Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole is an easy tetrazzini recipe with chicken, noodles, and sautéed mushrooms tossed in a made from scratch creamy sauce covered with golden cheese.

Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole was my most requested meal growing up. Nothing tasted better than this easy comfort food meal.

When I introduced this tetrazzini recipe to my boyfriend in college he went nuts for it!

So much so, 20 years plus four kids later, he still asks me to make it for every birthday dinner. Apparently it had an effect on him.

What is Tetrazzini? 

Tetrazzini is actually an American dish, named after Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini. Bite-sized chicken or turkey pieces and sautéed mushrooms are mixed into cream sauce that gets its unique flavor from wine and nutmeg.

Traditionally tetrazzini is served over spaghetti or linguine and topped with cheese. Tetrazzini casserole combines meat, pasta, and cream sauce in a baking dish to cook in the oven.

How To Make Chicken Tetrazzini From Scratch

1. Sauté mushrooms and garlic. Set aside.
2. Make cream sauce by melting butter and adding flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in chicken broth. Once it’s fully incorporated, add the half and half. Bring to a boil and cook and stir until thickened. 
3. Stir in wine and simmer cream sauce for 1 minute. 
4. Place boiled noodles on bottom of casserole dish, top with cooked chicken, mushrooms, and sprinkle on seasonings.
5. Pour cream sauce all over casserole dish. Stir gently to mix together ingredients. Top with parmesan cheese and bake until hot and bubbly.  

Ways to Cook Chicken

For Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole recipe you will need 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken. This equals about 1 1/2 pounds raw chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs.

Choose any preferred way of cooking the chicken, or substitute store bought rotisserie chicken.

• BOIL: Cover 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts with water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut into pieces.
• BAKE: Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160ºF.
• INSTANT POT: Place chicken breasts in instant pot with 1 cup of water or chicken broth. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes and use natural release

Gluten Free Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe 

Since this tetrazzini recipe contains no canned soup it can easily be made gluten free. Use gluten free all purpose flour to thicken the cream sauce. 

For the pasta, substitute gluten free spaghetti or linguine. Since gluten free pasta has a tendency to overcook, boil the noodles for only half the time called for on the box. They finish cooking as the casserole bakes in the oven. 

What To Serve with Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

Tetrazzini is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but also a fantastic entertaining dish when company’s over. Here are some side dishes to go with it…

• green salad, such as Strawberry Salad or Harvest Salad
• steamed or roasted veggies, like cabbage, zucchini, or broccoli
• garlic bread or Quick Cheese Bread
• sautéed green beans or green bean salad
• fruit salad
• caprese salad

Can Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole Be Frozen?

Yes, this makes the ultimate freezer meal. Double the recipe and freeze one assembled casserole for later (before baking).

Wrap the unbaked Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole with plastic wrap and cover with foil to protect it from freezer burn. Freeze the casserole up to 3 months.

To reheat, thaw casserole overnight in the refrigerator. Remove plastic wrap and foil then bake according directions, adding 10-20 minutes more, or until casserole is hot throughout and bubbling.

Making Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

For those ultimate cheese lovers, top the casserole with a mixture of cheeses. For instance, a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar cheese sprinkled on top will make an extra cheesy tetrazzini dish. 

Alternatively, mix 1 cup grated cheese in with the chicken and noodles and reserve another cup to sprinkle on before baking. 

More Tetrazzini Recipes 

If you love the flavors of tetrazzini, try some of these other recipes!

• Chicken Tetrazzini with breadcrumbs and a richer cream sauce.
• Turkey Tetrazzini is the perfect way to use up leftover turkey. 
• Instant Pot Chicken Tetrazzini
• Slow Cooker Tetrazzini

Cooks Tips for Making Tetrazzini

• Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole can be frozen unbaked. Make a double recipe and save one for later.
• If making Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole gluten free, swap out all-purpose flour with gluten free all-purpose flour. (My preference is Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour).
• When baking noodle casseroles, do not boil the noodles to fully cooked. This is especially important when making Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole gluten free. For gluten free pasta, only boil for a few minutes, less than half the time called for. For regular noodles, boil a minute less than al dente.
• Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole can be made ahead of time. Cover casserole (making sure everything is cooled first), refrigerate, and add 10 minutes to baking time.
• Cook chicken any way you like. Recipe notes includes directions for boiling, baking, or using an instant pot. Alternatively, use rotisserie chicken.
• For cheesy chicken tetrazzini casserole top with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Freshly grated cheese is best for melting. 

More Comforting Casserole Recipes 

1. Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
2. Sausage Breakfast Casserole
3. Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
4. Mexican Chicken Casserole

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Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole

Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole is an easy tetrazzini recipe with chicken, noodles, and sautéed mushrooms tossed in a made from scratch creamy sauce covered with golden cheese.

4 from 22 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti noodles or gluten free spaghetti noodles
• 3 cups cooked and chopped chicken (see recipe notes for cooking chicken methods)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour
• pinch nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ garlic powder
• ½ dried basil
• ½ dried oregano
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Drizzle a splash of olive oil in pot of boiling water to keep noodles from sticking together. Boil pasta for a minute less than al dente. Drain and set aside.

  For gluten free pasta, boil for only half the al dente time called for on the package. The gluten free noodles will be crunchy and undercooked, but will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set aside.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. When mushrooms are almost finished cooking, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds longer. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, or until bubbling and combined.
• Slow whisk in chicken broth until well combined with flour. Add half and half and continue whisking until sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Add wine; simmer and stir for a minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Spread cooked pasta on bottom of casserole dish. Top pasta with cooked chicken and mushrooms. Combine garlic powder, basil, and oregano and sprinkle over mushrooms. Pour sauce over everything and gently toss with a fork to mix the mushrooms, chickens, and pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle fresh Parmesan over top.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes and then serve.

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Recipe Notes

 

Ways to Cook Chicken

You will need 3 cups cooked, chopped chicken. This equals about 1 1/2 pounds raw chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs.

Choose any preferred way of cooking the chicken, or substitute store bought rotisserie chicken.

• BOIL: Cover 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts with water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut into pieces.
• BAKE: Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160ºF.
• INSTANT POT: Place chicken breasts in instant pot with 1 cup of water or chicken broth. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes and use natural release.

 

Cooks Tips for Making Tetrazzini

• Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole can be frozen unbaked. Make a double recipe and save one for later.
• When baking noodle casseroles, do not boil the noodles to fully cooked. This is especially important when making Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole gluten free. 
• This recipe can be made ahead of time. Cover casserole, making sure everything has cooled first, and refrigerate. When ready to bake, add 10 minutes to baking time.
• For cheesy chicken tetrazzini casserole top with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup shredded mozzarella. Freshly grated cheese is best for melting. 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 574mg | Potassium: 460mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg

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