Posted Feb 16, 2024 We often find ourselves with lots of leftover chicken – from baked chicken breasts, slow cooker pulled chicken, rotisserie chicken, etc. and I love using it to make this chicken tetrazzini recipe. This chicken tetrazzini is made with a rich and flavorful from-scratch sauce, and doesn’t use any canned soup. It’s a hearty main dish that your whole family will love, and the perfect way to use leftover chicken. This recipe is a meal all by itself, and is a great one to make for friends and neighbors!
Chicken Tetrazzini: Ingredients & Substitutions
Spaghetti. We use regular spaghetti noodles but any shape of pasta works well in this recipe. I also have used chickpea pasta (gluten-free) with great results. Chicken. Use leftover pulled chicken, baked chicken breasts, or a rotisserie chicken! Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too. All-purpose flour. Gluten-free all-purpose works well in this recipe. Whole milk. You need 1 cup of liquid dairy. Half and half is a great substitute for whole milk. Or you can use ½ cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream. Broccoli. I use frozen broccoli because it’s easy. Fresh broccoli cut in small pieces works well too. If you don’t love broccoli you can substitute your favorite vegetable(s) or omit it.
How to Make Chicken Tetrazzini
We’ll walk through how to make chicken tetrazzini step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by cooking the spaghetti. First, break the spaghetti noodles in half. Then, cook the noodles according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and set aside in a large bowl but do not rinse.
Make the Sauce
While the spaghetti is cooking, make the sauce. Start by melting butter in a large pot. Then, add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft (about 4 minutes). Next, add the flour, sea salt and pepper and whisk to combine and cook for 30-60 seconds until the mixture starts bubbling. Then, add chicken broth, whole milk and Italian seasoning, whisk to combine, and cook until the mixture starts to thicken (it will boil). Once the mixture is thickened, whisk in the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses until melted.
Assemble the Chicken Tetrazzini
When the sauce is finished, turn off the heat, and add the spaghetti, broccoli and chicken to the sauce and stir to combine. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Then, pour the chicken tetrazzini mixture into the prepared 9×9″ baking dish. Next, evenly sprinkle the mixture over the top of the chicken tetrazzini in the pan.
Bake
Then, cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil. Bake the chicken tetrazzini for an additional 5-10 minutes, uncovered, until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
Serve
Serve warm with a garnish of fresh parsley (if desired). The great thing about this chicken tetrazzini is that it’s an entire meal in one baking dish. Sometimes we like to serve it with some homemade bread (homemade french bread, no knead bread, or homemade dinner rolls) and a green salad like kale salad or burrata salad.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover chicken tetrazzini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
