Easy and delicious Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini – Chicken and pasta in a creamy sauce with lots of flavor – a family favorite dinner meal!
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What’s for dinner? Those are words I sometimes dread. Sometimes I have no CLUE what’s for dinner and sometimes I couldn’t care less either. Sounds horrible, I know, but these are words from a tired mommy, lol. 😉 Fortunately, I’ve been better since I’ve made a meal calendar. Thank heavens for pasta dishes!! I have them slated on the calendar at least once a week. Why? They are almost always delicious and they are usually loved by the entire family, from the hubby down to my 1 year old. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with noodles, tons of cheese and chicken, right?! Today’s recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini happens to be one of those yummy recipes that everyone enjoys. If you look at the ingredients it’s pretty apparent why it would be so tasty (butter, sour cream, cream of chicken, mozzarella cheese).
The best part about this meal is it’s really simple! It’s really just a matter of cooking up the noodles and then mixing up the remaining ingredients (minus the cheese). Then you combine these two, stick it in a pan and top with the cheese. Easy peasy! I think you’ll love the simplicity and delicious-ness of this great dinner idea.
How to make Chicken Tetrazzini:
Here’s the printable recipe for Tetrazzini:
- 16 oz linguini, cooked
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked, diced
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 TB parmesan cheese
- 2 cup shredded mozzarella
- Cook noodles according to box instructions. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup butter, cooked chicken, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Mix well and then add in cooked noodles.
- Spray a 9x13 pan and pour in noodle mixture. Sprinkle cheeses on top. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. ENJOY!
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Oh man…yummy! I am always looking for new and easy recipes to make for my family! Thank you so much for sharing all of these delicious chicken recipes. They are all sure to be winners with my little fam! PINNED!
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This looks delicious, Kristyn! I want to dig in right now! Pinning for sure!
Kristyn , Happy New Year! I’ve never made chicken tetrazzini. Looks yummy and so does your crispy chicken pasta. My daughter hates red sauce so these recipes need to go onto my must try list.
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Looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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Can this be frozen? If so, should I cook it first or get it ready to bake and then freeze?
I’ve never freezed it but I’m sure you could get it all ready to cook and then the day off, take it out to let it unthaw and then cook the regular time. 😉
It should freeze well. Just defrost in the fridge and then bake. Because it has dairy in it the consistency may be a little different.
we love this we add mushrooms and pimentos for a twist of flavor. My kids asked for peas in it not sure if that would taste yummy.
No veggies??, I remember growing up tetrazzini having veggies. In our house, it was peas and mushrooms. Weird combo but it worked. Can I suggest cooking pasta less then what it says on the box? If you cook it to done then bake for another hour, you will have mushy pasta. Any casserole that uses pasta and is baked, I cook 1-2 minutes less.
That’s a great suggestion! I have never had that problem, but I could see how you could. And if you want veggies, feel free to add them. 😉
While the prep was easy enough, I found this recipe tasteless. Creamy linguini and chicken. And the butter, sour cream, cream of chix soup, (high in sodium) and cheese renders this recipe unhealthy. It sounded italian, to me “tetrazanni” could be nothing but. I tried…got
nothin…sorry!
One would think you could have figured out that this recipe isn’t super healthy from the start before you even decided to make it, simply based on the ingredients. Quickly googling the word “tetrazzini” will let you know that it’s not Italian, but rather American, and is typically presented just like this dish– basically, “creamy linguine with chicken” IS tetrazzini. I made this tonight and I thought it was easy and tasty– definitely not a health food, but a comfort food. It was anything but flavorless.
Oh yes, it’s definitely a comfort food!! Glad you liked it. 🙂
so – lighten it up yourself! Fat free sour cream, fat free cream-of-whatever or reduced sodium versions or make your own versions, add in veggies and reduce the amount of cheese or use fat-free/reduced sodium or a combo of fat-free, reduced sodium and regular cheese. Don’t think it tastes great? Add other spices. I almost never use a recipe with the exact ingredients more than once or twice due to family preferences and a low-sodium diet.
Cooking is fun!
Totally agree – I always change things up too. 😉
Sour cream for plain Greek yogurt maybe?
Yummy!!!! Thanks for sharing!! I used pasta spirals instead of linguini, added 1/2 a raw cauliflower (finely chopped), used a little less butter, and sprinkled breadcrumbs on top with the cheese (I also didn’t bother using the alfoil as I wanted a nice, brown, crispy top).
Mmmmm!!!! It was so yummy that I claimed the leftovers and have been enjoying them these last couple of days. 😉
It is a simple and yet very tasty meal which I have just written up in my recipe collection. Thanks again!!!
I made this tonight, just as the recipe states except my cream of chicken soup was cream of chicken with herbs (just happened to be what I had in the pantry). It is soooo good! Thank you so much! This is going into our regular dinner rotation!
Thanks for stopping by! I’ve never tried the cream of chicken wth herbs, so I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks for sharing! I am going to try this tonight. Is this dish really only baked at 300 degrees, or is that possibly a typo?
What are the daily values for this recipe? Fat, carbs, fiber, protein?
This may be a stupid question but is TB tablespoons? or what does it stand for, I have never seen tablespoon written like that (tbsp usually)
Hi, am making this tonight, as tetrazzini is my favorite dish. My only thought on the recipe as written is that chicken breasts come in all weights. How many ounces of chicken would you say you put in this dish? Thanks!!!! I also plan to mix the cheeses because there can never be too much cheese. xoxo
How did it turn out? I’d say it’s about 24-30 ounces of chicken… depends on how much chicken you like. You could always add more or do less. 😉 And you can never go wrong adding more cheese. ;D
Generally speaking, cooks use a capital T, Tbsp., TB, to indicate TABLESPOON, and the lower case letter t, tsp. to indicate teaspoon. Since you are sprinkling both the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses on top of the casserole, you really don’t have to measure the amounts exactly – just enough to give it a good covering. The parmesan is a stronger flavored cheese than the mild mozzarella, so less goes further. Asiago cheese is my favorite type of parmesan, with a nuttier taste – try subbing it for the parm.
Thanks Beck! Hopefully, that helps anyone with questions about that! I love Asiago! Great suggestion:)
This recipe is a huge hit with my family. Even my super picky 6 year old! I’m making it tonight with garlic bread after he begged for “the yummy chicken Tetris stuff” 🙂
Going to try this tmrw! BTW is it Parmasean chesse in powder or off the block?
Hi 🙂 I’m making this tonight and am planning on using rotisserie chicken. I know it says 4 breasts, but 2 rotisserie chickens sounds like a lot. Would you use one or two chickens?
I’d use one since 1 rotisserie chicken usually feeds about 4, which in mind is about 4 breasts. 😉
Going to give this a try tonight! Quick question… How did you prepare your chicken? Grilled, boiled, fried, etc?
I usually grill or bake it in the oven. For the oven, I usually drizzle olive oil on it and some lemon pepper at 400 for about 30-40 minutes and then I cube or shred. If I’m smart enough and have time, I usually cook it in the crock pot. 😉
This is one of the recipes that my instant pot comes on real handy. It cooks frozen chicken breast in 30 minutes. Just like you would put them in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. It falls apart and will shred with just stirring with a large fork.
I made this tonight as an unplanned meal scraping together what I had on hand. I cut the recipe in half and it filled an 8×8 dish, which was more than enough for our small family. I used 2 cups of rotisserie chicken from Costco, added fresh spinach, and used spaghetti noodles. I also only boiled the noodles long enough to make them able to mix and they finished cooking in the casserole since I detest soggy noodles and prefer al dente. It was delicious and passed the picky toddler test!
I’m so happy to hear that, Molly!! Fresh Spinach would be a great addition – will have to try that next time I make this. 😉
Do u use big cans of cream of chicken. Or small?
The smaller ones that are just over 10 ounces. 😉
This turned out so good, that my husband went back for seconds. This is definitely a keeper. Think I might add a vegetable in it next time.
So glad the fam liked it!! I think Broccoli would be a great addition. Let me know what you end up doing next time. 😉
Made this tonight for dinner. YUM! Thanks so much for the recipe! Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you liked it. It’s one of our favorites!! Haven’t made it for awhile so I need to add it to the rotation. 😉
This is in the oven right now! I cannot wait to eat it- I had to taste-test when I put it in the pan and it was divine!
Hope it turned out great!! 😀
II’ve never heard of tetrazzini but this looks amazing. When I googled tetrazzini i noticed that a more typical dish has wine…. Is there a reason you didn’t make it with wine or is it just as good without it?
All of these chicken recipes look soooo good. I usually get stuck in a rut and cook the same old chicken dishes. This will be a nice change the Chicken Tetrazzini looks divine and so easy. Thanks for sharing!
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if I omit the sour cream does it still taste as good? is there something I could substitute? We aren’t big sour cream people over here. thanks!
You can substitute cream cheese for sour cream.
Is there any way to make this a freezer meal in a bag vs a casserole dish?
Thanks!
everything looks so good! i’m going to make the chicken tetrazzini yummy
WOW!!! Three thumbs up from the family!
I made a couple of changes based on what I had on hand – leftover turkey in the freezer, replaced one of the cans of cream of chicken with cream of mushroom and I added frozen peas! True deliciousness. Thanks.
I am also using left over Turkey. Also adding mushroom and peas and a few green olives.
That’s perfect!! Thank you!!
How many pounds is four chicken breasts? They come in different weights and sizes. Four breasts could be two pounds or three pounds.
Do I use ready-to-serve cream of chicken soup or the kind that is condensed and you add water to make soup?
Im going to make this too i believe its just cream of chicken soup and dont add water to make soup thats where the stalk comes in to loosen the soup 🙂
I ended up using one can of condensed cream of chicken, and adding a half of a can of water, in addition to the can of chicken broth and halfed the sour cream. Also added garlic, parsley and other herbs. It was good!
SO glad you liked it – the additional ingredients sound yummy!
This was amazing. I added a little garlic and my husband couldn’t get enough. I will be making this again. I used low sodium soup and low fat cheese couldn’t even tell. Love it!
Can this be assembled at night, refrigerated and cooked the next morning? Taking this to a ladies club meeting.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
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Hi Kristyn! Thank you so much for this recipe. I came across it on Pinterest and it took me right back to childhood when my mom would make this. I made it tonight and it was delicious. I only used 1 cup of sour cream and 2 chicken breasts. I also added in some thyme and summer savory (and peas for a veggie). 3 out of 4 family members highly approved (the fourth is a 4 year old and wouldn’t even taste it because it wasn’t “usual pasketti”). Thanks a million!
Gonna attempt to make this Chicken Tetrazzini tonight for my family #!!!### let’s see how well I do…… Ur dish looks awesome hope my dish comes out looking just half as good!!
How did it turn out?
You have some beautiful kids…..and your recipes look so mouth watering……I love chicken tetrazzini and this sound like the best recipe I have seen…..looking forward to making this…
Love your blog……
Thank you so much! That’s sweet of you:) This one is one of our favorites!! I hope you give it a try!
I made this recipe just as stated and it turned out fantastic! The absolute best part was when my “I don’t eat chicken unless it’s a nugget” daughter tasted her ‘no thank you’ helping, piled her plate full, asked for seconds, and then asked when we could have it again!
I’d planned on putting the leftovers in containers to freeze for individual meals, but there weren’t any. Next time I’m definitely making a double batch, because this has gone on the short list of meals everyone in my house will eat!
LOL…yes, it’s the perfect recipe for those picky eaters! We love it! Glad you tried it and know it’s a keeper!! Thanks for sharing!
Holy smokes this was good. I did saute an onion and some mushrooms and added in. I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream cause that’s what I had in my fridge also with the cream of mushroom soups and broth I omitted extra salt. It was delish!
Yay!! I wish I liked onions or that’d be a great add in:) Thanks for letting me know!
May I make a suggestion? I made this recipe(with a few changes for personal preference) but found it was perfect to what I was looking for. I coated the chicken pieces with one dry Italian dressing mix and olive oil before cooking. Also instead of two cans cream of chicken, use one and a cream of mushroom (with roasted garlic). A family favorite now.
Sorry missed rating it.
Also it is great with roasted asparagus.
Those changes sound great!! I’m so glad your family likes it!! It’s one of our favorites, too, and I’ll have to try it with your changes!
I am trying out this recipe and I was wondering how do you cook your chicken? Do you boil it or bake it? What kind of spices do you use on the chicken?
You could cook it however you like. I cook it in the crockpot, I bake it, depending on the day or how much time I have, that determines how I cook it. I like to put a few chicken breasts in the crockpot, after buying it and you could sprinkle with just salt and pepper, or Italian seasoning and I like to shred it, so it’s ready when I need it. You could cut the chicken into cubes and fry them in oil, that way, as well. This recipe is great with shredded chicken or cubed. Hope that helps:)
This sounds so good. Making tonite with garlic toast. I’m going to add some mushrooms just because we like them.
Sounds delish!!! Especially, with garlic toast:) Enjoy!!!
mom of FIVE stinkin’ cute kids ?
Poor choice of words if your kids are cute.
Really Sue?! I think her kids are STINKIN’ cute! If you can’t be nice, don’t say anything. She’s putting her life and recipes out there for everyone to enjoy and she’s allowed to use whatever words she wants. Maybe you should leave her blog page.
This was really good! I added cayenne pepper & Italian seasoning. My kids loved it. Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds delish!! Thanks for letting me know!!
This recipe sounds delish! I was wondering if you’ve ever froze it to cook later?
I haven’t personally, but you totally could. I would prepare it in a foil pan and just cover it real well. Let me know what you think?
Thanks for this recipe . I love pasta!!!
You’re welcome!! I love pasta too 🙂 Let me know what you think!
your chicken tetrazzini is literally my favorite savory food ON EARTH!!!!
Oh, thank you so much!! We sure love it, too!!
My family recipe is very close to this but we use Vermont Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
That sounds delish!! Thanks for passing that on!
Just made this tonight. It was very yummy! Definitely a comfort food. Only thing I would do different next time is add some sautéed garlic. I’m a garlic lover…it goes in everything! Thanks for this yummy recipe!
I love garlic too!! That would be yummy! Thanks so much!!
I made this tonight. I changed things up a bit, feeling creative after reading some of the comments. I used Hatch Chili grated cheese instead of mozzarella. I added mushrooms and panko bread crumbs like I had read in some of the comments. I used the tops of 2 green onions and cooked it all at 350 degrees for 55 minutes without foil as I like it a bit crunchy. It was great and was a hit.
Love your changes! Thanks for sharing those!! So glad you liked it!!
This was delicious! However I will have to run an extra two miles tomorrow! The kiddos loved it and I am excited to try it out on my husband. I always test out new recipes on the kiddos first. Next time I will try some swaps like Greek yogurt, less butter and whole wheat linguine. Being from New Mexico I may also add some green chile. Thanks for the recipe, I found it on Pinterest 😊
LOL!! Thanks for letting me know! Those changes sound great!!
Have you ever made this the night before and put it in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to go in the oven the next day after work?
I have not, but I’m sure it’d be ok. Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for stopping by!!
This looks great! I am trying to find a dish for a church small group meal. How many does this feed?
I would say a 9×13 can feed 10-12 people, as long as their helpings aren’t huge! If you are taking to a church group, you could maybe double and put in a 11×17 dish. Hope that helps! Thanks!!
I am making this to night, I’ll let you know what my son in law says! ☕
Awesome!! I hope you all love it as much as we do!! Thanks so much..I want to hear!
OK, I have 6 grandkids, my daughter & son in law I cooked for this eveming. I almost doubled the recipie. Everyone (but the 4yr old) loved it, I will be making it again! I served it with a salad & warm bread. 💞
Yay!! Thanks so much for letting me know!! So glad they liked it!
Sooooooo….here’s the thing, I made this last night. I added mushrooms. Cooked my chicken in the crockpot then used the broth to boil the noodles. I didn’t have any mozz so I used what I had which was Colby jack. And I added some garlic powder. It was so good, I was told, not asked, but told to make it again tonight. So that’s the thing, this dish should come with a disclaimer “will make your family (husband, daughter 9 and son 4) ravenous wacka-do’s who now only want this for dinner”. Thank you for that. 😉
LOL!!! Sorry about that 🙂 My kids love it, too!! I’m glad they like it!
This is perfect comfort food.
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It sure is!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
I made the Chicken Tetrazzini tonite and it was absolutely delicious!!!!! 😊 My family loved It! ♡♡♡
I am so happy to hear that!!! Thanks for letting me know!!
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! Can’t make it all the time because we’re trying to eat healthier, but definitely a keeper for a treat!
Thanks and no, can’t have every night…would need to hit the gym hard!!
Any substitute for sour cream? Cuz I don’t like it. Has anyone tried it with cream cheese instead? Thanks!
Any substitute for sour cream, because I don’t like it. Has anyone tried it with cream cheese? Thanks!
I have not. Anyone else?
I was kinda wondering if I could substitute the butter with country crock, or is butter better for the recipe?
You totally could!! I don’t think it’d change it, really. Enjoy!! Thank you!
This dish is marvelous. I made it today and it’s delicious. I did saute’ a small sliced up yellow onion in the butter before adding the rest of the ingredients. I didn’t miss celery but may add it or small peas sometime, but it’s definitely good on its own. For company I would add pimentos for color, but for just me it’s terrific like this. And you can do it all in one pot, drain the pasta in collander and then add all the stuff to that pot to mix before pouring it in the baking dish. I only had to bake for 35 min but left it in the hot oven for an extra 5 min just to be following the recipe. It’s wonderful!
Oh, thank you for letting me know! Those changes all sound wonderful! Thanks again!
And the onion was a complete accident, as I had thought it was in the recipe. Wasn’t until I began sauteeing it that I went back to the computer to double-check the ingredients, haha. But it turned out good. Thank you for this recipe!
I’ve made this it’s deliscious!!
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Yay, I’m so glad!! Thanks for trying it and for letting me know!!
Do you use the powder parmesan cheese or shredded parmesan cheese?
I just use grated parmesan cheese, but either would be ok 🙂 Thank you so much and hope you like this, as much as we do!
Having guests over for dinner tonight and decided to give this recipe a try. I added some minced garlic, and chopped up some fresh broccoli and carrots to mix in. VERY excited to see how this turns out! Best part is i was able to prep it all this morning, cover and throw it in the fridge until im ready to bake. 🙂
Oh, I’d love to know what everyone thinks! I hope it’s a hit. Thanks so much for giving it a try!
Made this tonight. It was great! I had 1 can of cream of chicken and 1 can of cream of celery. Turned out wonderfully!
Sounds perfect! Thanks so much for letting me know.
Loved it , My first try came out excellent !!!!! I will be adding this to my mix of things we eat in my house hold, Also instead of linguini noodles I used to rotoni noodles GREAT OUTCOME
Yay!! Thanks so much for sharing that and great idea to change up the noodles!
In trying to cut out carbs as much as possible, I switched out the noodles with pre-cooked spaghetti squash. I used slices of fresh mozzarella…other than that, I kept recipe the same. It just went into the oven…I am seriously drooling waiting for it!
PS. Your snickerdoodle recipe is in our family Hall of Fame!
So, glad the snickerdoodles made the Hall of Fame!! And, I love your healthier version! I will have to try that. Thanks so much.
Is this a 1 lb pkg of linguini?
Yes 🙂 I hope you enjoy!!
This was an instant family favorite. I’ve already made it about 4 more times. Comfort food at its best.
Total comfort food!! I’m so glad your family loves it! Thank you so much!
This is delicious! Because my family is a fan of spices, specifically lemon pepper and GARLIC, I dice up the chicken before I brown it up in a pan and use a good amount of lemon pepper and minced garlic. I can’t wait to make this again, but try using spinach noodles.
Thanks so much for letting me know and spinach noodles sound great!
I need this recipe for 50 servings
You could double or triple..multiply it as many times as you need. Or make 2 double batches in 2 pans? I haven’t made it for that many before. Good luck!