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
- Sauté mushrooms and garlic. Set aside.
- 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.
- Stir in wine and simmer cream sauce for 1 minute.
- Place boiled noodles on bottom of casserole dish, top with cooked chicken, mushrooms, and sprinkle on seasonings.
- 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.
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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
More Comforting Casserole Recipes
- Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
SAVE THIS ULTIMATE CHICKEN TETRAZZINI CASSEROLE RECIPE TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARD!
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Ultimate Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
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
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
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
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Items used to make this recipe:
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Deborah Smith says
I have made this recipe several times and my family loves it! Thank you for sharing it on your blog.
Melissa says
Hi Deborah,
I’m so glad you like the recipe. It’s the perfect family meal!
Best,
Melissa
MoeMoe says
I absolutely LOVE chicken Tetrazzini! Your recipe is easy & superb! Thank you!
Melissa says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’m a huge fan of chicken tetrazzini as well!
Best,
Melissa
Anonymous says
Great!
Melissa says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Santiago Yniguez says
This is now one of my favorite dishes! I used with a failed leftover chicken that was heavily seasoned with an Italian seasoning. Didn’t want to throw it out, so I figured, why not? Came out great! I dunno if the Italian season was diluted with the sauce, but it worked. I’ll be curious next time around how this comes out without the seasoning on the chicken. Also, I don’t know If the sauce was supposed be very thin. I kinda though it was, but it didn’t effect the dish. Is this supposed to be sorta thick?
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Melissa says
Hello Santiago, Thank you for writing! I completely agree with you about being a favorite dish. There are literal cheers when I serve it.
The sauce should thicken a little, but if it didn’t, it wouldn’t affect anything since it’s baked with the pasta and chicken. I’m glad you were able to save failed chicken. When you make it again (with unfilled chicken), please let me know what you think!
Julie says
What kind of gluten free flour do you like best?
Melissa says
Hi Julie,
I’ve tried pretty much all gluten free all-purpose flours, and I LOVE Cup 4 Cup. I find it’s cheapest to get off of Amazon. There is an affiliate link above. Hope that helps!
Best,
Melissa
Jen says
I made this last night for company. Followed the recipe exactly (including the wine) and it was delicious! Lots of flavor. Kids and adults ate it up! I used a rotisserie chicken and it all came together very quickly. I paired it with some parmesan roasted green beans and garlic bread. Thank you for this recipe! I will be making it again.
Melissa says
I’m so glad you all loved it. Your comments have inspired me to make this again very soon. It is such a great dish, and using the rotisserie chicken would definitely be a time saver. Thanks for taking the time to write!
Tracie C says
I have the pickiest kids around. Made this gluten free with the sweet white rice flour and my kids LOVED it. Very surprised actually. They even ate the mushrooms!! Printing this and Will make this again.
Melissa says
I’m so glad you and your kids liked it! It’s always a win when you can eat a great dinner and it doesn’t have to be ruined by coercing your kids to eat it too…
Devorah says
This look super delicious! Take me back to Italy! We’ll give this one a try for sure!