This oven baked 5-ingredient chicken tetrazzini is the kind of dish that shows up in old church cookbooks and hand-written recipe cards tucked into worn wooden boxes. I found a version of it in my mother’s recipe box years ago, written in her looping handwriting with little splatters of cream-of-something soup on the corner, and every time I make it I’m right back at her kitchen table in the Midwest, watching the snow pile up outside while this bubbled away in the oven. It’s simple, comforting, and practical—built from pantry staples and a bit of leftover chicken—but it tastes like the sort of special occasion casserole that brought the whole family running to the table.
Serve this chicken tetrazzini straight from the casserole dish with a big wooden spoon, letting everyone scoop up the creamy spaghetti, tender chicken, and crunchy golden crumbs. It pairs nicely with a simple green salad dressed in a light vinaigrette, or old-fashioned buttered peas or green beans. Warm dinner rolls or slices of soft white bread with butter are very true to its Midwestern roots and help mop up any extra sauce. A glass of iced tea or milk keeps it homey, and if you want to stretch the meal for company, add a fruit salad or a dish of applesauce on the side.
Oven Baked 5-Ingredient Chicken TetrazziniServings: 6
Ingredients
8 oz dry spaghetti, broken in half
3 cups cooked shredded chicken (from leftovers or rotisserie)
2 cans (10.5 oz each) cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish and set it aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until just al dente, 1–2 minutes less than the package directions so it doesn’t get mushy in the oven. Drain the spaghetti well.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup and milk until smooth and well combined. This will look a little thin but will thicken as it bakes.
Stir the shredded chicken into the soup mixture, then add the drained spaghetti. Toss gently with tongs or two forks until all the noodles and chicken are well coated in the creamy sauce.
Pour the mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly with a spoon so there are no dry spots. Give the dish a gentle shake to settle everything.
Sprinkle the seasoned dry breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the casserole, covering as much of the surface as you can. This will form that golden, crunchy lid that makes the dish so homey.
Place the casserole on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling, the center is hot, and the breadcrumb topping is golden brown.
Remove the dish from the oven and let the tetrazzini rest for about 5–10 minutes before serving. This short rest helps the sauce thicken up a bit so the creamy spaghetti and shredded chicken hold together nicely when you scoop it out with a wooden spoon.
Variations & Tips
If you grew up with a slightly different version of this casserole, you can easily nudge this basic 5-ingredient recipe in that direction. For a little extra richness, you can swap part of the milk for half-and-half, though the original thriftier version sticks to plain milk. If you don’t care for cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken or cream of celery soup both work well and keep the spirit of a vintage recipe box casserole. Leftover turkey can stand in for the chicken after the holidays, and canned chicken will do in a pinch if that’s what you have on hand. You can also mix seasoned and plain breadcrumbs, or use crushed butter crackers for a slightly sweeter, more old-fashioned topping. To sneak in a vegetable without changing the ingredient count too much, you can serve this over a bed of steamed broccoli or peas rather than baking them inside.
Food safety tips: Be sure the cooked chicken you use has been cooled and stored properly—refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking and used within 3–4 days, or frozen and fully thawed in the refrigerator before adding to the casserole. If you’re starting with a whole rotisserie chicken, remove the meat from the bones and refrigerate it promptly once you get home. When baking, the center of the casserole should reach at least 165°F (74°C); if you’re unsure, check with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle. Let leftovers cool slightly at room temperature (no more than 2 hours total), then cover and refrigerate. Reheat portions thoroughly until steaming hot before serving, and enjoy refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days.
