Chicken Tetrazzini (Creamy Pasta Bake)

Taking notes from my easy chicken spaghetti casserole, chicken tetrazzini is a deliciously creamy, buttery weeknight pasta bake. I make it with spaghetti and juicy chicken pieces tossed with a rich cream sauce, baked underneath a blanket of gooey mozzarella. 

This tetrazzini recipe skips the need for a béchamel sauce made from scratch, and uses condensed cream soup for a quick, family-friendly shortcut.

Reasons to Make This Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini

• It’s quick to prep. Make the no-cook cream sauce in the minutes it takes to boil your spaghetti. Afterward, mix it all together and bake!
• Use leftover chicken. If you already have cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, chicken tetrazzini is a great way to use it up.
• Pantry-friendly. Everything you need to make tetrazzini is easily found in the pantry or grocery store. The ingredients are also very adaptable. I include some of my favorite variation ideas further in the post.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

Here are some quick notes outlining the ingredients in this cozy chicken tetrazzini recipe, plus possible substitutions if you need them. Scroll to the recipe card after the post for the full recipe and ingredient amounts.

• Spaghetti – Classic tetrazzini recipes call for long pasta. Instead of spaghetti, you could also use linguine or fettuccine, or homemade egg noodles.
• Chicken – I recommend boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs as they’re easiest to chop or shred. Cook your chicken in the oven or air fryer, or you can save time with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
• Cream of Chicken Soup – I use low-sodium canned cream of chicken. Try another kind of canned soup, like cream of mushroom, for a different flavor profile.
• Sour Cream – Or Greek yogurt, if you need a substitute.
• Butter – Brought to room temperature.
• Chicken Broth – Low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken stock. For a more traditional tetrazzini cheese sauce, substitute half of the broth with sherry or a dry white wine, like Chardonnay.
• Seasonings – I used garlic powder, dried parsley, and ground pepper. You could use fresh if you have it on hand. Replace the dried herbs in the recipe with two freshly minced garlic cloves and 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley.
• Mozzarella – You could also use another melty cheese, like shredded cheddar, in a pinch. For smoother melting, shred the cheese fresh from the block.
• Parmesan – Other good options are Pecorino and Grana Padano. Again, use freshly grated for the best flavor and texture.
• Slivered Almonds – Optional, but I love sprinkling the top of my tetrazzini with chopped or slivered almonds for crunch. You could also add breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or leave the top plain.

How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini

Unlike similar chicken tetrazzini recipes, this one doesn’t involve cooking the sauce before you bake it! All you need to do is follow the steps below to cook the pasta, stir together the sauce ingredients, and transfer everything to a baking dish:

• Prepare for baking. Get the pasta boiling while you preheat the oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, grease a large casserole dish. When the pasta has cooked according to the package directions, drain it and set it aside.
• Make the sauce. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the creamy soup, sour cream, butter, broth, and seasonings. Stir to combine.

• Assemble the pasta. Now, fold the cooked noodles into the sauce. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish. Then, sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan on top. Add the extra parsley and almonds (if desired) as a garnish.

• Bake. Bake your chicken tetrazzini uncovered at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes. When the cheese is hot and bubbling, you’re ready to serve!

Can I Make This Without Canned Soup?

Yes. It’s possible to prepare this chicken tetrazzini the old-fashioned way, and replace the two cans of condensed soup in the recipe with a homemade base. In this case, I’d suggest borrowing the basic béchamel you’d make for baked mac and cheese, using a 1:1 ratio of fat to flour:

1. To make it, melt ¼ cup of butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. 
2. Whisk in ¼ cup of flour, cook for 1-2 minutes, and then slowly whisk in 2 cups of milk (or heavy cream) until smooth. You can replace half of the milk with chicken broth for more flavor if you’d like.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and simmer for a few minutes until the béchamel thickens. Afterward, it’s ready to combine with the rest of the ingredients to make the sauce.

Easy Variations

• Different protein. Swap cooked chicken for shrimp scampi or steak bites.
• Vegetarian. Leave the chicken out or replace it with pre-cooked vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. 
• Add greens. Mix leafy greens into the sauce, like fresh or frozen spinach, peas, or kale.
• Make it spicy. Add a sprinkle of crushed red chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce to taste.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store and Reheat Tetrazzini

• Refrigerate. Store leftover chicken tetrazzini airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
• Reheat. Warm leftovers in the oven, or you can reheat individual portions in the microwave or in a saucepot on the stovetop.