Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini starts with sautéed mushrooms, onions, freshly cooked chicken breasts, and al dente linguine; and ends up a delicious baked pasta dish with a crunchy cheesy bread crumb topping. You are going to love it!
There is nothing better on a fall evening than a creamy, delicious baked pasta dish. It really is all about the crispy, crunchy topping. We can’t lie, we love pasta, any pasta! But there’s something extra special about a crispy breadcrumb, cheesy topping that only a baked pasta can deliver. Â
We love how traditional this dish feels, using mostly pantry staple items. The sauce is made from scratch, and the onion and mushrooms really add amazing flavor to this seemingly simple dish. Cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini is a family favorite, and we’re sure your family will love it just as much as ours!
Mushrooms: Optional?
We highly recommend keeping the mushrooms in this dish. The flavor is just divine and we couldn’t imagine chicken tetrazzini without them! However, we know that everyone’s tastes vary and if you are not a mushroom lover, you can leave them out.
Pasta Options for Chicken Tetrazzini:
We love linguine, but feel free to experiment with different types of pasta. Spaghetti is always a great option, but you could also experiment with penne or other tube-shaped pasta. Just remember to cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the package as it will continue to cook in the oven and you don’t want to end up with mushy pasta.
Chicken Shortcut:
If you are short on time, you can always cook the chicken ahead of time or even use shredded rotisserie chicken. It doesn’t get any easier than that! Simply substitute with 2 cups of pre-cooked or shredded rotisserie chicken.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious pasta recipes:
- Best Baked Ziti Ever
- Classic Chicken Marsala
- The Most Amazing Lasagna Recipe
- Old Fashioned Beef Stroganoff
This is a really good dish. I pretty much followed the recipe, but added lemon pepper and a few dashes of crushed red pepper so it wouldn’t be too bland for us. Have made it twice and have 2 tips for you: The recipe for 8 makes a huge amount and I ended up mixing it in my soup pot ’cause I didn’t have bowls large enough. The 2nd time I cut it in half and it was a more manageable size. Second, the prep time is listed at 20 minutes. It took me nearly an hour both times to get it in the oven. I may be slow, just saying you might want to start a little earlier when making this. Enjoy!
I made the 1/2 recipe and it also took Me about an hr to put together. The chicken breast took a while to cool down before I could cut it into pieces so I suggest cooking it ahead of time. Next time around I will. The end results were delicious. Definitely worth the work and the wait. Just glad I’m only cooking for myself nowadays back in the day I was cooking for 5 kiddos. The wait would have had them saying they were starving and was it done yet??
Great recipe, good proportions and balanced flavor. I did add a splash of Sherry and some chopped pimentos, cuz I love that unexpected flavor!
I just made this for dinner…..it is wonderful!!!!! A++. I realized too late that I did not have cream cheese so I substituted sour cream. I also added 11/2 cups of celery along with 1 cup of red pepper. The recipe is very easy to follow and the result was perfect. The tetrazzini is creamy but not soupy. I can’t wait to have it as leftovers tomorrow. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Love this recipe! In hindsight I should have cut it in half since there is only 2 of us. Good thing hubby likes leftovers. I added one carrot, one celery stalk and some red bell pepper. A definite keeper!
Wow – this was great. It makes a huge amount, so next time I’ll use my soup pot for the stove work. Added several shakes of lemon pepper and paprika – I often find tetrazinni to be bland. Will be freezing half for another time. It’s a keeper!