Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (2024)

HomeRecipe ListMain DishChicken Tetrazzini Recipe

Posted by Aimee 258 comments
Published: Jun 24, 2020 Last Updated: Sep 26, 2023

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Chicken Tetrazzini is a creamy, cheesy pasta dish that the whole family will love. Easy to make and freezer friendly, it’s a great casserole to share with friends.

Use up some leftover turkey breast and whip up a dish of this easy, cheesy Turkey Tetrazzini for the holidays!

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

  • Comfort Food for Dinner
  • Ingredient Notes
  • How to make Chicken Tetrazzini
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Recipe FAQs
  • More Easy Chicken Recipes
  • Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

Comfort Food for Dinner

All of my children have left the nest, and this Chicken Tetrazzini recipe is what they always request when they come home.

It’s delicious comfort food, a great recipe, and easy to make ahead of time too!

This is also one of those recipes I like to keep on hand for when I want to bring a family in need a hearty meal, or a new mom a dinner! It gets rave reviews, and I even made a video tutorial to show you how to make chicken tetrazzini!

This cheesy dish needs to happen in your kitchen. It makes a big 13×9 pan, but you can split it into two dishes (2qt or 8-inch square) and share it with a neighbor or friend in need!

This dish ALWAYS gets people asking for the recipe, and once you try it, you’ll understand why our family loved it!!

FAVORITE PASTA DINNERS: Penne Rosa | Pizza Stuffed Shells

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (2)

Ingredient Notes

  • Chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken- we love this easy shredded chicken recipe!
  • Cream of Chicken Soup- Every instinct is going to make you want to sub for something homemade and from scratch, but this is one of those times that comfort food wins, and the canned stuff just tastes better! (here’s our favorite homemade cream of chicken soup though)
  • Unsalted butter
  • Sour cream– or plain greek yogurt
  • Dry white wine– (or chicken broth)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Spaghetti noodles – can also use any other pasta of choice.
  • onions, garlic, and mushrooms optional

How to make Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (3)
  • Cook the chicken. You’ll want to start by baking chicken or using leftover turkey, rotisserie chicken, or leftover cooked chicken. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll boil some boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pot of water with salt and pepper to use in this cheesy dish!
  • Cook the pasta. Pick your favorite kind of pasta and cook it until al dente.

What is al dente pasta? It just means that the pasta is still slightly firm. Because you will be baking this dish, you don’t want your pasta too soft and mushy!

  • Combine Ingredients. While you are cooking pasta and chicken, combine the remaining ingredients in a very large bowl. Add your hot pasta and your cooked (diced) chicken to the bowl and mix until blended.
  • Assemble and Bake. Pour into a large 13×9 baking dish (or two smaller pans). Bake covered for about 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Make in Advance: Refrigerate and cover until ready to heat. If cooking from cold, add bake for one hour, then uncovered for 20 minutes. ENJOY.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (4)

Serving Suggestions

Chicken Tetrazzini is one of those easy dinner recipes that goes great with any green salad or garlic bread!

  • Easy, butteryBeer Breadrecipe to serve with dinner! Also great to cube into bite sized pieces and use for dips!
  • This deliciousSpinach and Bacon Saladis a breeze to prepare! Thesweet dressing with thesaltybacon keeps you wanting more!
  • Looking for a fresh bowl of homemade applesauce for dinner tonight? ThisInstant Pot Applesaucerecipe is super quick and easy!
  • Don’t forget to finish the meal with a fresh batch or rice krispie treats!

Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze Chicken Tetrazzini

Yes! Assemble the chicken tetrazzini casserole in a freezer safe dish. When opting to freeze this dinner, I usually choose a foil pan for freezing. Cover with foil and freeze for up to two months.
To serve, thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake accordingly.

What goes with Chicken Tetrazzini

Serve this delicious pasta dish with Olive Garden breadsticks and Olive Garden Italian salad for the perfect meal.

Can I make tetrazzini without mushrooms?

Absolutely. Leave out the mushrooms or add in extra depending on your taste buds. You can also add in fresh cut broccoli florets!

Can Chicken Tetrazzini be made ahead of time?

Yes. Before baking, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove from fridge and add 10-15 minutes baking time.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (5)

More Easy Chicken Recipes

  • Panda Express Orange Chicken
  • Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
  • Buffalo Chicken Pasta
  • Massaman Curry
  • Chicken Taco Soup

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Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (10)

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Chicken Tetrazzini

4.87 from 191 votes

By: Aimee

Chicken Tetrazzini is a creamy, cheesy pasta dish that the whole family will love. Easy to make and freezer friendly, it's a great casserole to share with friends.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 ounce thin spaghetti cooked (or any of your favorite noodles)
  • 2 cups cooked chicken about 1 pound
  • ½ cup unsalted butter plus more for buttering pan
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Combine 1/2 cup butter, cooked chicken, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and white wine. Add cooked noodles.

  • Pour into a buttered 13×9. Sprinkle both cheeses on top.

  • Bake in a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes, covered with foil. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.

  • May be made in advance and refrigerated (before cooking). However, add time if that is the case to heat thoroughly! Enjoy!

Notes

  • Can you freeze Chicken Tetrazzini? Yes! Assemble the chicken tetrazzini casserole in a freezer safe dish. When opting to freeze this dinner, I usually choose a foil pan for freezing. Cover with foil and freeze for up to two months.To serve, thaw in refrigerator overnight, and bake accordingly.
  • Can I make tetrazzini with or without mushrooms? Absolutely. Leave out the mushrooms or add in extra depending on your taste buds. You can also add in fresh cut broccoli florets!
  • Can Chicken Tetrazzini be made ahead of time? Yes. Before baking, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.When ready to bake, remove from fridge and add 10-15 minutes baking time.
  • See blog post for more recipe tips, tricks, and ingredient substitutions.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 893mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

Creamy baked Chicken Tetrazzini recipe is the best weeknight dinner recipe your family will love! Easy and delicious.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken Tetrazzini sauce made of? ›

What you need for creamy Chicken Tetrazzini Sauce. Here's what you need to make the cream sauce for Chicken Tetrazzini: butter, flour, chicken broth/stock, milk, cream and cheese. The basis of Tetrazzini sauce is a béchamel sauce.

Why is it called Tetrazzini? ›

The dish is named after the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. The origins of tetrazzini are widely disputed. Some accounts ascribe tetrazzini as a creation of Auguste Escoffier.

How do you make chicken Tetrazzini Maury? ›

SEASON CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH SEASONING SALT, GARLIC, AND LEMON PEPPER. ADD CHICKEN, SPAGHETTI NOODLES, AND ½ BLOCK OF MELTABLE CHEESE INTO 9x13 INCH BAKING DISH. ADD CAN OF CREAM OF CHICKEN OR CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP TO THE BAKING DISH AND STIR ALL INGREDIENTS. SPRINKLE THE SHREDDED CHEESE ON TOP AND BAKE UNTIL BUBBLY.

What is Tetrazzini in English? ›

Meaning of tetrazzini in English

served with mushrooms in a cream sauce on pasta, with cheese on top, and baked in the oven: Chicken Tetrazzini is one of my favorite dishes. The restaurant was full of people enjoying a plate of turkey tetrazzini. Turkey tetrazzini is a great way of using up leftover turkey.

What is creamy pasta sauce called? ›

While bechamel sauce is made with milk and flour, alfredo sauce is mainly made with heavy cream and cheese. Both have a creamy texture that thoroughly coats pasta noodles, but bechamel tends to be thicker than alfredo sauce.

What is the difference between tetrazzini and a La King? ›

It turns out the difference is that Chicken Tetrazzini has cheese in it and Chicken à la King does not. In the 1950s, you would open a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, a package of frozen peas, carrots, a can of sliced mushrooms, some Velveeta cheese, and chicken or turkey and voila...an abomination!

Why is it called killer spaghetti? ›

The name assassina, which means killer, refers not to the felony, but rather the risottatura cooking technique that cooks pasta like risotto. Instead of boiling the spaghetti, it's cooked directly in the pan by consistently adding water to it each time the pasta absorbs it.

What nationality is tetrazzini? ›

Chicken Tetrazzini is an American dish. It's unclear which chef, but a chef, created it in honor of Italian opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini when she debuted as Gilda in Rigoletto in San Francisco in 1905.

Where is chicken Tetrazzini from? ›

Chicken Tetrazzini is a pasta bake casserole made with diced up chicken or turkey (or even seafood), mushrooms, and a buttery, cream based sauce. The popular American dish was created by chef Ernest Arbogast in honor of the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini, who debuted at his San Francisco hotel in the 1900's.

Why boil pasta in chicken broth? ›

Boiling your pasta in chicken stock gives your pasta (and the resulting dish) more flavor. Feel free to experiment with any type you like, such as beef, vegetable, or even turkey. Chicken stock lends cooked pasta a subtle, somewhat meaty flavor that won't overwhelm the rest of your ingredients.

Who is chicken Tetrazzini named after? ›

Named after Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini, according to The New York Times, the dish originally consisted of "spaghetti, heavy cream, chicken, mushrooms ... Parmesan ...

What is spaghetti called in English? ›

Spaghetti is actually their Italian name, used also in English (as well as in other languages). Spaghetti is the plural form of spaghetto, which is in turn the diminutive of spago, Italian for 'string'. Spago.

What does spaghetti translate to in English? ›

Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning 'thin string' or 'twine'.

What is a casserole vs lasagna? ›

Casseroles are usually quick and easy. Some ingredients quickly stir together and are poured into a baking dish, topped with cheese, and baked. A traditional lasagna takes more time. Multiple layers, all made separately, then put together before baking.

What is white pasta sauce made of? ›

White Sauce Pasta is simply cooked pasta mixed with a silky smooth & decadent white sauce made of milk, butter and flour. White Sauce also known as Bechamel Sauce has its origin from the Italian & French Cuisines. In classic culinary terms, this is what is known as a mother sauce.

What is traditional pasta sauce made of? ›

Marinara sauce, or pasta sauce is a slow-simmered sauce that is often made with tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. In America, we often refer to marinara as a meatless, tomato-based sauce. Spaghetti sauce is essentially any sauce that you put on spaghetti.

What is cream sauce pasta made of? ›

The classic besciamella ( or bechemel) is just a standard cream sauce. It combines butter, flour, milk, and seasonings and is mostly used as a binder to hold pasta dishes together and keep the moist and creamy.

What is the pasta sauce called? ›

Technically, pasta sauce is any sauce typically paired with pasta — like pesto, bolognese, Alfredo, and marinara as well. But people usually think of a more robust and flavorful tomato sauce as classic "pasta sauce." There are really no hard-and-fast rules on what can simply be called pasta sauce.

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