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If you haven’t had chicken tetrazzini, you really are missing out! This creamy, cheesy, chicken pasta should honestly be a national treasure. And the best part is, it isn’t even a little bit complicated to make! Some pasta, chicken, and a few pantry staples, and you are less than an hour away from a comforting dinner.

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of chicken tetrazzini before I met my now fiance. It just wasn’t one of the staples in my house growing up, and I am kind of mad about it! It is seriously one of Zach’s favorite meals and I totally understand why! It’s so creamy and cheesy, and honestly one of the best last minute dinners to pull together.

Pasta Time!

Chicken tetrazzini typically starts with linguine. But ever since COVID, my grocery stores have been pretty limited in their pasta selections, so other long cut pastas work fine, like fettuccine and spaghetti. I would avoid angel hair, though, as it can easily overcook, especially in this double cooking method recipe. Short cut pastas like rotini and penne could also work great, but I would increase the moisture by adding extra cream of chicken soup (see below).

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No matter the style, the key is to cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente (“to the tooth”). This means it should still have a little bite to it, not cooked completely through. This is because we will be cooking this again in the oven, and the pasta will be coated in a sauce that it will absorb, causing it to continue cooking. If you start off with fully cooked pasta, the end result will be far too mushy. Drain the pasta and place it back in the same pot you boiled it in.

While your pasta is cooking, dice up 1 white onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic. Saute them in a drizzle of oil over medium heat until translucent. Add in 1lb of cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast and season with 2 tsp of onion powder and dried oregano, 1 tsp of garlic powder and dried parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the chicken is lon longer pink, about 5-6 minutes, and add to the drained pasta.

Pantry Staples

There are plenty of recipes out there for the sauce that makes this pasta so amazingly creamy. Some use white wine and heavy cream, some call for a roux. Mine calls for a trip to the pantry! In your pot with pasta and chicken, add:

1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup (or cheddar cheese soup or more cream of chicken)
16 oz. sour cream
6 tbsp melted salted butter
1/2 cup of chicken stock

I don’t know about you, but I have all of these in my house at all times, especially once fall hits and I am all about a quick casserole. Traditional chicken tetrazzini can sometimes be found with mushrooms (or cream of mushroom soup), but I have a few family members who won’t touch mushrooms with a 10-foot pole, so I sub that soup out with cheddar soup! Dump it all in the pot and mix. Pour the pasta mix in a greased 13×9 casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. The goal is to get the cheese melted and browning on top, and the sauce bubbling underneath!

Let it cook for a few minutes and serve! Pro tip: make a second batch in a disposable aluminum pan, wrap it in plastic wrap and foil unbaked, and freeze! This is the perfect freezer meal for that weeknight you are too busy to prep a meal! Just pop it in a 350 oven for about an hour.

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