Flavorful, cheesy, and so comforting after a long day, Slow Cooker Chicken Tetrazzini gets the whole family excited for dinner. This classic recipe is easy to make and easy on the budget. It's the kind of hearty, feel-good food we grew up on, reimagined for busy, modern families.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Quick to put together, easy, and best of all - so yummy!
- Chicken tetrazzini is a classic dish for busy nights, and it stays hot in the
slow cooker when everyone has to eat at different times. If it starts to dry out a bit on warm just stir in a touch of milk. - Use a packet of dry Italian dressing mix for all the flavor you need without fussing over a bunch of spices.
Slow cooker chicken tetrazzini features a cheesy, creamy sauce, al dente pasta, and flavor from peppers, onions, and garlic.
It's a delicious—and effortless—way to change up your normal weeknight chicken dinner.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Feel free to use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Tetrazzini is also a great way to use up leftover meat, like turkey or ham.
- Monterey Jack cheese has a lovely buttery flavor, but you can use whatever you have. Cheddar, Gouda, or Colby Jack will work, too.
- Swap the cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom soup if you prefer it.
- Feel free to add more vegetables, like sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets, or a bag of frozen peas and carrots.
- Use whatever type of pasta you have on hand—linguine, farfalle (bow ties), rotini, egg noodles, etc.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Combine soup, butter, chicken, veggies, and dry dressing.
Cook on low. Shred the chicken in the
Add the cubed cream cheese and half the Monterey Jack.
Stir in the noodles and remaining cheese.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and fresh herbs to finish off your dish. I used green onions, but parsley or basil would be good, too.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat
Slow cooker tetrazzini makes great leftovers. Simply portion any extras into an airtight container and refrigerate for three to four days.
Need to keep it a little longer? Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container. It'll keep for up to three months in your freezer.
Let frozen tetrazzini thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, warm it up in the microwave in 30-second bursts until hot again. I like to add an extra pat of butter and a little milk before heating, as the pasta can dry out a bit.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Cook the pasta to al dente—no further. This means it should be cooked through but still have a firm texture, or a "bite," as some say. It'll soften in the
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Use a regular block of cream cheese. The whipped kind in a tub will taste a little watery and won't be as creamy.
- Don't prepare the Italian dressing mix. Just dump it into the
slow cooker as is, ignoring the instructions on the dressing packet. - You don't need to thaw the peppers and onions—they'll cook just fine in the
slow cooker from frozen. - I always recommend using cheese from a block (rather than pre-shredded) because it melts better.
- Use two forks to shred the chicken, pulling the forks away from each other to tear the meat. It should fall apart easily.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Tetrazzini is a classic dinner casserole that's been around for decades. It consists of a creamy sauce, some type of meat, and noodles. It also usually has onions and/or other vegetables.
No. While I have some pasta recipes created to cook fully in the
Cook the pasta first (or use leftover noodles) and add them to the
Not usually. While it does make sense to think that they would have different cook times, thighs and breasts generally take about the same time in a
You can use previously frozen chicken that is now thawed. However, most
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
I like to use a bag of frozen bell peppers and onions because they're already diced. You can also usually find pre-diced fresh peppers and onions in the produce section near the prepared veggies.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
What better to serve with pasta than soft, light, and fluffy Garlic Knots? I've included all my favorite tips so they come out perfectly, even if you've never made bread!
Marinated Italian Green Bean Salad is fresh and flavorful. It's a perfectly crisp side dish that pairs great with any creamy main meal.
Packed with old-fashioned flavor, Lemon Pudding Bundt Cake strikes a delicious balance of dense, moist, sweet, and tangy. This one is made from scratch, so all bragging rights go to you!
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose
Made too much? No worries! Transform leftover
Leftover pasta frittata is a fun breakfast-for-dinner meal. Warm the pasta in a small, oven-proof skillet. Beat six eggs (more or less, depending on how much pasta you have left) with a quarter cup of cream and some S&P.
Pour the egg mixture over the pasta into the skillet. Add other veggies or meat now if you want, like crumbled bacon and more cheese.
Shake the pan to allow the egg to spread evenly around the pasta. Twist the noodles a bit if needed to combine with the egg mixture. Bake in a 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes or 'til the eggs are set.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
Coming home to chicken tetrazzini for dinner is a fabulous feeling. The house smells better than ANY scented candle you might have and cheesy, creamy, carby goodness is just waiting to be ladled out and slurped up.
Go ahead, you deserve it.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Tetrazzini
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless chicken, breast or thighs
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup butter, cubed
- .06 ounces dry Italian dressing mix, I used Good Seasons
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup bell peppers and onions mix, frozen
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
- 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the spaghetti, cream cheese, and Monterey Jack cheese to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- About 1 hour before the tetrazzini is done shred the chicken with 2 forks.
- Cut the cream cheese in cubes and add it to the slow cooker.
- Cube half the Monterey Jack cheese and stir it in.
- Cover and continue to cook on low for 30 more minutes.
- Cook the spaghetti, drain, and stir into the slow cooker, mixing well.
- Grate the remaining Monterey Jack cheese and sprinkle over the top. Cover and finish the remaining 30 minutes of cooking time or until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- Cook pasta a la dente - leave it a little firm. It will cook a bit more in the sauce.
- Use a regular block of cream cheese. The whipped kind in a tub will taste a little watery and won't be as creamy.
- Don't prepare the Italian dressing mix. Just dump it into the
slow cooker as is, ignoring the instructions on the dressing packet. - Use two forks to shred the chicken, pulling the forks away from each other to tear the meat. It should fall apart easily.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Comments
No Comments