Description
Chicken Tetrazzini is a creamy, comforting pasta casserole featuring tender seared chicken, a rich mushroom and cheese sauce, and a bubbly mozzarella topping. Perfect for family dinners, it combines classic Italian-seasoned chicken with a luscious blend of soups, sour cream, and Parmesan cheese, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc recommended, or chicken broth as alternative)
- 8 oz button mushrooms, diced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 oz cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup frozen peas
Pasta Bake
- ¾ lb spaghetti
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Cut the chicken breast in half horizontally to create two thinner pieces of equal size. Season both sides of each piece generously with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, then add the chicken pieces. Sear for about 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pot and let rest for 10 minutes before dicing into bite-sized pieces. Pour any chicken juices remaining in the pot back for flavor enhancement.
- Prepare the Sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In the same pot, melt the butter and add the white wine. Use a silicone spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, allowing the wine to gently boil and reduce for 5 minutes. Add diced mushrooms and onions and sauté for 5 more minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Lower heat to medium-low and stir in cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, milk, frozen peas, and the diced cooked chicken. Mix well and gently heat to combine all flavors.
- Cook the Pasta: Boil the spaghetti in salted water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and return the spaghetti to the pot it was cooked in.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Pour the warm sauce over the drained spaghetti in the pot and stir gently until pasta is fully coated and combined with the sauce.
- Assemble and Bake the Casserole: Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x13 inch casserole dish or any large oven-safe pot. Sprinkle evenly with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the cheese topping is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from oven and let the casserole sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve: Garnish the finished dish with freshly chopped parsley and serve warm for a comforting meal.
Notes
- Use Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc for the wine to add brightness. Alternatively, substitute with chicken broth if avoiding alcohol.
- Using freshly cooked chicken in the pot enhances sauce flavor better than using precooked chicken, but leftover or rotisserie chicken works fine.
- You can increase pasta to 1 lb for a less creamy, more pasta-forward dish.
- This casserole can be assembled ahead, covered, and refrigerated up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
- For make-ahead baking: cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, then increase to 450 degrees and bake 10 more minutes until browned.
- Casserole freezes well. Thaw completely in the fridge up to 24 hours before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
