Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

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Delicious and creamy chicken tetrazzini with peas and parmesan. It’s perfect for a cozy night in, and will definitely leave you feeling satisfied. Plus, it’s pretty easy to make, so you won’t have to spend hours in the kitchen.

picture of baked chicken tetrazzini noodle casserole with peas on a plate

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picture of baked chicken tetrazzini noodle casserole with peas in a dish

Creamy Baked Chicken Noodle Casserole

this dish is a creamy, hearty, and crazy easy dinner that uses rotisserie chicken and cream of chicken soup to cut the prep time – so you can get a down-home style dinner, quick.

If you love ultra-comforting, cheesy, rich, and delicious chicken casseroles – this baked tetrazzini is for you!

While Chicken Tettrazini might sound Italian, it is an American dish – named for Italian singer Luisa Tetrazzini, also known as the Florentine Nightingale. Some people trace the dish’s history to San Fransisco, and some people say it was from the Knickerboker Hotel in New York – but either way, it was made for fans of the opera in America, and doesn’t have Italian roots!

We hope you love this recipe as much as we do.

How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini

To make this dish, you’ll need:

Butter – butter brings a rich, hearty flavor, helps to prep the pan to make it nonstick, and adds a perfect fat ratio to our sauce to thicken it.
Onion – onion adds a vegetal, earthy, and pungent flavor to dishes to add complexity and a bit of heat.
Flour – flour helps to thicken the sauce and set our casserole.
Cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup – a can of cream of chicken soup or a can of cream of mushroom soup gives a rich, flavorful, thick, and creamy base to casseroles and helps them set up while saving time.
Cream cheese – cream cheese brings a tart, sour, rich, and cheesy flavor to tetrazzini that is addictive and irresistible!
Chicken stock or broth – to bake this dish, we need additional liquid to prevent our noodles from drying out – while you could use water, adding stock provides more rich, salty, addictive flavor.
Milk – milk provides a slightly sweet, delicious base for our creamy sauce.
Cream – cream is thick, buttery in flavor, and has the perfect fat content to make this sauce perfect.
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder – garlic powder adds an addictive pungent earthy flavor that rounds out a dish and helps rich, cheesy dishes taste a bit more balanced.
Frozen peas – frozen peas are a classic addition to chicken tetrazzini.
Rotisserie chicken, shredded – for this recipe, you’ll need about 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat, so we’re using a rotisserie chicken and shredding it. You can also use baked chicken breasts, or any leftover chicken you might have.
Egg noodle spaghetti – you can use whatever pasta you love, but we love the hearty flavor of egg noodles when making tetrazzini.
Shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese – shredded cheese takes this casserole over the top – we mix in cheese throughout the pasta and chicken, so you get a ton in every bite.
Grated Parmesan cheese – grated parmesan cheese acts as a salty, crunchy topping that browns and gives a light crispy bite that is the best part!
Fresh chopped parsley , for garnish

picture of chicken tetrazzini ingredients on a table

picture of shredded rotisserie chicken on egg noodles

picture of chicken tetrazzini ingredients in a dish

picture of parmesan cheese over chicken tetrazzini in a dish

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we’re going to follow this method:

Prep & preheat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 casserole dish well, set aside.
Boil pasta. Boil pasta to very al dente. Pasta should be pliable, but still quite crunchy.
Make the sauce. Make a roux with butter and flour, then make sauce. Stir in cream cheese, milk, cream, soup, stock, herbs, and melt cream cheese. Stir to thicken, then remove from heat.
Add chicken and peas. Add shredded rotisserie chicken and peas to noodles.
Add sauce. Pour soup and cream cheese mixture over noodles. Top with shredded cheese and grated parmesan.
Bake. Bake 35-40 minutes, until top is browned and casserole is bubbling hot.
Serve – and enjoy!

picture of baked chicken tetrazzini noodle casserole with peas in a red dish

Tips and Tricks to Make Chicken Tetrazzini

Use al dente noodles. If your noodles are cooked over al dente, they may turn to mush when baked.

Bake until hot and bubbly. You’ll know this recipe is done when the sides brown and bubble. The crunch on the top is the best part – let the top brown!

FAQs

How long can I store this recipe?

Chicken tetrazzini can be stored up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

What noodles should I use?

I love the flavor of egg noodles in tetrazzini, but you can use any pasta you love.

Can I use leftover chicken instead of rotisserie chicken?

If you have leftover baked chicken you can use it instead of a rotisserie chicken, simply swap it out for 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken meat.

Can I add other vegetables?

Broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers are all delicious in this recipe in addition to or in place of the frozen peas.

What to Serve With Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken tettrazini is creamy, hearty, and rich – so it pairs best with a lighter side dish. I like to serve with Texas toast, some deliciously easy garlic knots, a fun and bright dragonfruit salad, or an easy drink like a Pimms Cup cocktail.

Since this casserole is hearty on it’s own, we also love pairing it with a salad like our Aspen Village salad, or an Easy Pasta Salad. You can see more of our Easy Salad Recipes here: