Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini is a deliciously easy pasta-bake made with chicken, mushrooms, cheese, and a buttery cream sauce. Creamy, cheesy, and delicious, this chicken tetrazzini recipe will be your new go-to dinner option! We may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Read our disclosure policy here.
I love easy all-in-one recipes. Meaning, that I don’t have to figure out side dishes to have. This chicken Tetrazzini is perfect with simple sides like Salad, Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, or just on its own.
Let’s Take A Quick Look At the Ingredients!
• Spaghetti- thin spaghetti or linguini will also work
• Chicken- cut into cubes
• Butter
• Mushrooms-use fresh sliced mushrooms
• Garlic cloves
• Onion
• Flour
• Milk
• Heavy Whipping cream
• Chicken broth
• Frozen peas
• Shredded Cheese- I use either a white cheddar or yellow cheddar and pepper jack cheese
Scroll down to the bottom for the full printable recipe
Is Chicken Tetrazzini Italian?
Although this chicken dinner is made with pasta, there is nothing truly Italian about this recipe. It is more of a baked casserole than an Italian dinner. If you are looking for more authentic Italian dishes, I suggest trying my Creamy Shrimp Alfredo, Pasta E Fagioli Soup, or my Baked Ravioli with Vodka Cream Sauce.
What Does Al Dente Mean?
For this recipe, you will cook your spaghetti al dente. This means the pasta will be firm when you bite into it instead of soft or soggy. It’s basically a term for slightly undercooked pasta. Because the pasta is being cooked twice, you want to cook it al dente the first time to get the perfect texture when your casserole is done.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini
Step 1: Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Add your chicken and cook for about 8 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Turn your skillet to low, add the butter, and then add the sliced mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for 3-minutes. Then, add onions and garlic and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add flour and milk. Stir in the flour for 30 seconds, and then slowly add in the milk and whisk until smooth.
Step 4: Add cream and broth. Mix in the heavy cream and chicken broth. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Step 5: Mix everything together. Turn off the heat to the skillet and add in 2 cups of cheese, frozen peas, chicken, and cooked pasta.
Step 6: Bake your dish. Pour everything into a 9x13 baking dish and top it with the rest of the cheese. Bake your chicken tetrazzini for 25 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- You can make your own broth. If you don’t have chicken broth, you can dissolve 2 or 3 bullion cubes into 2 cups of water.
- Garlic and onions should be soft. When cooking your garlic and onions, make sure they are soft before removing them from the heat.
- Use leftover chicken. If you have leftover chicken that’s already cooked, you can use that instead. It will definitely make the whole recipe go faster.
What Kind of Chicken Do I Need?
You can use any chicken that you like, however, remember that you will be cutting the chicken into cubes. I personally like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts when cubing chicken.
How Do I Store Chicken Tetrazzini?
You can store chicken tetrazzini the same way you store any other leftovers. Allow it to cool, place it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Chicken tetrazzini is good for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, you can freeze chicken tetrazzini. However, you want to make sure it is stored in an airtight freezer-friendly container and then inside a Ziploc freezer bag.
To reheat frozen tetrazzini, make sure you let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, you can reheat it in the microwave or oven.
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Creamy Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini
cheese, and a buttery cream sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb of spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs cut into bit sized cubes.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion diced about 1 cup
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups cheese shredded (I use cheddar and pepper jack)
Instructions
- Cook pasta to al dente and drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pot to medium-high. Add chicken, salt, and pepper and cook for about 8 minutes turning halfway through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the butter and let melt then add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the diced onions and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes to soften the onions a bit.
- Add in the flour and stir for 30 seconds. Slowly add in the chicken broth and whisk until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Mix in the milk and heavy cream, and simmer until sauce thickens about 3-4 minutes.
- Turn off heat and add in 2 cups of the cheese, frozen peas, cooked chicken, and cooked pasta, and toss (the cheese doesn’t have to melt it will melt in the oven.)
- Pour in a 9x13 baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
I made this recipe last night and I should have used an additional chicken breast and only used a ½lb of pasta. The recipe was very good however, as a left over it is not very good at all. There is no sauce left due to the pasta soaking it all up and the noodles were mushy. I will make it again with the alterations I mentioned above.
You can just leave them out 🙂
Not a mushroom fan what can you use instead
Add the cooked chicken back in with the cooked pasta. 🙂
When do I add the chicken back in?