All fresh ingredients and no cream of anything soup makes this Chicken Tetrazzini a savory casserole to serve for dinner tonight. It is easy to prepare using a rotisserie chicken, or you can cook a batch of chicken in your slow cooker or see how to cook and shred chicken using your Instant Pot. Serve it with a Caesar salad and some garlic bread for a complete meal. Enjoy something classy (and easy) for dinner tonight!
Chicken Tetrazzini – How to Make It
This recipe is easy to make with a few simple steps. Timesaving tips, variations, serving suggestions, FAQs and the full printable recipe are all below.
Prepare pasta in a pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.
Melt a stick of butter in a large boiler or Dutch oven. Whisk in flour and stir for a minute. Add chicken broth and milk and cook (stirring constantly) on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add bouillon cubes, pepper and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and add chicken, mushrooms and pasta.
Stir and pour into a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with 1 cup Parmesan cheese and slivered almonds. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
See recipe below for all measurements and directions. You can even make half a recipe if you would like.
Timesaving Tips
- For easy shredded chicken, use your Instant Pot to cook chicken. Use a hand mixer to shred cooked chicken quickly.
- Rotisserie chicken is quick and ready. Regular, lemon-pepper, or Mojo flavored work well and makes prep super easy.
- Be sure to use a disposable aluminum pan instead of a glass casserole dish when you take the food to a party, supper club, new mom with baby or grieving family. There’s no cleanup or worrying about returning a dish.
- Use prepackaged Parmesan Cheese. It is usually in a small plastic container at the grocery store and looks like large flakes.
Variations
- Substitute turkey instead of chicken. Great way to use leftovers from that Thanksgiving turkey. Chop white and dark leftover turkey and you are half way there! Another great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is in our Black Eyed Pea Soup.
- Use cooked shrimp or fish (halibut or grouper work well) that you flake into small chunks.
- Add 1/2 tsp garlic powder for additional flavor to season.
- Add 1 to 2 cups shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, Mexican blend, or Monterey Jack. More cheese is always better, right?
Serving Suggestions
Need ideas on where to serve this delicious dish? Chicken Tetrazzini is so easy to make that it is perfect for a family dinner idea during the week or a special Sunday dinner.
This casserole is easy to carry to a picnic, party, or food for a new mom, a sick friend or a grieving family. Other recipes that are easy to carry include Corn Casserole and Chicken Rotel Spaghetti. Click the links to go to those recipes and save or share them on Pinterest and Facebook!
This recipe reheats well in the microwave so it is easy to pack leftovers for a lunch. I think it is one of those casseroles that keeps tasting better every day as the flavors settle and blend more. And what’s not to love about cooking once and eating twice or more?
FAQs
Yes you can prepare as directed up to the baking part. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake it fresh. Or you can prepare it and cook it then refrigerate after cooling. Reheat an entire casserole covered with foil at 350° for about 20 minutes or until hot. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave. You can store it in the refrigerator for a day before baking.
Yes you can freeze it baked or unbaked up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking at 350 ° for an hour or until hot and bubbly.
In the early 1900’s an Italian opera singer named Louisa Tetrazzini sang in San Francisco and New York. During that time a chef created a rich creamy chicken pasta dish made with Parmesan cheese, mushrooms and almonds in her honor. The dish has seen many variations since the original, but they all have that rich and creamy texture that has stood the test of time.
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 8 oz. package thin spaghetti
- 1 stick butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 3 cubes chicken bouillon
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or packaged grated Parmesan cheese) (divided into 2 one cup portions to use)
- 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken (can use rotisserie chicken)
- ¾ cup fresh mushrooms (rinsed and chopped)
- ¾ cup slivered almonds
- 1 tsp olive oil (optional for use when boiling spaghetti to keep it from boiling over)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. I like to add a half teaspoon of olive oil to keep it from boiling over. Drain pasta and set aside.
- In a large boiler or Dutch oven, melt butter on low temperature. Add flour gradually whisking it into the butter.
- Whisk in milk and chicken broth.
- Cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
- Whisk in unwrapped bouillon cubes, pepper, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Remove from heat.
- Add shredded chicken, mushrooms and drained pasta.
- Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese and slivered almonds on top.
- Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
2 Comments
Kirsten
02/04/2019 at 2:09 pmThanks for posting this! I’ve been trying to find a recipe minus the canned soup and sour cream that so many recipes call for now. I like the addition of almonds too! Look forward to trying this tonight. Blessings!
Food and Life Path
02/10/2019 at 7:57 pmThanks for the wonderful comment! Hope it was delicious!!! Stop by again soon.