Chicken Tetrazzini - Easy 15 Minute Meal

This chicken tetrazzini casserole is creamy, quick, and made with simple ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, pasta, and chicken. It’s a healthy, classic bake that’s ready in just 15 minutes, making it ideal for easy weeknight dinners and last-minute meals. Learn how to create the best ever homemade tetrazzini dish that’s budget-friendly and great for the whole family. Pin this recipe now to save a delicious and easy dinner idea for busy nights!

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What is chicken tetrazzini

Chicken tetrazzini is an Italian-American dish made with poultry and pasta in a creamy cheesy sauce. Named after an Italian opera singer named Luisa Tetrazzini, the origins of the dish are not well known. Some people say it was created in 1905 in California, others say around the same time in a New York City hotel.

Tetrazzini became wildly popular in the 1960s, both as a from-scratch casserole made by home cooks and a pre-made frozen dinner. For the next thirty years, it was featured in countless cookbooks including Betty Crocker's, both as "chicken spaghetti" and "tetrazzini."

Why this is the best chicken tetrazzini recipe

It's a simple and easy baked chicken pasta bake recipe. This great weeknight chicken casserole is as easy as dumping a few things together; it doesn't get any easier than that! The longest part of this easy casserole is cooking the pasta, and even that only takes a few minutes. The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients, so prep is very quick and easy too.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common and very inexpensive. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in every grocery I've ever visited.

It's a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or roast turkey. You can make tetrazzini with diced, cubed, or shredded chicken or turkey, which makes it a great way to use up a leftover bird.

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This quick and easy chicken casserole is the best comfort food. The simple ingredients pack a big punch in terms of flavor. The cream of mushroom soup adds flavor and seasoning, the chicken adds flavor, and the sour cream adds creaminess - all of it combines to make the best chicken casserole you've ever eaten!

This recipe is super versatile. Don't like mushrooms? Use cream of chicken soup instead. Love cheddar? Throw in a couple handfuls of shredded cheese. Don't like asparagus? Add green beans or mixed vegetables. Use whatever you want! You can literally replace any of the ingredients with something else and still have a delicious chicken and rice casserole.

This recipe is easy to serve. It doesn't get easier than a dump-and-go casserole, which makes this a perfect weeknight dinner for a busy mom or dad.

This recipe is a family favorite. Kids especially love the creamy, cheesy sauce and tender pasta.

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What you'll need to make chicken tetrazzini

Equipment

• Garlic press - I use a garlic press to mince fresh garlic in nearly every recipe I make. The press is nice because it makes the garlic into a paste which is easy to distribute through the recipe. If you have a super sharp knife and good knife skills, you could finely mince the garlic. You will want the pieces to be as small as possible.
• Deep 9x13 pan - This recipe makes a lot of casserole. I often halve it and make it in a 9x9 pan, but if you're making the entire recipe as written, you will need an extra deep 9x13 casserole dish.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Angel hair pasta or gluten-free pasta - You will want to break this in half. I have lately started using penne or shells because my kids like those better than the "wormy" angel hair, and I think I like that even better than the spaghetti-style noodles.
• Chicken broth - I use low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth, but you can use whatever stock or broth you have.
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup - I use a low fat, low sodium soup to make the recipe a little healthier. Sometimes I use cream of chicken or cream of onion. You could also use cream of celery if you like that. Do not dilute the soup; use it condensed straight from the can.
• Sour cream - I use low-fat or light sour cream in this recipe. You can also use Greek yogurt to make it even healthier as this tastes just like sour cream and has less fat and more protein than sour cream.
• Grated Parmesan cheese - You want to use the hard cheese that is in slivers from the dairy case of the grocery store, not the powdery shelf-stable stuff.
• Low-fat milk - You can use any unflavored dairy or non-dairy milk, including whole milk or skim milk. The type of milk you use will influence the flavor of the finished tetrazzini.
• Finely chopped onion - The smaller the onion is chopped, the better, because it will not have time to cook in the short time the casserole is in the microwave. You don't want to have big chunks of raw onion in your tetrazzini.
• Fresh garlic - I love the pungent flavor of fresh garlic, and I put it in nearly every savory dish I make. Fresh garlic makes everything taste better.
• Ground black pepper - Season with salt and pepper to your taste preference. After you have everything mixed up, taste the sauce, and decide if it needs more salt and pepper. If you've used all low sodium ingredients, you may need a pinch of additional salt for flavor.

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• Shredded chicken (any roast chicken or turkey meat, shredded or diced) - Most of the time, I use canned chicken because my kids like it. You can also cook and shred a couple of boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I recently got one of these chicken shredding tools, and I freaking love it. I used to put canned chicken in everything because it's so much easier, but I've started cooking my own raw breasts and shredding them with my twisty tool because it's almost as easy, and I can control the amount of salt in the chicken.
• Sliced mushrooms - I love mushrooms in my tetrazzini, but my kids hate them, so most of the time, I leave them out. If you can add them, they make the sauce delicious.
• Asparagus spears - trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces - Asparagus is my most favorite vegetable, and I think the crunch of the spears is such a nice texture contrast to the soft pasta.
• Shredded cheddar cheese - This is to top the whole casserole. You can really use any shredded cheese, from shredded swiss to colby jack to extra sharp cheddar. Use whatever you like to eat.

How to make this easy chicken tetrazzini recipe

1. Boil chicken broth in a large pot. Prepare pasta according to package directions except boil the pasta in the chicken broth instead of water. Cook until noodles are just short of al dente but don't drain the noodles.
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2. While the pasta cooks, combine soup, sour cream, half of Parmesan cheese, milk, onion, garlic, and black pepper in a large bowl.
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3. Add chicken, mushrooms, and asparagus. Mix well.
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4. Transfer pasta and about half of the remaining broth to a 3-quart baking dish.
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5. Add soup mixture and stir to coat the pasta evenly.
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6. Microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through.
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7. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and cheddar.
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8. Return to the microwave for a minute or two, just enough to melt the cheese.
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Variations & substitutions

This is a very flexible recipe. You can use any shape of pasta, from penne to shells to angel hair. You can use any kind of cream soup from cream of mushroom to cream of chicken to cream of onion. You can use any poultry from chicken breasts to chicken thighs to rotisserie chicken to leftover roast turkey. You can use any shredded cheese from colby jack to extra sharp cheddar to swiss to mozzarella cheese.

You can use any veggies. I suggest asparagus and mushrooms, but you could use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables or frozen green beans or peas or whatever you want. Whatever vegetables you want to use, if they are frozen, you will need to thaw them first. If they are raw, you may want to partially cook them before adding to the casserole, as they will not have time to cook during the time the casserole cooks in the microwave. I think asparagus and mushrooms are tasty whether they're cooked or raw, so I don't cook them before adding them. If you have extra time, though, mushrooms sautéed in butter are pretty amazing.

You can use dry white wine in place of some or all of the chicken broth.

If you like a little crunch, sprinkle the top of the tetrazzini with crushed Ritz crackers or toasted breadcrumbs after adding the shredded cheese. Instead of returning it to the microwave for a minute or two, set the casserole under the broiler for a minute or two, to toast the bread crumbs and melt the cheese. (Make sure the casserole dish you're using is safe to put under the broiler.)

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Cook's tips for the best chicken tetrazzini

Slightly undercook your pasta so that it doesn't get mushy when you microwave the casserole. A little less than al dente is perfect.

Use only pre-cooked chicken. The entire casserole only cooks for 6 minutes in the microwave, so it is not enough time for chicken to be cooked to a safe temperature.

You can prepare this casserole ahead of time, cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge up to 24 hours. Take it out, remove the plastic wrap, and microwave the casserole as directed. It will probably need an extra couple of minutes because it's chilled.

You can make tetrazzini vegetarian by leaving the chicken out and using vegetable broth.

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Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze your leftovers. Once they're fully cooled, transfer the casserole to an airtight freezer container or a plastic freezer bag. It will be good for a month or two.

To serve frozen tetrazzini, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then microwave it for a few minutes to heat it through. You might want to add some additional shredded cheese on top.

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Try these other delicious recipes:

• Creamy Baked Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Cheesy Chicken Hashbrown Casserole
• Cheesy Shrimp Casserole with Velveeta
• Beef Enchilada Casserole
• Ham and Cheese Casserole with Cauliflower
• Mexican Layered Chicken Casserole
• Leftover Turkey Enchilada Casserole
• Healthy Hash Brown Casserole
• Baked Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Ground Beef, Tomatoes, and Cheese
• Upside Down Pizza Casserole
• Traditional Green Bean Casserole

Recipe

Because I've never had tetrazzini before, I had nothing to compare it to. Is this similar to the tetrazzini you've had before?