. I hope you love it!
Natasha,
Do you happen to have a GF/Dairy Free version of this?
I will make as is for myself and husband, but my daughter has both the DF and GF allergies. Please let me know if there is something that will work. I saw that you said I could use the GF baking flour, but is there s substitute for the half & half?
Thanks!
Hi Patricia, I haven’t tried any dairy-free substitutions. If you experiment with good results, please let me know how it goes.
Hi Patricia, I haven’t tested this with gluten-free pasta but I think it would work with gluten-free baking flour and pasta. The all-purpose ones for baking seem to thicken like regular flour would and of course gluten-free noodles would work fine.
I use canned coconut milk instead of cream in a lot of recipes, with great results
I didn’t change a thing with this recipe, and I’m so glad. It was absolutely delicious. We are looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hello Cindy, I am so happy to know that you loved it! I hope this becomes a favorite for you, thanks for your awesome review!
Omg!!!! My family devoured it! I have 6 adult children living with me so I had to double it. I should have done 3x!!! Thanks for a great recipe.
Fantastic! So happy to read your comments and awesome feedback. Thank you so much!
Hi Natasha!
I’d love to try this with shrimp and crab meat. How much of each do you think would be good to add? We like plenty of meat but not overkill (if that makes sense!)
Thank you!
Crystal K.
Hi Crystal! To be honest I haven’t tested this recipe with shrimp to advise. If happy to test that I would love to know how you like that!
Can chicken tetrazzini be made ahead?
Hi Susie, One of our readers did report great results freezing this in individual serving containers, so it is a freezer-friendly dinner recipe!
Loved the recipe…thank u so much for sharing…It’s one of my husband’s favourite dishes and now it has become a family favourite….
That’s just awesome Anitha! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review with me!
I’m still getting compliments about this dish. Made exactly as directed and YUMM MM.
That’s so great! It is popular for good reason!
I made this last night and it was amazing! Natasha never disappoints! All my boys loved it! We still have so much left over how much time do you recommending reheating it in the oven??
Hi Monica, this recipe does reheats well, but as with any creamy pasta, I’d recommend reheating over low heat so it doesn’t scorch and so the fats do not separate from the cream. I don’t have a specific time recommendation without trying it myself. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
Another great recipe! So delicious. My husband’s checking out your recipes to see what we can make next. We enjoy watching your videos and cooking together and more importantly eating these fabulous meals together.
Super love it! Thank you so much for your excellent feedback, Jill. I hope you both will love every recipe that you will try from my website/videos.
Made this last night and absolutely loved it.
Thanks Natasha
You’re welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Has anyone ever made this with gluten free pasta?
Hi Kristin, I think it would work with gluten-free baking flour. The all-purpose ones for baking seem to thicken like regular flour would and of course gluten-free noodles would work fine.
I know this is a silly question, but what kind of pot do you cook your pasta in? I want one like that and am not sure of the size. Thanks again!! And we love all your recipes!
Hi Tracy, you can find our favorite tools and pots in our Blog Shop HERE & in our Amazon Shop HERE. Here’s the cast iron that I use Tracy.
I have been making chicken tetrazzini for 30 years. And it’s been good. But yours takes it to a whole new level! That sauce! Those mushrooms! What a wonderful confluence of flavors. I made it last night. Family is staying with us. There were leftovers. I immediately froze them and hid the containers in the back of the freezer. Yup. They were looking for them for lunch today! Too bad! Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed this recipe, Doris! Thank you for sharing this wonderful review with me!
When I make this,I use leftover turkey…..flavor is great, and add frozen greens peas, dry them off w paper towel before adding!
Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Sherry!