Southern chicken tetrazzini is made with chicken thighs, sliced mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and cream of chicken soup. This easy pasta dinner is ready in 20 minutes. This is serious comfort food!
I'm excited to share with you my best Chicken Tetrazzini recipe! What makes this so southern you may ask? Because it's packed with flavor. No bland flavors are allowed on my site! My recipes are "easy" with a Southern flair.
Another comfort food recipe you may love is my Venison Stroganoff. Made with ground venison, sliced mushrooms, and a rich & creamy sauce served on top of egg noodles.
Why This Recipe Works
Southern flavors include lots of seasoning. For this meal, we include Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, paprika, and the usual salt and pepper. The Worcestershire sauce gives this dish a golden brown color and amazing flavor.
We love this easy family dinner recipe. Most everybody loves pasta, especially kids since it’s fun to eat. Get ready to wipe those messy chins lol.
Budget Friendly Pasta Recipe
Most pasta recipes are budget-friendly, too. Assuming you already have the basics on hand (butter, olive oil, milk, salt, pepper), this particular recipe costs less than $20.00 using store brands where available (as of March 2022) and feeds about 4 adults.
You can lower the cost by using generic or store brands. You don’t have to use Campbell's soup; use the store brand. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are available with the store brand version.
This is a favorite quick and easy dinner that everyone loves. No baking required! It’s definitely Southern comfort food that's ready in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
I laid out all the ingredients for the recipe but forgot the Worcestershire sauce and optional chicken bouillon cube. Sorry about that!
So what goes into Southern Chicken Tetrazzini? Chicken, pasta, mushrooms, cheese, and smooth creamy sauce that's got lots of flavor!
cooked linguine or fettuccine - or buy the cooked, refrigerated pasta
chicken thighs, boneless skinless - or use a whole rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped
olive oil - or vegetable oil (for cooking the chicken)
butter - to saute the garlic and mushrooms
garlic - use the minced garlic that comes in a jar - it's very handy!
mushrooms - use fresh mushrooms, or frozen (if all you have is jarred mushrooms, then use those. Drain the juice before adding them to the recipe.
Worcestershire sauce - for added depth and flavor
cream of chicken soup, milk, and parmesan cheese - creates the creamy, flavorful sauce
lemon juice - add a light tang to the creamy sauce
seasonings - smoked paprika, salt, pepper
chicken bouillon cube(s) - optional - add to the water you're boiling the pasta in for added flavor
Easy Instructions
Making Southern Chicken Tetrazzini is probably one of the easiest recipes on the blog!
- Brown diced chicken thighs in olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook garlic and mushrooms in butter. Add seasonings.
- Stir in soup, milk, cheese, and cooked chicken.
- Add cooked pasta. Sprinkle with more cheese. Heat to bubbly.
- Eat!
Do you love easy pasta recipes? If so, be sure to check out my Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Pasta recipe. It’s made with chicken breasts, broccoli florets, penne pasta, and an easy homemade alfredo sauce.
If a beef noodle casserole is on your meal planner, try my Beef Noodle Casserole recipe. It’s filled with ground beef, egg noodles, robust tomato sauce, and a creamy cheesy sauce.
For the ultimate easy lasagna, try my Easy Meat Lasagna Recipe! Easy homemade lasagna with three layers of lasagna noodles, meat sauce, and lots of creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses. You’ll love this traditional Italian lasagna recipe! Easy make-ahead and freezer-friendly, too.
Substitutions
As most people know, you can easily substitute turkey for the chicken. Turkey tetrazzini has been around for as long as I can remember. If you're looking for a way to use leftover turkey, put it in a casserole! This is a great casserole to do just that!
Everybody has their favorite kind of pasta for this meal. I used fettuccini this time. The fact is, you can use whatever pasta you like or what's available. Linguini or spaghetti noodles or even the refrigerated pasta will do the job.
This quick and easy recipe only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. However, if you want to use a store bought rotisserie chicken, then please do so. It only takes about 10 minutes to remove all the meat and chop or shred.
I like to use Parmesan cheese for this recipe. You can use cheddar cheese, but sometimes cheddar can be a bit greasy. Just ½ cup parmesan cheese in the mixture adds just the right amount of "cheesiness" and also adds fantastic flavor!
If you're like my daughter, you don't like mushrooms. What?! If you don't like mushrooms, you can leave them out or consider adding green peas instead. Some people add pimento to give it a splash of color.
Make-ahead Tip
Southern chicken tetrazzini is a great make-ahead freezer meal, too. Sometimes when I know I'll be having company over, I'll go ahead and make a double batch; then freeze it. It will stay fresh in the freezer for about 2 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator first, then bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can reheat in the microwave, in the oven, or on the stovetop. If the mixture looks extra thick, add some milk (¼ cup at a time) and give it a good stir.
Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I prefer to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 18-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids from Bayco, available now on Amazon.
There are many great sides that go well with this dish! My first choice would be something like a green salad and french bread because the casserole itself is very filling.
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If you tried this recipe, please rate it and leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
Southern Chicken Tetrazzini
Equipment
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Pasta strainer
- large pot for cooking chicken alfredo
- measuring cup(s)
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- ½ pound dry linguine or fettuccine
- 1-2 chicken bouillon cube(s) - optional
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (divided)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Optional: Add 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes to the boiling water before adding pasta to add extra flavor. Drain.
- Sprinkle the diced chicken thighs with a little salt and pepper, if desired. In a large pan, brown the diced chicken thighs in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, add butter, garlic, sliced mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are browned.
- Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any bits and pieces that may have adhered to the bottom of the pan. This is where your flavor is, so be sure to get it all!
- Add cream of chicken soup, milk, lemon juice, paprika, salt, pepper, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Stir well.
- Add the cooked pasta and cooked chicken to the pan. Stir to combine. Add the other ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese on top. Heat to bubbly!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2020 and was updated in 2022.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
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