Chicken Tetrazzini is a cozy pasta bake recipe made with tender chicken, sautéed mushrooms, and peas, all tossed in a creamy homemade sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked until golden! It’s classic comfort food!
Want more cozy chicken bake recipes? Try this Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake, Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Bake, and Chicken Alfredo Bake!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this easy Chicken Tetrazzini recipe:
- What people are saying:
- Chicken Tetrazzini ingredients:
- How to make the best Chicken Tetrazzini:
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to store Chicken Tetrazzini:
- Make-ahead option:
- Serving suggestions:
- More baked pasta dishes you’ll love:
- Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
This Chicken Tetrazzini recipe is a classic comfort food made with chicken and pasta and bathed in a creamy sauce with mushrooms and peas.
Often, Chicken Tetrazzini is made with canned cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom soup.
However, I think that this homemade version is more flavorful and customizable to your tastes!
Plus, it’s made ahead and freezer-friendly, so it’s great for busy weeknights when you can’t be bothered with a ton of dishes.
Why you’ll love this easy Chicken Tetrazzini recipe:
- Passes the selective eater test: Kids will love the creamy, cheesy pasta and chicken in this recipe and won’t even notice the veggies!
- Comforting: The homemade sauce, juicy chicken, and cheesy sauce create the most comforting dinner that hits the spot every time.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prep this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it for later as a low-effort dinner!
What people are saying:
“Came home late from work looking for something to make with a Costco rotisserie chicken and found your recipe…thank you!!!
Followed the recipe but added a few things…spinach, kale and frozen zucchini. Only had a small amount of mozzarella, so used shredded monterey jack as a substitute. Plus used half and half and some heavy cream… that’s all I had but it was a hit with the fam, they cleaned their plates 😁” Devina
Chicken Tetrazzini ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness and helps sauté the veggies and create the base for the sauce.
- Chopped mushrooms: Choose white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms. Mushrooms bring a savory, umami flavor and texture to the sauce, but you can omit them if you’re not a fan!
- Aromatics: Sautéed onion and garlic add a ton of flavor to this dish.
- Italian seasoning: This blend of herbs like oregano, basil, and thyme adds a balanced, herby flavor. Feel free to use fresh herbs if you like!
- All-purpose flour: Used to thicken the sauce. It absorbs the butter and helps create a creamy, smooth texture.
- Chicken stock: This is the base for making the sauce. Make sure to use low-sodium chicken stock to control the salt content.
- Cream: Heavy cream gives the sauce a rich and creamy texture, but you can use half-and-half for a lighter option.
- Cooked, chopped chicken: You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.
- Frozen peas: I love using frozen peas as they’re super convenient and add a pop of color to the dish.
- Dry spaghetti: Use any kind of pasta you like! Make sure to cook it just until al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Mozzarella is great because it melts beautifully and adds a gooey, cheesy layer on top. You can swap this out with another type of melty cheese if you like.
How to make the best Chicken Tetrazzini:
This Chicken Tetrazzini is a breeze to make! Don’t forget to check the recipe card for the full list of recipe instructions.
- Sauté mushrooms and onions until the onions soften and the mushrooms turn golden brown.
- Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Add flour, stirring until absorbed by the butter.
- Cook the pasta until al dente.
- Stir cooked chicken and peas into the cream sauce.
- Pour everything into a baking dish and bake until bubbly.
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap your vegetables: You can leave out the peas and mushrooms or keep them and add your favorites. Any vegetables you add should be cooked (or at least par-cooked) before you add them to the tetrazzini and before baking.
- Swap your protein: Don’t have leftover chicken, but you have turkey? Ham? Salmon? Feel free to swap it out for what you have handy!
- Get that crispy crust: If you like your baked pasta with a crispy bread crumb crust, feel free to stir together a little melted butter and some Panko bread crumbs and sprinkle them over the top before baking.
How to store Chicken Tetrazzini:
To store Chicken Tetrazzini, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
To reheat, warm it in the oven at a low temperature and cover it with foil to keep it moist. You can also microwave individual portions!
Make-ahead option:
Pasta bakes are great to prep ahead and save in the fridge or freezer for a busy weeknight!
- Fridge: Prep up to the point of baking, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days before baking. (Note: the pasta will absorb the sauce as it sits, so you may want to add a ¼ cup of water or cream to the dish before baking if it looks dry). You can also bake and serve immediately, then refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Pour it into a 9×13″ baking dish as the recipe calls for, or you can divide it into smaller dishes for individual meals. Simply prepare up to the point of baking, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend thawing before baking, either on the counter or in the refrigerator, as it will bake up more evenly than trying to bake from frozen.
Serving suggestions:
I sometimes serve this Chicken Tetrazzini as a complete meal on its own, but it’s also great with a side of Garlic Bread or No Knead Artisan Bread to soak up the cheesy sauce!
If you want a little more green on the side, some Air Fryer Broccoli or Cheesy Baked Asparagus never hurt anyone.
More baked pasta dishes you’ll love:
- Rigatoni Pasta Bake — a classic that always goes over well here!
- Baked Mostaccioli Pasta — we love keeping one of these stashed in the freezer.
- Turkey Kielbasa Pasta Bake — a new, flavorful twist on a pasta bake.
- Ravioli Lasagna — the kids adore this one!
Chicken Tetrazzini
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- ½ medium onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups cream – 10%-18%
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas
To Assemble Tetrazzini:
- 375 grams dry spaghetti, about 13oz
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Sauce
- In a large skillet, melt butter.
- Add mushrooms and onion and saute over medium heat until onion is softened and mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in flour until completely absorbed by the butter.
- Add chicken stock and cream and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often, until slightly thickened (it won't be super thick in the end).
- Stir in cooked chicken and peas.
Chicken Tetrazzini
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees if baking immediately.
- Place spaghetti in a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook just until al dente. Drain.
- Place cooked pasta in a 9×13" greased baking dish. Pour sauce over top and spread with a spatula over pasta so that it soaks down into the spaghetti.
- Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly (see post above for make ahead instructions).
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Donna says
Going to give it a try. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Enjoy!
Donna says
Hi Ashley I’ve never made this but Years ago I’d go to an Italian restaurant in San Francisco Bay Area and have this was fantastic.