Chicken Tetrazzini

5 from 7 votes

A rich, creamy and delicious recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini. Our baked pasta casserole is filled with shredded chicken, sautéed mushrooms, peas, and smothered in a creamy sauce. It's pure comfort food at its best!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 30

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian-american

Servings:

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

12 ounces cooked bucatini
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ chopped onion
8 ounces cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons minced thyme
1 tablespoon minced oregano
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
8 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Grease a 9”x13” baking dish with 2 tablespoon butter.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.
Add onion and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add herbs and shredded chicken to the mushroom mixture, toss together and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Set aside.
In a saucepan, melt 3 ½ tablespoons butter over medium heat.
Add flour and whisk together until no lumps remain and the raw flour taste has been cooked out, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour milk into the mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue to whisk until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir ½ cup Parmesan into the béchamel and allow mixture to simmer for 1 minute.
Add stock and continue to simmer for 1 minute.
Add chicken mixture, pasta, reserved pasta water, and peas to sauce and toss together until fully combined. Sprinkle ¼ cup Parmesan over the mixture and toss together. Adjust seasonings if needed.
Pour pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and set aside.
In a small skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and toss together with panko. Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle evenly over the pasta mixture and top with remaining Parmesan.
Bake tetrazzini in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the panko has browned and the entire dish is bubbling. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Make Ahead

Our chicken tetrazzini can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. The entire dish can be assembled pre-bake (except for the buttered panko), tightly wrapped in foil and refrigerated until ready to use.

When ready to serve, uncover casserole, top with buttered panko and bake for about 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and golden brown on top.

Freezing

Our chicken tetrazzini can be frozen for up to 2 months. The entire dish can be assembled pre-baked (including the buttered panko), tightly wrapped in foil and stored in the freezer until ready to use.

When ready to serve, bake covered casserole in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and golden brown on top.

Tips and Tricks for Chicken Tetrazzini Success

Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save yourself a bunch of time!
Use bucatini instead of spaghetti so the pasta is not only coated in sauce, but filled with sauce from the inside out!
The creamy sauce should still be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, but expect it to be a thinner sauce, than a typical bechamél. The sauce will thicken when it bakes.
Don't be alarmed at the amount of sauce the recipe makes; you need a lot of sauce to ensure you don't end up with a dry pasta bake!
Use panko instead of plain breadcrumbs for a crispier top. We love the texture contrast the panko provides in this creamy dish.

Variations

Mix it up with a variety of mushrooms like shiitake, porcini and oyster.
Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and increasing the amount of mushrooms. You can also add other vegetables into this dish like broccoli florets and sautéed bell peppers.
Although we love using panko, try topping the dish with crushed buttery crackers like Ritz or oyster crackers! So good!
A long strand pasta is more traditional, but if you prefer a shaped pasta, go for it! We just recommend using something like fusilli or penne which picks up lots of the delicious sauce!

Nutrition