Chicken Tetrazzini

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Our easy Chicken Tetrazzini recipe has pasta, chicken, veggies, and mushrooms in a creamy from-scratch sauce.

Chicken Tetrazzini is my kind of casserole.

I grew up eating my mom's chicken tetrazzini–it's a quick casserole that feels special. The homemade sauce really makes a difference here; it's easy and delicious, nothing like the canned-soup versions. Plus, it's one of the best ways I know to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or holiday turkey.

Don't miss my other pasta dishes, like Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi, Crock Pot Baked Ziti, Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, and Swedish Meatballs.

How to make Chicken Tetrazzini:

Sauté Mushrooms (Optional): Melt butter in dutch oven then add mushrooms, spreading them into an even layer. Sauté for several minutes, cooking on both sides.

Add Veggies and Make sauce: Cook celery and onion, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes then stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in white wine and stir to deglaze the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Scoop the veggies out and set aside. Make a roux by melting butter in a pan then stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Finish Sauce: Stir in milk and chicken broth while whisking. Season with chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, and paprika. Once it begins to thicken slightly, remove from heat. Stir in ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Dump in sautéed vegetables, noodles, chicken, and parsley and use tongs to toss and coat everything in the sauce.

Bake and Serve: Pour pasta mixture in casserole dish, smoothing it into an even layer. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses then bake at 375°F for 25 minutes. Serve with a wedge salad, breadsticks, or garlic knots!

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Chicken Tetrazzini

Author: Lauren Allen

This creamy Chicken Tetrazzini is the ultimate comfort food with tender pasta and chicken baked in a rich, cheesy sauce that's surprisingly easy to make from scratch. It's perfect for using up leftover rotisserie chicken and comes together in about an hour for a family dinner everyone will love.

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x?

• ▢ 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
  1 lb linguine noodles
• 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.
  8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, ½ cup butter, ½ of a yellow onion, 2 ribs celery, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup white wine
• 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.
  ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups milk, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, ½ teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt, ⅛ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 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.
  1 ½ cups cooked chicken, ⅓ cup fresh chopped parsley
• 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

Pasta: For a healthier version, use whole wheat spaghetti.

Turkey Tetrazzini: Sub cooked leftover turkey if you want.

Make Ahead Instructions: Sauté the vegetables and cook the sauce. Store the sauce and cooked pasta separately in the fridge, and then combine when ready to bake.

Freezing Instructions: The compiled casserole may be frozen for up to 3 months, but it wont be very “saucy” after baking, since the pasta will have soaked up some of the sauce. Thaw completely before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 658kcal, Carbohydrates: 69g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 738mg, Potassium: 613mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1125IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 308mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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I originally shared this recipe August 2013. Updated August 2019, March 2023 and February 2026.

My updated recipe reflects how I make this recipe now, with 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.