Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Chicken tetrazzini is a nostalgic recipe that delivers lots of comfort food goodness! I streamlined the process of making this creamy spaghetti casserole to make it even easier.
How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, 9 x 13-inch casserole dish
Servings: 6
One Pan Magic!
Chicken Tetrazzini has always been a top-tier comfort food, but between the boiling, the straining, and the sauce-making, it was a lot of effort for a Tuesday.
After testing and retesting, I’ve perfected one-pan chicken tetrazinni. You still have the option to make it in a casserole dish (vs. leaving it in the skillet), but either way, it’s less dishes.
What makes it special:
- Pasta cooks in the sauce: The pasta cooks in the skillet with the veggies and sauce, saving you an extra pot and strainer to wash. As a bonus, the spaghetti actually absorbs all that savory chicken flavor instead of just plain water.
- Creamy without being heavy: A mixture of chicken broth and half-and-half, along with flour and melty mozzarella, creates a rich sauce without heavy cream.
- Kid-friendly: Because kids LOVE pasta baked with creamy, cheesy sauce and chicken! This is a dinner little ones will devour—and you didn’t even have to pull out that bag of dino nuggets from the freezer to make it happen.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find a complete list of ingredients in the printable recipe card but here are a few notes to get you started.
- Mushrooms: I prefer cremini mushrooms (baby bella) for their deeper flavor but white mushrooms are fine.
- Onions and garlic: I use a yellow pantry onion which is more finely textured than the larger sweet onions.
- Half-and-half: Half-and-half is a 50/50 mixture of whole milk and light cream, a lighter version of heavy cream.
- Spaghetti: I usually break the dry spaghetti in half so it fits into the skillet more easily and combines with the other ingredients.
- Chicken: Cooked and diced chicken breasts work best here (I recommend this poached chicken or air fryer chicken breasts), but thighs or rotisserie chicken are fine.
- Frozen peas: There’s no need to thaw them; they’ll cook in the oven.
- Cheese: Mozzarella gives a melty texture, while Parmesan adds salty sharpness. Use freshly grated for the best flavor.
- Breadcrumb topping: The crispy topping is made with panko breadcrumbs which are much lighter and crispier than regular fine breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are mixed with additional Parmesan, minced parsley, and olive oil. Feel free to swap in homemade bread crumbs, which have a similar coarse texture.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
Prepare. Before you get started, measure out the half-and-half so it can warm up slightly. This will keep it from curdling when heated. Preheat your oven to 375ºF and grease a large baking dish.
Cook the vegetables. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium or medium-high heat. Once it’s melted, stir in the mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms release their juices and start to brown.
Build the sauce. Add the garlic and flour and cook for a minute, stirring constantly, to take the raw flavor out of the flour. Slowly stir in the broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan to incorporate them into the sauce. Then, slowly stir in the half-and-half.
Simmer. Bring the sauce to a slow boil, then stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the pasta is nearly al dente, stirring often.
Make the breadcrumb topping. While the pasta and sauce are simmering, stir together the breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan, and olive oil in a small bowl. Make sure the breadcrumbs are all moistened with the oil—that’s what gives the topping its color and crispiness when baked!
Assemble. Fold the chicken, peas, cheeses, and parsley into the pan with the pasta and sauce. Stir until the cheeses are melted, then transfer to the prepared baking dish (or, if you’re using an oven-safe pan, keep it in the skillet!). Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.
Bake. Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake uncovered until the casserole is bubbly at the edges and golden brown on top; this should take about 25 minutes.
Serve. Let the casserole cool for 5 minutes before serving it. (It won’t be boiling hot and it will be easier to cut.)
Cooking Tip
If you have a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, you can make the chicken tetrazzini, start to finish, in that instead of transferring it into a casserole dish to bake. Just sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top before you put it into the oven.
Recipe Variations
- Make it with turkey. Tetrazzini is a post-Thanksgiving classic! Simply use leftover turkey instead of the cooked chicken.
- Try other cheeses. Mozzarella adds richness to the sauce without an assertively cheesy flavor but if you want your sauce more cheese-forward, try fontina or Gruyère.
- Use short pasta. Penne or rotini will work in place of spaghetti, though you may need to slightly adjust the cooking time (they’ll take a bit longer to get al dente). This swap can be nice if you’re feeding young kids because it means you don’t have to cut the spaghetti for them!
My Go-To Kitchen Utensil
This spatula spoon combo is a game changer in the kitchen. Perfect for breaking up ground meat, stirring, and scooping, it’s easily one of my favorites.
Serving Ideas
- Salad. Carrot salad or a simple cucumber salad would go well with this creamy chicken casserole.
- Veggie sides. Add extra veggies to this meal, like sautéed zucchini or roasted green beans.
- Dessert. For a sweet finish, try a couple of classics to go with your chicken tetrazzini casserole. I like to serve warm crockpot applesauce and a oatmeal raisin cookie.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients
For the casserole:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms (or white mushrooms)
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (1 medium onion)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 8 ounces dry spaghetti, broken in half
- 3 cups cooked diced chicken (about 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 1 cup frozen peas (unthawed)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
For the topping:
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Before you get started, measure out the half and half and set it aside to warm slightly.1 ½ cups half and half
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish (see note).
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to brown, about 6 minutes.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms, 1 cup diced yellow onion, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Stir in the garlic and the flour, cook for another 1 minute, stirring constantly.3 cloves garlic, minced, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Stir in the broth, scraping up any brown bits. Gradually add the half and half, stirring constantly.2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, and add the broken spaghetti by handfuls, stirring to separate the strands. Reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is just shy of al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.8 ounces dry spaghetti, broken in half
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the topping by stirring together the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- When pasta is nearly tender, fold in the chicken, frozen peas, mozzarella, ½ cup Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons minced parsley.3 cups cooked diced chicken, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered until the casserole is bubbly and the topping is golden, about 25 minutes.
- Let casserole cool for 5 minutes, and then serve immediately.
Notes
- One pan option: A casserole dish is traditional but if you have a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, you can skip the casserole dish and bake it right in the same skillet you started the dish in. Add the breadcrumb topping before you bake it.
- Cooked chicken: This recipe is a good way to use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be white meat. If you have raw chicken, try my recipe for poached chicken or air fryer chicken breasts. The chicken can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.
- Storage: Store leftovers in a covered container or cover tightly in the casserole dish and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To freeze, transfer leftovers to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Reheat in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or microwave individual portions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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