This delicious Chicken Tetrazzini recipe the epitome of comfort food, made easily from scratch, and a meal that will please the pickiest eaters.
Looking for more pasta dishes? Try Shrimp Linguine, Manicotti, or Baked Mac and Cheese!
Why I love this recipe:
- Nostalgia: My mom often made us chicken tetrazzini and in those times you crave a mild, comforting baked casserole, this Chicken Tetrazzini fits the bill. Spaghetti noodles tossed in a creamy, cheesy white sauce and baked.
- From Scratch: So many recipes online use canned soups but this easy homemade version uses basic pantry ingredients, sautéed mushrooms (which I LOVE, but you can leave out), and a little bit of white wine for flavor.
- Use Leftover Meat: This is one of my favorite recipes to make if I have extra cooked (or rotisserie) chicken or turkey leftover in the fridge.
How to make Chicken Tetrazzini:
Sauté Mushrooms (Optional): Add butter to dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once melted, add mushrooms, spreading them apart into an even layer. Sauté for several minutes on medium high heat, then turn and cook on the other side for a few minutes.
Add Veggies: Toss in celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in ¼ cup white wine to deglaze the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove contents to a bowl and set aside.
Make Roux: Add remaining ¼ cup butter to the pan and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Make Sauce: Gradually stir in milk and chicken broth until smooth. Season with chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, and paprika. Once sauce begins to slightly thicken, remove from heat.
Combine: Stir in ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Stir in sautéed vegetables. Add cooked noodles, cooked chicken and parsley and use tongs to toss and coat everything in sauce.
Bake and Serve: Pour into a casserole dish and smooth into an even layer. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Serve this easy Chicken Tetrazzini with a green or wedge salad or roasted vegetables and a breadstick.
Recipe Variations:
- Pasta: Use whole wheat spaghetti, or your favorite kind of pasta.
- Turkey Tetrazzini: Turkey is slightly leaner than chicken, though both are thought of as leaner types of meat. I love to toss in leftover chicken and turkey in this easy meal.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Sauté the vegetables and cook the sauce. Store the sauce and cooked pasta separately in the fridge, and then combine when ready to bake.
To Freeze: The compiled casserole may be frozen, but it wont be very “saucy” after baking, since the pasta will have soaked up some of the sauce. Thaw completely before baking.
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Recipe
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine noodles ,(or sub spaghetti or angel hair)
- 8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms , or button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
- ½ cup butter , divided
- ½ of a yellow onion , diced
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste , or one cube
- 1/2 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese , divided
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese , divided
- 1 ½ cups cooked chicken , chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside
- Saute veggies: Add butter to dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once melted, add mushrooms, spreading them apart into an even layer. Sauté for several minutes on medium high heat, then turn and cook on the other side for a few minutes. Add celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup white wine to deglaze the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove contents to a bowl and set aside.
- Make sauce: Add remaining ¼ cup butter to the pan and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk and chicken broth until smooth. Season with chicken bouillon, season salt, pepper, and paprika. Once sauce begins to slightly thicken, remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Combine: Stir in ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Stir in sautéed vegetables. Add noodles, cooked chicken and parsley and use tongs to toss and coat everything in sauce.
- Bake: Pour into casserole dish and smooth into an even layer. Top with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2013. Updated August 2019 and March 2023.
My updated recipe reflects how I make this recipe now, using white wine and higher quality ingredients. If you’re interested in the old recipe using canned cream of mushroom soup, here it is:
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup or homemade recipe
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
- 8 ounces thin spaghetti
- 1 cup fresh spinach (optional)
- Salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl: cream of mushroom soup, sour cream and chicken broth.
Cook noodles according to package instructions, just until al dente. If using spinach, add the fresh spinach leaves to the pot of boiling water and pasta right when it’s done cooking. Stir them in to allow them to wilt and then drain everything into a colander.
Add the pasta to the bowl with the sauce and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken and ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Pour mixture into an 8” (or similar size) baking pan. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Made it w/ canned GF soup & GF spaghetti. Added 1/2 c chopped green onions & 1 tblsp GF soy sauce. Very good.
How can a recipe containing canned soup be ‘from scratch’? Canned ‘cream’ soup is mainly chemical flavors,water and flour. As soon as I see this ingredient I switch off.
There is a link to Lauren’s from scratch cream of anything soup. We highly recommend using that recipe because things do tastes better from scratch!
I thought the first comment was very rude, every recipe you post is from scratch and delicious! I tell everyone about your website 😊
Can you freeze leftovers?
It would be best to freeze it prior to baking!
This was so easy to make and so yummy!! Doubled it and made it lactose friendlier by making our own cream of mushroom soup with lactose free milk and subbed Greek yogurt for the sour cream. My toddler and husband loved it – thanks for sharing this recipe!
Excellent! I used the canned soup as I was short on time, but I’m looking forward to making it homemade as shown. I did add some garlic, mushrooms and red onion as I like them and figured it couldn’t go wrong. I impromptuly took it over and shared it for dinner with my neighbors as we social distance together. It was a big hit! ( and ALL gone)! Thank you
Outstanding recipe! I will definitely make this again and again. Thanks so much!
Easy and inexpensive (used rotisserie chicken). Definitely double batch. Ten year old and six year old sons love it, (six year old is very picky so that was nice). I’m more of a fan of tomato based pasta dishes but this was overall a very good recipe.
Can this casserole be put together in the morning, then refrigerated and baked off
later that day for dinner? Or does it have to be bake right after you make the casserole?
Thanks.
That would be fine 🙂 Enjoy!
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your recipes! I have made a few now, and they never disappoint…this one included!! And I love that you give a recipe for homemade condensed soup as this isn’t something I would normally buy. Keep up the great work!! 🙂
That is so nice of you and means so much to me! Thank you Hauna.
Cream of mushroom from a can is hardly “from scratch”. Next…..
You must have missed the link for the “from scratch” recipe for cream of mushroom soup (find recipe link above). That way people who want it made from scratch can make it, and those that want an easy version can use the can.
How rude 😡
You just HAD to say SOMETHING, right??? Please do yourself a favor and get a hobby instead of spending your time LOOKING FOR something negative to comment!!!!! Aight “Doc”?!?!?