The Best Chicken Tetrazzini

The BEST Chicken Tetrazzini begins with chicken, mushrooms, and pasta that is tossed together with a creamy, garlicky sauce.

Then everything is sprinkled with just a handful of cheese and baked long enough to melt it all together. Served with warm bread and a salad, this meal is a hit every time.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Almost 15 years ago, a very sweet friend brought my family a pan of this Chicken Tetrazzini. It was a night just a few days after my middle son was born; in the midst of our new baby fog and sleep deprivation, we managed to eat an absurd amount of this dish.

You know those dishes you taste once and can’t stop thinking about? This chicken Tetrazzini recipe is one of those. When you’re exhausted from a new baby, a hot meal at the end of the day is extra divine.

I promised Sean I’d get the recipe from my friend as soon as possible. She shared the recipe with me and this pasta has made regular appearances on our table every since. 

This was the best chicken and pasta dish we had ever tasted, giving it the honor of being christened “The Best Chicken Tetrazzini.”

It’s an easy and comforting dinner that I make so often I can just about cook it from memory at this point. And I have a feeling that chicken tetrazzini will be a meal my boys think of when they think of favorite family dinners from their childhoods.

The Best Chicken Tetrazzini

My whole family enjoys this meal very much and one of my boys would happily do his best to eat this entire recipe on his own! As I began to make this for dinner last night, I was surprised to realize that I didn’t already have this recipe on the blog.

It’s become such a favorite, I rarely even pull out my recipe book when I make it anymore. Since this is one of our family’s most requested meals, I couldn’t live myself if I didn’t share the love with all of you.

Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe

This chicken tetrazzini looks like it has a lot of steps but it’s plenty easy enough for a weeknight meal. It’s a fantastic way to use up leftover baked chicken, too!

If you don’t have any leftover cooked chicken and don’t feel like making any, a grocery rotisserie chicken will work just fine too.

To make this chicken tetrazzini, you start by sauteing mushrooms in a pan with melted butter and garlic. The smell of the garlic cooking in the butter is always enough to make me want to eat all the garlicky mushrooms straight from the pan. Luckily, knowing how good the final dish is, gives me the self-control I need.

After removing the cooked mushrooms from the heat, you make a roux with more butter, flour and chicken broth then add heavy cream. Pour the sauce over a pan layered with cooked pasta, cooked chicken and the mushrooms then sprinkle the whole thing with cheese.

20 minutes in the oven gets the sauce bubbling and the cheese melty. Chicken Tetrazzini is delicious served hot from the oven. We also love having leftovers around to reheat for the next couple of days.

This chicken recipe is garlicky, creamy and full of tender chicken. I can’t emphasize enough how big of a hit this meal is both with the kids and adults alike.

Do you have mushroom haters in your family? This recipe is completely delicious without the mushrooms as well.

I find that the mushroom flavor is not very strong in this recipe compared to the garlic and chicken. Even my kids who aren’t the biggest fans of mushrooms enjoy the chicken tetrazzini recipe as written. That said, if you’re truly mushroom averse feel free to leave them out. 

Chicken Tetrazzini is a full meal all on its own but it would also be great served with a simple green salad tossed with Homemade Italian Salad Dressing.

Baked Pasta Recipes

Looking for more baked pasta ideas? The Easiest Ever Baked Macaroni and Cheese is on our meal plan for this week. As an added bonus, it looks simple enough that my kids should be able to make it themselves.

We love the convenience of a make-ahead pasta salad like the Creamy Pasta Salad or Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad. If you love the garlic in this chicken tetrazzini recipe you’re also sure to love Garlic Lover’s Potato Salad

For a pasta that’s sure to warm you up, try this Mushroom Florentine Pasta or this One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Pasta. Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta and Homemade Hamburger Helper are kid favorites too.

Lately, we’ve all been loving this Cheesy Pizza Pasta Bake and this Cheesy Baked Mexican Pasta. With a side of crusty bread, these meals are wonderfully carb-filled dinners that no one can resist.

Big pans of baked pasta also make a good amount of food so we’re likely to have leftovers for lunch the next day. No matter how many times I make baked pasta, my kids never seem to tire of it.

Kitchen Tip: I use this skillet, this colander, and this baking dish to make this recipe.

The Best Chicken Tetrazzini

5 from 9 votes

Recipe barely adapted from and with thanks to my friend Lisa

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Servings: 6 servings

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 8 ounces spaghetti noodles or the pasta of your choice (gluten free works great)
• ▢ 5 tablespoons butter divided
• ▢ 1-3 large cloves garlic
• ▢ 8 ounces baby mushrooms sliced
• ▢ 3 cups cooked chicken chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour brown rice flour works great for gluten free
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt skip this, or adjust as needed, if using store-bought chicken broth
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain the pasta, according to the directions on the package. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and the mushrooms, cook for 3-5 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken, toss to coat and remove from the heat.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the melted butter and then slowly add the chicken broth, whisking to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the cream. When the sauce begins to simmer again, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer on low, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cooks. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place the pasta in a 9×13 baking dish and then spread the chicken mixture over top of it. Pour the sauce over everything to coat thoroughly and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted. Stir if desired, right before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

This classic recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini can be made both with and without the mushrooms. Feel free to skip them, if they aren’t your thing. The garlic in this recipe is adjustable to your tastes, I always opt for more, because we are huge garlic lovers. I tend to use whichever pasta I have on hand when making this meal, though spaghetti noodles are my favorite most of the time.

Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally posted 8/29/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/7/20}