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Easy, creamy, and utterly delicious cheesy chicken tetrazzini is a family favorite that takes minutes to prep!
Our go-to Chicken Pasta Dinner!
Today’s recipe for chicken tetrazzini happens to be one of those yummy recipes that everyone enjoys. In fact, our family is obsessed and because of that, it’s our go-to chicken pasta dinner.
With over 1,000 5 STAR REVIEWS, you can see it’s not just loved by our family. It’s a recipe our mom first found decades ago and especially loved with fried zucchini, cheesy garlic bread and roasted vegetables.
Why we love it:
- DELICIOUS! As mentioned above, it has all the delicious ingredients that make for a cheesy, hearty, yummy pasta dinner.
- SIMPLE. Not only is it delicious, but the recipe is simple too. There are extra steps in cooking the chicken and pasta, but it’s a classic easy dinner idea.
- HOLIDAY DINNER. We have made this for SO many special occasions including birthdays, Sunday dinner, and holidays. It’s always a hit!
Ingredients
- linguine – Substitute the linguine with fettuccine, tagliatelle or spaghetti.
- unsalted butter
- chicken breasts, cooked and diced – chicken thighs or rotisserie chicken also work
- cream of chicken soup – cream of mushroom soup or even the combined cream of chicken and mushroom soup work great too
- sour cream
- garlic salt with parsley flakes
- pepper
- chicken broth
- grated Parmesan cheese
- shredded Mozzarella cheese – Change it up by using different cheeses.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- PASTA. Cook noodles, to al dente, according to the box instructions. Drain and set aside.
- SAUCE. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, sour cream, butter, chicken broth, garlic salt, and pepper. Mix well, then stir in cooked noodles.
- BAKE. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle both cheeses on top and bake, uncovered, for 36–42 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Complete the Meal:
- SIDE DISHES: Cheesy Garlic Bread, Baked Parmesan Asparagus. Olive Garden Breadsticks, Fried Zucchini
- DESSERTS: Italian Cookies, Panna Cotta, Angel Food Cake
- More easy Chicken Pasta Dinners: Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Stroganoff, Chicken Alfredo Bake
More Collections: Sunday Dinner Ideas, Italian Dinner Ideas, Chicken Pasta Recipes
Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
Easy, creamy, and utterly delicious cheesy chicken tetrazzini is a family favorite that takes minutes to prep!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguini cooked
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt with parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook noodles, to al dente, according to the box instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, sour cream, butter, chicken broth, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well, then stir in cooked noodles.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle both cheeses on top and bake, uncovered, for 36–42 minutes, until cheeses are melted and bubbling.
Video
Notes
Make ahead of time. We frequently make this tetrazzini recipe ahead of time. Just make it as instructed except don’t top with the cheese or bake. Instead, cover tightly with foil or saran wrap and place in fridge for up to 24 hours before adding the cheese and baking.
STORE leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
FREEZE. Just make as instructed, cover tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Just let thaw in the fridge overnight, add the cheese and bake in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 714kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 37g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 166mg, Sodium: 1284mg, Potassium: 687mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1086IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 248mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
RECIPE FAQ
Best Variations for Tetrazzini?
- Vegetables. Add in vegetables like peas, corn, broccoli florets, mushrooms, and onions.
- Seasonings. Season with garlic salt, or parsley flakes. Add a little heat after it has been baked with some red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- Meat. Use freshly made or leftover turkey instead. Be sure to check out our Turkey Tetrazzini too!
Can this be made ahead of time?
- We frequently make this chicken tetrazzini recipe ahead of time. Just make it as instructed except don’t top with the cheese or bake. Instead, cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours before adding the cheese and baking.
How to store chicken Tetrazzini?
- STORE leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- FREEZE. Just make as instructed, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Just let thaw in the fridge overnight, toss it with a bit of fresh milk, add the cheese, and bake in the oven.
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. 😉
Do u use big cans of cream of chicken. Or small?
The smaller ones that are just over 10 ounces. 😉
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. 😉
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.
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. 😉
I’d use 1 rotisserie chicken but also include dark meat.
I love the dark meat poultry. I’m new to dentures so it’s so much easier to eat!
Going to try this tmrw! BTW is it Parmasean chesse in powder or off the block?
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” 🙂
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
What are the daily values for this recipe? Fat, carbs, fiber, protein?