Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini – a new family favorite! It is on repeat in our house! Just dump everything in the casserole dish and refrigerate overnight. No boiling the noodles. They will soften overnight and be cooked to perfection in the finished dish. Chicken, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, milk, chicken broth, onion, garlic, elbow macaroni and parmesan cheese. Use a rotisserie chicken for quick prep.
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New favorite alert!!! This Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini is on repeat in our house. It is SO good! We can not get enough of this easy chicken casserole. We LOVED all the flavors in this casserole. Creamy chicken pasta with parmesan cheese. It tastes just like my Grandmother’s Chicken Tetrazzini recipe but without all the extra work of boiling the noodles. I love no-boil pasta casseroles like this! They are perfect for busy weeknights.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
This Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini is very easy to make. Just mix the chicken, broth, milk, soups, seasonings and pasta together and pour in a lightly greased baking pan. Cover this dish and refrigerate overnight. It will be ready to bake the next day for lunch or dinner.
I used rotisserie chicken in this Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini. It is my #1 time saver. We always have some pulled rotisserie chicken in the freezer for quick meal prep. It makes preparing casseroles like this a breeze!!
As I said, there is no need to cook the noodles ahead of time. They will absorb some of the liquid in the casserole dish as it sits overnight. They will finish cooking in the oven along with the rest of the casserole.
What Goes with Chicken Tetrazzini
Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make to go with this Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini:
Italian Asparagus
Italian Asparagus – our favorite asparagus recipe!! Such an easy side dish!! Fresh asparagus, diced Italian tomatoes, garlic salt, pepper,…
Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms
Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms Recipe – fresh green beans and mushrooms tossed in olive oil, balsamic, garlic salt, pepper…
Creamy Italiano Salad
Creamy Italiano Salad with Homemade Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad!!! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers,…
Italian Herb Skillet Bread
Italian Herb Skillet Bread – Super easy garlic bread that tastes AMAZING! Only a few simple ingredients – frozen bread…
Can I Freeze Leftover Chicken Tetrazzini?
Since there are only two of us, we had leftovers. The leftovers were equally delicious heated up. You can freeze the leftover casserole for a quick meal later. I freeze this casserole after I have baked it. When you are ready to eat the leftover casserole, just thaw and either cover and bake in the oven or microwave the dish to reheat the Chicken Tetrazzini.
We’ve made this several times over the past few months and just can’t seem to get enough of it. Add it to your menu ASAP! I promise it will be a hit!!
Overnight Chicken Tetrazzini
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken, whole rotisserie chicken
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup
- 1 (10.5-oz) can Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1¼ cup milk
- 1¼ cup chicken broth
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 8-oz elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 cup grated parmesan
Instructions:
- Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, milk, chicken broth, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir in uncooked pasta.
- Pour pasta mixture into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Remove casserole from refrigerator and uncover.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Top casserole with grated parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Video:
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:
Steph
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Very good, it was so easy!! I would make it again, but not add the cheese until it has baked at least 40 to 45 minutes. I followed Elizabeth Mulgrew’s review and added the cheese after 30 minutes. I felt the cheese still got too dark, but that may have been because I used my toaster oven. Anyway, I cut the recipe in half and won’t make that mistake again. LOL
Using a toaster oven will definitely make a difference. So glad you enjoyed it
This is a hearty down-home easy make-ahead casserole for busy working moms! The only change I would make is to add the Parmesan the last half hour of baking, not at the beginning. Maybe I have a hot oven, but my Parmesan was too hardened when baked for the whole hour. So simple and fuss-free for a good family meal!
Can this be made in the morning before work and cooked when getting home from work or does it work best to be in the fridge overnight and all day then bake at supper time?? Thanks
Can I use another pasta such as Penne?
You can try it! I would think it would work fine.
Can you use a different cheese?
yes
Could this be frozen after prepped for another day?
I haven’t tried that so I can not say how it would turn out.
What would the time it needs to soak be? Like if I put it together in the am and (like 8 hrs later) bake that night? Or would it need to soak longer? Thanks
Does the chicken need to be cooked? Or could you thaw frozen chicken, chop it, refrigerate it overnight, and then bake it uncooked? Or do you need to cook it seperately first?
This recipe calls for cooked chicken
I was wondering if there is something else I could use other than cream of mushroom soup, as my family refuse to eat mushrooms? Thank you.
Use two cans of cream of chicken soup. (I did it and it worked perfect, I even used 98% fat free – way fewer calories and less fat as well).
do you have to put in the fridge over night or could I use cooked pasta?
This recipe is written to refrigerate the pasta casserole overnight. I have several other Chicken Tetrazzini recipes on the blog that use cooked pasta. Use the search box or look in the recipe index.
This sounds too tasty for words! I am wondering if it could be done in
a slow cooker. Just put together, keep in the frig. or do it in the morning
and cook on slow….say 3 hours?
I haven't made this in the slow cooker, I would think you could do either. I would probably put it together in the slow cooker insert and refrigerate it overnight. That would mimic the original recipe. All the liquid in the dish softens the pasta overnight. I would think 3 hours would be a good start – it just need to be warmed through. Let us know how it turns out!
Have you tried freezing this? Only 2 of us and hubby isn’t fond of eating left overs night after night.
I haven't tried freeze this casserole, but I think it would be just fine. I freeze leftover pasta casseroles all the time and they are great reheated. Just thaw and pop in the microwave. Easy!
Can I use whole wheat pasta?
I haven’t tried this with whole wheat pasta, but I would think it would be fine
Could I use angel hair pasta?
I think angel hair might be too thin.
Anyway to keep from having crunchy dried noodles on the top after cooking
make sure to push the noodles down into the liquid before refrigerating
This looks awesome! i love anything with cream of mushroom soup!