Chicken Tetrazzini – super delicious make-ahead casserole! Makes a great freezer meal!! Chicken, linguine, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, butter, chicken broth, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese. SO creamy and delicious. Made this for dinner and everyone cleaned their plate! Even our picky eaters. This is definitely going in the dinner rotation!
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Pin This RecipeThe BEST Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Tetrazzini is a holiday tradition in our family. My grandmother made the BEST chicken tetrazzini. It is my favorite recipe, but I am always open to trying new versions. I came across this version in one of my old cookbooks. It differed from my grandmother’s recipe with sour cream in the mixture. I thought that sounded interesting, so I gave it a try! OMG! SO good! Comfort food at its best. You must give this a try ASAP!
What does Tetrazzini mean?
This dish is named after Luisa Tetrazzini, a famous Italian opera star at the turn of the 20th century. She made her American debut in San Francisco in 1905. In her honor, chef Ernest Arbogast at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, named his signature baked chicken dish, chicken tetrazzini, after her.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
This chicken casserole is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside. In a large bowl, whisk together cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, melted butter, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Stir in cooked chicken and pasta. Transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole bubbly.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- I use rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken in this casserole. You can use any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand. Chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken tenders are all great.
- I use linguine noodles in this baked pasta. You can use any pasta shape you prefer. Spaghetti, fettuccine,vermicelli, or penne all work fine.
- I suggest using low-sodium chicken broth.
- Can substitute white wine for chicken broth for more flavor.
- Feel free to add green peas, onions, or spinach to the casserole.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- Can Chicken Tetrazzini be made in advance? Yes! Assemble the casserole and refrigerate overnight before baking.
- Can Chicken Tetrazzini be frozen? Yes! Assemble the casserole and cool completely. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place the dish in the freezer and freeze.
- When ready to bake, place the dish in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and bake as directed.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With Chicken Tetrazzini
I used linguine noodles in this version of Chicken Tetrazzini. Chicken Legs prefers the thicker noodles to my usual thin spaghetti noodles. Overall, this was a hit! We served it with some green beans and homemade rolls. You could also serve this with the Creamy Italiano Salad I posted yesterday. That actually sounds really delicious! Totally doing that next time! Here are a few more recipes from the blog that go great with this delicious chicken casserole:
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Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-oz) package linguine pasta
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken meat removed and chopped
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 (16-oz) container sour cream
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tsp dried parsley
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 300ºF. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large bowl, combine chopped chicken, soups, sour cream, butter, broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Stir in cooked pasta.
- Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with cheeses and parsley. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Notes:
- I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken & Mushroom Soups in this dish to control the sodium.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon:
- Cream of Chjcken: https://amzn.to/49n4uZE
- Cream of Mushroom: https://amzn.to/3SkpNVv
- Need Gluten-free soup? You can buy it here:
- Cream of Chicken: https://amzn.to/3MtqQ1s
- Cream of Mushroom: https://amzn.to/45WqyXY
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup: https://www.plainchicken.com/homemade-cream-of-chicken-soup/
- Substitute mushroom bouillon to make cream of mushroom soup.
- You can buy it by the case at Amazon:
- Can make casserole in advance and refrigerate or freeze for later.
- If baking directly from the refrigerator, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- To bake the casserole after freezing, thaw completely in the refrigerator and bake as directed above.
Steph
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Okay!!! I just tried it again and all is well!! YAY!! Can’t wait to make this one too!
Hope you enjoy it!
Made this recipe tonight, absolutely delicious!!
The only thing I changed was the pasta, I’m not a linguine fan so I did thin spaghetti. Will definitely make this again. So easy & so much flavor!!
This recipe is GOLD! I usually split it between two 8×8 pans and freeze one of them in a disposable pan. Keeps really well in the freezer and reheats wonderfully!
Wow. Delicious and so creamy. Its heavy on the wet ingredients so the pasta doesnt soak it all up making it dry. Highly recommend.
My son hates mushrooms. Are they obvious in the recipe? Substitution?
the only mushrooms are in the cream of mushroom soup. You can substitute any cream of soup if you need to. I don’t eat mushrooms, and I love this dish.
I just mix the mushroom soup with the chicken broth, use a strainer to sift the soup mis into a Bowl to remove those pesky mushrooms my family won’t eat.
great tip!
Thanks for another delicious recipe Steph. Have a good day!
I’m curious about the oven temp. Why not at least 325?
Cook it at whatever temperature you like.
300 degrees?? Is that correct? Seems really low.
Yes – you can cook it at whatever temperature you wish, Penny.
Except I know I’m always worried about times. So if you bump up the temp, will you have to cook it as long?
Cook it however long you wish.
I made this tonight with our leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. I ended up putting in 4 cups of chopped turkey and it seemed like a perfect amount. I also was wondering about the 300-degree oven temperature. I did follow the directions……45 minutes covered at 300 degrees and then 15 minutes uncovered at 300 degrees. It still wasn’t bubbling and middle didn’t seem hot enough, so I ended up bumping up the temp to 350 and baked it for another 15 minutes still uncovered. The cheese started to turn brown around the edges and it was finally bubbling up. It was perfect! We enjoyed this recipe, thanks for sharing. Might be in our yearly rotation with leftover turkey. 🙂
The temperature is correct. Could be your oven cooks slower, could be your dish was deeper than some baking dishes, who knows? I’m glad you enjoyed it.
How long does this stay good in the freezer? Just wondering
I love this recipe.
I do the cooking since I retired… my wife is a career lady… I love tp cook. She suggested this dish because it sounded Italian (she’s 100%)
I added some bacon left over from breakfast, fresh mushrooms and celery as a nod to my mother’s recipe.
YUM YUM
Thank you
Can you substitute heavy whipping cream or half and half for the sour cream? What did your Grandmother use instead of sour cream?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
My family really liked it., and it couldn’t have been easier to make. Do leftovers freeze well?
SO glad you enjoyed it. The leftovers do freeze well.
Amazing!!!!
Amazing!!! What is the best way to freeze?
Has anyone used yogurt instead of sour cream?
You could use plain Greek Yogurt and it should work just fine.
Have you ever thrown in fresh mushrooms before baking?
I haven't but that sounds delicious. I would suggest sautéing the fresh mushrooms first. Mushrooms have a ton of water in them. If you throw them in raw, it might make the casserole watery.
What size chicken should you use for this Recipe?