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The creamy and oh so delicious cheesy sauce in this recipe is the secret to this amazingly delicious chicken casserole! Cozy up with a loved one or the whole family and enjoy this easy creamy chicken tetrazzini recipe!
Our favorite part about this easy chicken recipe is you can prep it ahead of time and bake it when you are ready to eat. We love make-ahead dishes, especially comfort food recipes like this cheesy chicken tetrazzini.
Easy dinner recipes for two, like this dish, are perfectly portioned for two servings, but can easily be doubled or tripled. You can make this delicious mushroom and chicken tetrazzini recipe for two or make a large chicken tetrazzini casserole that is an easy dinner recipe for families.
What is Chicken Tetrazzini?
Chicken Tetrazzini is a chicken pasta casserole recipe, typically using linguine or spaghetti and made with poultry, mushrooms, and a buttery cream sauce. It’s a wonderful chicken dinner idea made with fresh ingredients you can easily find at any grocery store.
Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
We make our cheesy chicken pasta recipe with rotisserie chicken, mushrooms, linguine noodles and, of course, cheese! When you bake our pasta casserole, the sauce bakes into the pasta, and the flavors come alive.
Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a creamy chicken and mushroom pasta recipe? It starts off with an ooey, gooey bechamel sauce and becomes a cheesy chicken and mushroom pasta bake!
Amazingly tasty, super kid-friendly, reheats perfectly, and it’s a casserole to freeze, too. And the absolute best part, you can use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken you pick up at the grocery store, so it couldn’t get any easier!
If you have leftover turkey after your Thanksgiving meal, our Easy Turkey Tetrazzini recipe is the answer! Your family will love this turkey casserole almost as much as the Thanksgiving Turkey!
Ingredients for Chicken Tetrazzini
Making a chicken tetrazzini recipe for two is super simple. You can grab the ingredients on your way home and have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Here’s what you need for this pasta and chicken recipe:
- 4 oz. linguine uncooked
- 1 ½ cup rotisserie chicken shredded – shredded chicken recipe
- 4 Tbsps. butter divided
- ¼ cup fresh mushrooms sliced
- ½ tsp. garlic minced
- 2  Tbsps. flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 6 Tbsps. Parmesan cheese freshly grated, divided
- ½ cup Italian panko bread crumbs
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
There are a couple of options for how you handle making the chicken, as this chicken pasta bake is a great use for leftover chicken. You can make your whole chicken dishes one night, then create new delicious tetrazzini casseroles with the leftovers. Here’s how to make chicken tetrazzini:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Cook 4 oz. of linguine noodles according to package directions.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred about 1 ½ cups of a rotisserie chicken and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the noodles and add to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
- In a large skillet, melt one Tbsp. of butter and add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for about five minutes, then add in the minced garlic. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken and noodles.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 ½ Tbsp. of butter over medium-high heat. Add in the flour, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Let simmer for about 1-2 minutes then add in the broth and milk. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
- Once the sauce has thickened, pour over the chicken and noodles in the mixing bowl. Add three Tbsp. of the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Grease two individual Au Gratin-style dishes and transfer the chicken tetrazzini mixture to the two bowls.
- In a small dish, combine the bread crumbs and three Tbsp. of the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of each dish.
- Place the dishes into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and serve.
What is bechamel sauce?
Bechamel Sauce is a beautiful thing! Velvety, smooth, rich and full of flavor, this sauce elevates so many dishes. Made with only a few simple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand, it is a staple in the kitchen.
Bechamel sauce is essentially a white sauce that is milk-based and thickened with a white roux. Various seasonings can be added depending on the flavors you want to bring out.
Ingredients for bechamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ¼ cups milk, heated
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
Bechamel Cheese Sauce Recipe Tips:
- This is your base for the bechamel sauce but you can now add additional flavors to create a more flavorful sauce as we did in this recipe.
- You can add your favorite cheese to make a deliciously smooth cheese sauce. It is a perfect base for so many delicious recipes, especially macaroni and cheese.
- We doubled the bechamel sauce for this recipe, added an onion for flavor and lightened it up a bit by adding chicken broth.
- And of course, we added cheese! Our bechamel sauce is packed with flavor.
Bechamel Sauce Uses
- Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
- Bolognese Sauce
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Vegetables in Cheese Sauce
- Cheese Sauce for just about anything!
Tips for Making the Best Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
- We use linguine, but you can substitute with any kind of noodles you have on hand, such as spaghetti or fettuccine pasta, or even rotini pasta, for your chicken tetrazzini casserole.
- You can use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken for the shredded chicken. Light or dark chicken meat will work.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes! This Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe for two can easily be doubled to serve more if needed. It’s one of our favorite family dinner ideas for Sunday Supper.
Gluten-free Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
You can easily make our Chicken Tetrazzini recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta and brown rice flour. It turns out great and you will not miss out on any of the flavors of this delicious dish.
Do you have picky eaters?
If you have mushroom haters in your house, you can leave out the mushrooms in this recipe and it will still be delicious!
Side Dishes for Chicken Tetrazzini
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Smashed Brussels Sprouts
- Green Beans Almondine
- Fresh Vegetable salad
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Carrots
Can you freeze cheesy chicken tetrazzini?
Yes, this is a great make-ahead meal. You can freeze the Chicken Tetrazzini Casseroles before you bake them!
- How to freeze chicken tetrazzini: You’ll want to follow the recipe up until the point where you divide the Chicken Tetrazzini mixture between the individual baking dishes. From there, cover with aluminum foil and freeze until you’re ready to bake. When ready, remove from the freezer and let thaw on the counter for 2-3 hours, then bake as directed.
Enjoy this homemade chicken tetrazzini recipe for two this Valentine’s Day or any other special day with your loved one. It’s an easy Sunday dinner ideas to make, and also easy to double if you’re looking for a chicken casserole recipe your whole family will enjoy!
Our favorite chicken recipes for dinner:
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Chicken and Leek Recipe
- Peri Peri Chicken
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Buttermilk Roast Chicken
Perfect for your leftover chicken recipe ideas!
📌 Save Chicken Tetrazzini on Pinterest for Later!
For more chicken recipes and inspiration on how to cook chicken perfectly, follow my Chicken Temperature Chart!
Did you enjoy this chicken tetrazzini casserole? Let us know in the comments below and with a rating! We love to hear from you.
Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe for Two
Ingredients
- 4 oz. linguine uncooked
- 1 ½ cup rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken shredded
- 4 Tbsps. butter divided
- ¼ cup fresh mushrooms sliced
- ½ tsp. garlic minced
- 2 Tbsps. flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 6 Tbsps. Parmesan cheese freshly grated, divided
- ½ cup Italian panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Cook the linguine noodles according to package directions.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred about 1 ½ cups of a rotisserie chicken and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Drain the noodles and add to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
- In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for about five minutes, then add in the minced garlic. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken and noodles.
- In the same skillet, melt 2 ½ tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add in the flour, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Let simmer for about 1-2 minutes then add in the chicken broth. Gradually add in the milk while continuously stirring. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently.
- Once the sauce has thickened, pour over the chicken and noodles in the mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the freshly grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Grease two individual Au Gratin-style dishes or large 13 x 9 casserole dish if doubling the recipe. Transfer the chicken tetrazzini mixture to the baking dishes.
- In a small dish, combine the bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of the freshly grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of each dish.
- Place the dishes into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.
Video
Notes
- Pasta: We use linguine, but you can substitute with any kind of noodles you have on hand such as spaghetti or fettuccine pasta, or even rotini pasta, for your chicken tetrazzini casserole.
- Leftover Chicken: you can use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken to shred the chicken. Light or dark chicken meat will work.
- Gluten Free: You can easily make our Chicken Tetrazzini recipe gluten free by using gluten-free pasta and brown rice flour
- Mushrooms:Â if you have picky eaters who don’t like mushrooms, this recipe will still be delicious without them.Â
Nutrition
This post was updated on November 18, 2019.
Barb says
Can this be prepared ahead and refrigerated overnight?
Em Beitel says
Hi Barb! Absolutely. You could prepare it the day before, then store in the baking dish and heat through as instructed the next day. It may take a bit longer out of the refrigerator. I would reserve the breadcrumbs until you bake it the next day – refrigerate it without those so they don’t get soggy.