This easy chicken tetrazzini recipe is the ultimate in comfort food! A creamy and cheesy pasta bake that the whole family will love! Full of flavor and quick to prep.
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Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
Chicken tetrazzini makes such a great weeknight dinner! Is there anything more comforting than a creamy pasta dish? I think not!
This casserole is such a great recipe for the whole family, and it’s so easy to prep. It’s so indulgent and tasty, so I know this will be a hit!
This is one of our favorite easy Italian recipes, and we find ourselves making it time and time again. It’s truly loved by the entire family.
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How to make Chicken Tetrazzini
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- Heat oven to 425°F and spray a large casserole dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Cook the fettuccini in salted water, to al dente (per package directions), drain and rinse with cold water. Spread the noodles evenly onto a large baking sheet to dry; set aside.
- While the fettuccini cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter has melted, add mushrooms and onion; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are fragrant and have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add garlic, thyme and white wine; stir with a wooden spoon while scraping off any browned bits on the bottom. Cook an additional 2 minutes to reduce the mixture. Transfer the vegetable/wine mixture to a medium bowl; set aside. (Keep the sauté pan out for later use.)
- In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, bring the milk, cream and broth to just below a simmer (when you see steam coming off the top).
- In the large sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. While whisking, sprinkle the flour over the butter and continue whisking until the flour and butter incorporate and turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Continue whisking and slowly add the milk/cream/broth mixture. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps. Add nutmeg, seasoned salt, kosher salt and black pepper. While stirring, bring the mixture just to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook, while whisking continuously, another 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove the sauce from the heat once it thickens.
- Add the chicken, mushroom/onion mixture and half of the parsley. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the sprayed dish and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
- Melt the remaining butter and pour it evenly over the top.
- Bake at 425°F, for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the chicken tetrazzini is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and let the tetrazzini rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley before serving.
- Enjoy!
What is Tetrazzini?
Tetrazzini is a casserole dish consisting of diced poultry or seafood that is cooked in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and wine.
It’s cooked in the oven with fettuccine for a delicious baked pasta dish. It’s believed to have been invented in San Francisco in the early 1900s.
Chicken Tetrazzini made from scratch
There are a lot of recipes for chicken tetrazzini out there, but a lot use shortcuts, like using mushroom soup, to make it.
This is not a difficult dish to make from scratch, and when you do, it tastes so much better! It only takes around 15 minutes to prep this dish, and then you just pop it in the oven and let it do its thing. So skip the shortcuts and make this family meal from scratch!
What to serve with easy chicken tetrazzini
This chicken tetrazzini recipe is a hearty dish all by itself, but it is great alongside a fresh green salad.
Feel free to serve it up with some crusty bread or some roasted or sautéed vegetables. Serve this dish hot and straight out of the oven.
Serving Suggestions
- Best Garlic Bread
- Texas Toast Garlic Bread
- Easy Roasted Vegetables
- Chopped Caprese Salad
- Garlic Butter Mashed Potatoes
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Cheesy Baked Tomatoes
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
Tips!
- Use a rotisserie chicken for ease in this recipe.
- Cook the pasta al-dente before adding it to the casserole.
- You can also use spaghetti in this recipe.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Keep any leftovers in the fridge for about three days in an air tight container.
Be sure to try these other Family Chicken Recipes!
- Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini
- Baked Lemon Honey Balsamic Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Parmesan Recipe
- Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe (Easy Chicken Chili)
- Baked Chicken Wings Recipe (BEST Chicken Wing Seasoning!)
- Easy Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
- Easy Baked Chicken Marinara
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dry fettuccini noodles
- 3 cups cubed rotisserie or roast chicken meat usually a 3-4 pound chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 18 tablespoons unsalted butter divided (2¼ sticks)
- ½ pound button mushrooms diced
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ½ cup semi-dry or dry white wine
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth *See Note
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F and spray a large casserole dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Cook the fettuccini in salted water, to al dente (per package directions), drain and rinse with cold water. Spread the noodles evenly onto a large baking sheet to dry; set aside.1 pound dry fettuccini noodles
- While the fettuccini cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter has melted, add mushrooms and onion; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions are translucent and mushrooms are fragrant and have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.2 tablespoons olive oil, 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ pound button mushrooms, 1 medium yellow onion
- Add garlic, thyme and white wine; stir with a wooden spoon while scraping off any browned bits on the bottom. Cook an additional 2 minutes to reduce the mixture. Transfer the vegetable/wine mixture to a medium bowl; set aside. (Keep the sauté pan out for later use.)4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, ½ cup semi-dry or dry white wine
- In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, bring the milk, cream and broth to just below a simmer (when you see steam coming off the top).3 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- In the large sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. While whisking, sprinkle the flour over the butter and continue whisking until the flour and butter incorporate and turn a light golden brown, about 2 minutes.⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Continue whisking and slowly add the milk/cream/broth mixture. The mixture should be smooth with no lumps. Add nutmeg, seasoned salt, kosher salt and black pepper. While stirring, bring the mixture just to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook, while whisking continuously, another 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove the sauce from the heat once it thickens.⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add the chicken, mushroom/onion mixture, noodles, and half of the parsley. Mix well.3 cups cubed rotisserie or roast chicken meat, ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Pour the mixture into the sprayed dish and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, ½ cup breadcrumbs
- Melt the remaining butter and pour it evenly over the top.
- Bake at 425°F, for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the chicken tetrazzini is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and let the tetrazzini rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with the remaining parsley before serving.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
I made this for dinner tonight, and we thought it was really good. Not sure about the “easy” part, though. Also, my sauce, while delicious, broke during baking {and I only baked it for ~20 minutes}, so it doesn’t look as nice as I’d like. Love the crunchiness from the topping. Would possibly make it again. Next time with rotisserie chicken {I cooked 3 boneless chicken breasts}.
Thanks for stopping by, Michelle!
Hi Becky, I just love this recipe can’t wait to try it. But is it really 18 tablespoon of butter? I hope not ????
Thanks, Lena
Hi, Lena. I kept checking to make sure I was counting right {it leaves you with 13 tablespoons to drizzle at the end}. I melted that much but couldn’t bring myself to add it all lol. I only used 1 stick {8 tablespoons} for the drizzle.
It looks lovely but I only eat fish could I add shrimp and what Would i do ?! Add at the last minute? Thanks
I’m really confused as to how much butter? And when to add it in? Is the 2 sticks of butter listed under the chicken broth in addition to the 18 Tablespoons that you have listed towards the top of the ingredient list?
Thank you for catching! The second addition of butter in the ingredients was a mistake. I’ve fixed it. Thank you!
This has always been one of my favorites to order at a restaurant so I was excited to make it myself. It is so delicious! Thank you!
Thanks, Lauren!
A classic favorite at our house
Thanks, Rachael!
Yum! That crispy crust looks so divine!! Thanks for the great recipe
Thanks, Natasha :)
In your recipe you say to drain the pasta and spread on large pan to cool. But you leave out when to combine with the rest of the items?
This chicken tetrazzini is going in our monthly menu rotation. Creamy and delicious!
Thanks, Emily!
Chicken tetrazzini is one of my favorites & my family’s! Love how cheesy & delicious it is & we love the breadcrumbs on top. It gives it a nice touch!
Thank ya!