Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
Classic chicken tetrazzini: linguine, sauteed mushrooms and shredded chicken in a creamy garlic sauce made with condensed soups, sour cream and Parmesan, layered with mozzarella and baked until the top browns in patches. The photos show the from-scratch sauce version described in the notes.
Ingredients
Pasta and Chicken
- 12 oz linguine or spaghetti uncooked
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped, rotisserie works well
Mushrooms and Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz button or crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 10.5 oz condensed cream of chicken soup 1 can
- 10.5 oz condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 can
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- salt and black pepper to taste, season generously
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed, optional; the pictured batch left them out
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Cheese and Garnish
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for serving, optional
Equipment
- Large skillet
- 9x13 inch Baking Dish
- Large pot
- Foil
Instructions
Pasta and Chicken
- Cook the pasta. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Boil the linguine in well-salted water until just al dente, about 2 minutes short of the package time. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the chicken, if needed. If you are starting with raw chicken, season it and cook it in a skillet or poach it, then cool and shred. Rotisserie or leftover chicken skips this step.
Mushrooms and Sauce
- Add the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Tip in the sliced mushrooms.
- Brown them. Cook, stirring now and then, for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and turned golden at the edges.
- Deglaze the pan. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the broth or wine, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Make the sauce. Stir in both condensed soups, the sour cream, the peas if using, and the Parmesan until combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Combine. Add the pasta and chicken to the skillet and toss until evenly coated. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
Assemble
- Assemble. Spread half of the pasta mixture in the dish, sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella, add the rest of the pasta and top with the remaining cup of mozzarella.
Bake and Rest
- Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is golden in patches and the edges bubble.
- Rest and serve. Let the casserole stand for 5 to 10 minutes so the sauce sets, then scatter over the parsley and cut into squares.
Notes
Pictured version: the photos show the from-scratch sauce, with the peas left out and a smaller glass dish. For it, replace the two soups and the sour cream with 1 small diced onion cooked in the butter before the garlic, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour stirred into the browned mushrooms for 1 minute, 2 cups chicken broth whisked in and simmered for 3 minutes, then 1 cup heavy cream and the Parmesan. Assemble and bake exactly as written.
Doneness: bubbling all the way around the edges, cheese melted and browned in patches, and 165°F in the center. Rest 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.
Make ahead: assemble, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake from cold with the foil on for 45 minutes instead of 30, then uncovered for 10 to 15.
Storage: refrigerate for up to 3 days and reheat with a splash of milk or broth. Freeze baked or unbaked for up to 2 months; thaw overnight and add 15 minutes to the covered bake.
Substitutions: leftover turkey for the chicken; any long pasta or penne; whole-milk Greek yogurt for the sour cream, added off the heat.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 927mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 685IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 270mg | Iron: 2.1mg