Browned butter chicken tetrazzini is a family favorite that makes an easy and frugal weeknight meal!

You’ll love how simple and delicious this browned butter chicken tetrazzini is! It’s sure to become a family favorite!

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I didn’t grow up eating tetrazzini. The first time I ever even heard of it was when I was in college. Our campus cafeteria had Turkey Tetrazzini in the regular dinner rotation, and it was completely underwhelming, as you can probably imagine.

Later, when I met my husband, he mentioned that one of the meals he enjoyed a lot growing up was chicken tetrazzini. I was a little puzzled, since my only experience with tetrazzini was not particularly favorable. However, when we were later visiting his family and his mom made tetrazzini for dinner, I realized that it can actually be good. And not just good, but delicious.

Why You’ll Love this Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

My mother-in-law shared the recipe with me many years ago and I’ve been making it regularly ever since. It’s a simple but comforting meal made with tender chicken and noodles baked in a parmesan cream sauce.

It can be whipped up in a matter of minutes. You can even use the pressure cooker to cook frozen chicken breasts if you forgot to thaw them out ahead of time. Chicken pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken works beautifully, too! Or, check out Marjorie’s directions for making a whole chicken in the pressure cooker over at A Pinch of Healthy–I tried it and it was so easy!

This recipe actually originates from a good friend of my husband’s family, Molly Worley.

Molly and her husband and kids lived next door to my husband and his family when he was growing up. They remained friends throughout the years and I had the privilege of getting to know Molly and her family in the time that I’ve known my husband. Molly was a delightful woman, warm and funny.

Molly tragically passed away last year, but her memory lives on in her family and ours, and the countless others that she touched along the way.

I still regularly make her tetrazzini recipe, and I have to say that it is absolutely a family favorite.

It’s one meal that everyone will eat without a single complaint. I mean, it’s noodles, chicken, and cheese—what more could you want?

Each time I make it, I remember Molly and think about how thankful I am to have had the privilege of knowing her.

More recently, I started browning the butter in this recipe, which gives a deeper, sort of nutty flavor to the sauce.

To brown the butter, you simply melt the butter on the stove top, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter reaches a deep golden brown color. You can skip this step and the result will still be delicious. Browning the butter just deepens the flavor a bit. Totally up to you!

This browned butter chicken tetrazzini is a crowd-pleasing weeknight meal that’s a perfect addition to your weekly meal plan. Enjoy!

Recommended Equipment:

9 x 13 inch baking dish (I love my Pyrex one)
2 quart saucepan
Whisk (use a Nylon or silicone whisk if your saucepan has a nonstick coating on it)

Yield: 6 servings

Browned Butter Chicken Tetrazzini

Name: Browned Butter Chicken Tetrazzini
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter; 1/3 cup flour; 1 cup half & half or milk; 1 cup chicken broth; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese; 8 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds (or other pasta if you prefer); 2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken

This easy chicken tetrazzini uses browned butter to create a nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with the parmesan cream sauce!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup half & half or milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
8 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds (or other pasta if you prefer)
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. If desired, keep butter over the heat, stirring and swirling the pan occasionally, until it is a deep golden brown color.
Sprinkle flour over the butter and use a whisk to fully incorporate. Cook until it begins to thicken.
Add half & half or milk and broth, whisking to combine.
Continue to cook until mixture is thick and sauce-like, whisking continuously.
Stir in salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese until combined and cheese is melted.
Add in cooked spaghetti and chicken, stirring until well-coated with sauce.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until heated through.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 662mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 19g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.