Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

I come from a big Italian family from my mother’s side, so pasta dishes have been a big part of my meals, and I love them. I like pasta with tomato sauce and pasta with cream sauce.

This creamy chicken tetrazzini is one of my favorite creamy pasta dishes. It is a complete meal in itself. It has chicken and mushrooms, two of my favorite ingredients.

The mushrooms go so well with the cream sauce, and using condensed cream of chicken soup makes it easy to make because it provides a lot of flavors.

If you know how to boil water, cook pasta, and shred cooked chicken, you know how to prepare this amazingly delicious entree that will have your family asking for seconds.

What Is Chicken Tetrazzini?

Chicken tetrazzini is a cream-based pasta bake usually made with chicken and mushrooms. It can also be made using turkey or shrimp.

It was first created by an American chef named Ernest Arbogast to honor a famous Italian soprano from early 1900 named Luisa Tetrazzini, hence the name.

Ingredients For Chicken Tetrazzini

The full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. 

• Fettuccine:  I love how the sauce clings to the fettuccine because the noodles are wider.
• Butter: is used to saute the mushrooms. You can choose to add garlic to them too. 
• Mushrooms: use your favorite mushrooms. Mine is baby Bella.
• Shredded chicken breast: you can definitely use cooked shredded chicken thighs if you are a dark meat lover.
• Condensed cream of chicken soup: this can be substituted with condensed cream of mushroom soup.
• Sour cream: I like to use full-fat sour cream, but you can use reduced-fat or even Greek yogurt if you watch your calorie intake. 
• Pasta water: this is a crucial step. Please do not forget to save some of the pasta cooking water. It has a bit of starch from the pasta, which makes the sauce cling better to it.
• Salt and pepper:  I add very little salt to this dish because the condensed cream of chicken soup is already quite salty.
• Parsley: not only is it very pretty to see the green specks on the otherwise very whitish-looking creamy pasta, but it also gives it a great fresh flavor.
• Parmesan cheese: If you have the time, I recommend you shave or grate your own cheese. 

How To Make Chicken Tetrazzini

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a large skillet, melt the butter and saute the mushrooms until they are cooked for about 5 minutes.
2. Cook fettuccine according to package instructions (reserve ½ cup of the cooking water) and cook and shred the chicken. Mix the cooked pasta, pasta water, chicken, condensed cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, and sour cream using a big bowl. You might need to add extra water if you feel the sauce is too thick.
3. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray and add the pasta mixture
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Make-Ahead And Storing Leftovers

If you want to make this dish ahead of time, I recommend mixing everything up and storing it in the fridge overnight until you can bake it.

If you have any leftovers, before reheating them, add a bit of water to the prepared pasta to make the sauce light and flowy again. Creamy pasta sauces tend to become really thick when cooled down.

I usually tell you to wait for food to cool down before storing it in an airtight container, but in this case, I try to store it while it is still hot.

This way, vapor will form, and this will keep the sauce from getting too thick. Wait until it cools down to store the container in the fridge, though.

What To Serve With Chicken Tetrazzini

This dish is almost a complete meal in itself. All it needs is a side salad and a piece of really delicious crusty bread.

Check out these recipes: The best-tossed salad, Homemade Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing, and Dutch Oven no-knead Bread. You will love it!

Recipe tips

1. Do not overcook the fettuccine or pasta. Remember it will go into the oven for another 30 mins. If you overcook it, it will become a great big ball of mush. Cook it al dente.
2. Chicken shouldn’t be overcooked either. Check it for doneness. There is such a thing as over-boiling chicken. If you leave it for too long, it becomes tough.
3. I can’t emphasize enough about adding the pasta water. Believe me when I tell you creamy pasta sauces can become really thick when cool.
4. Check the seasoning after mixing all ingredients. If you feel it needs a bit more salt, add it.
5. Do not overcook the casserole. Cook it until the cheese is melted and the pasta is hot and bubbly. If you leave it in for too long, it will dry out.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Crazy Good Chicken Pasta Casserole
• Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
• Paula Deen’s Meatball Pasta Casserole
• Amazing Shrimp Pasta Salad
• White Cheddar Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

 

Answering Your Burning Questions

• What Can I Substitute For Mushrooms In Chicken Tetrazzini?

If you don’t like mushrooms, you can substitute them with any other veggie of your choice.

You can use peas, carrots, broccoli, bell pepper, or green beans. It really depends on your taste.

You can even skip the veggies and add extra cheese and herbs.