Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole (GF)

Today’s Basil Chicken Tetrazzini  Casserole is an amped up version of the dishes my mother made for us when I was a child. Warm, filling, and delicious, it is the epitome of comfort food for these cool days. I love this casserole and hope you do too!

Casseroles became an American staple during the Depression when it was necessary to make inexpensive and filling meals. Mothers across the country became very creative at using small amounts of meats and combining them with potatoes, pasta, or rice, adding vegetables and using a creamy sauce to bind them together. After the invention of canned soups and other convenience foods, the popularity of economical casseroles soared. Macaroni and cheese, tuna noodle casserole, and chicken pot pies were seen weekly on dinner tables across the nation.

One of my favorite casseroles, Chicken Tetrazzini, has an interesting history.  In the early 1900s one of the most popular opera singers in Europe and America was Luisa Tetrazzini. Born in Florence, Italy in 1862, Luisa’s remarkable soprano voice soared in major opera houses around the globe. She made her American debut in San Francisco in 1905 and it always held a special place in her heart. 

After the devastation of the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, on Christmas Eve 1910, Luisa stepped onto a platform at the corner of Market and Kearney streets and serenaded a crowd of two to three thousand enraptured San Franciscans. To mark the occasion, a local chef created a concoction of cooked pasta and mushrooms bathed in a creamy sauce and named it for the famous singer. No doubt this combination had been assembled many times before, but this time, with the title of Chicken Tetrazzini, it became a national favorite.

The ingredients of Chicken Tetrazzini are quite simple, but when combined they create a satisfying and filling meal perfect for parties, weeknight meals, or potluck suppers. The creamy sauce is one that every cook should know how to make, a simple white sauce more formally known as Bechamel. This is a foundation for many recipes and one of the first things they teach at culinary school.

I know that today’s recipe looks complicated and long with too many ingredients. But if you look closely, there are not that many items to buy and all the preparation leading up to baking is done in one skillet – saving you tons of dishes to wash! You start by sautéing the vegetables, then the chicken. You make the bechamel sauce and pour it over the chicken and vegetables. Top the whole thing with cheesy crunchy breadcrumbs and bake until bubbling and golden brown.

Take it one step at a time – each one is easy – and you will have the perfect meal for any evening. I had it prepped, assembled, and ready for the oven in less than 30 minutes. Another 30 minutes in the oven and you’ve got dinner on the table in about an hour.

If you are trying to use fewer canned goods in your cooking, bechamel sauce is a good substitute for creamed soups in recipes. It can be seasoned in many different ways and is incredibly versatile. The simple act of adding minced basil or other herbs to a regular Bechamel sauce elevates it to rock star status!

While this recipe calls for chicken, you can easily substitute turkey or duck which is a terrific way to use holiday leftovers. If you want you can make it with cubed ham for a change of pace. To make this vegetarian, just increase the amount of vegetables and use a variety of portobello, shiitake, or morels for interest and texture. If you like spicier foods, feel free to add in some chiles or hot sauce.

My mother often made this casserole for us, but because she never used any seasonings other than salt and pepper, it was rather boring. These days I add different herbs for a much more delicious and interesting meal. This means I can whip up a remarkable meal in minutes.

Enjoy this taste of my childhood, upgraded to today’s Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole. I hope it brings your family together over the dinner table as it did for my parents, brothers, and me, giving us the opportunity to share what happened during our days, telling stories and laughing. Who knows, this may be the beginning of a new family tradition!

Have a fabulous weekend and I will see you back here next week for a lovely chocolate recipe on Monday!

If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!

Ingredients needed for Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole:

• Vegetables: olive oil, butter, bell peppers, carrots, celery, mushrooms, basil, garlic, chives, frozen peas, salt, pepper
• Chicken: boneless chicken, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper
• Basil Bechamel Sauce: butter, olive oil, flour, white wine, chicken stock, fresh basil, cream
• Topping: Parmesan, panko or GF breadcrumbs, parsley, basil
• Pasta: egg noodles or fettuccine (GF if needed), salt

PRO Tip:

Quartering or halving the mushrooms instead of slicing helps keep them from disappearing into the sauce and gives you beautiful texture in the final dish. If your family doesn’t like mushrooms, you can substitute other vegetables that they enjoy or just leave them out.

How to make Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole:

1. Sauté the bell peppers, carrots, celery in a large skillet; add the garlic and mushrooms along with the basil and chives; season with salt and pepper then stir in the peas; transfer to a 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan.
2. In the same skillet sauté the chicken pieces until lightly browned; add to the vegetables in the baking pan.
3. Melt the butter in the skillet and whisk in the flour; continue whisking until it becomes pale golden. Add the wine and stock, bring to a boil and cook until thickened, whisking constantly. Whisk in the basil and cream and adjust the seasonings. Pour over the chicken and vegetables.
4. Stir the contents of the baking dish then sprinkle with the topping. Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
5. Meanwhile cook the pasta and put some in each serving dish.
6. Top the pasta with a large scoop of the baked casserole, sprinkle with chives, basil, or parsley and serve.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Chef’s knife
• Large skillet
• 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Saucepan
• Colander

PRO Tip:

Traditional Chicken Tetrazzini has the pasta mixed in before baking. I cook the pasta separately so it never gets overcooked – especially helpful if you are using gluten-free noodles. If you want this to be truly a one-dish meal, cook the pasta about halfway, and toss it together with everything before pouring into the baking dish and put it in the oven.

Gluten-Free Tips:

Be sure to use gluten-free pasta or you can choose to serve this over mashed potatoes or cooked rice instead. When buying frozen vegetables, avoid any that contain a sauce because those are more likely to contain gluten. If you are cooking for someone with Celiac disease, be sure to use metal utensils when cooking. Wooden or plastic utensils can harbor minute amounts of gluten from earlier meals and possibly make your guests sick.

* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

** My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another kosher brand, or table salt, you will only need about half the amount because they are saltier.

*** The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Wine is also considered safe. For some very sensitive people wine may cause issues. In a few rare cases, wine makers may use barrels that have minute amounts of gluten in the caulk. If you have issues with wine, look for a winery that uses only stainless steel containers to age their wines.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

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Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole (GF)

5.0 Stars (1 Review)

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This Basil Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole is an amped up version of the dishes my mother made for us when I was a child. Warm, filling, and delicious, it is the epitome of comfort food for these cool days. While it has a lot of ingredients, it comes together amazingly easily. I love this casserole and hope you do too!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Vegetables

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• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 red bell peppers, stem and seeds discarded, finely chopped
• 3 carrots, trimmed and finely chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped finely
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 lb (454g) small white button or cremini mushrooms, ends trimmed, halved if they are small, quartered if they are large
• 1 tbsp freshly minced basil
• 2 tsp minced chives
• 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt *
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (118ml) frozen petite peas (do not thaw)

Chicken

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• 1 lb (454g) skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Kosher salt * and ground black or white pepper, to taste

Basil Bechamel Sauce

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• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
• 4 tbsp gluten-free flour blend ** or regular all-purpose flour such as Gold Medal brand
• 1/4 cup (59ml) dry white wine*** (or more chicken stock)
• 1-3/4 cups (414ml) homemade chicken broth or GF canned chicken broth
• 2 tbsp finely minced fresh basil
• 1 cup (237ml) heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk

Topping

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• 1/2 cup (118ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, dried GF breadcrumbs, or almond meal
• 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• Minced basil or parsley for garnishing

Pasta

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• 12 oz (340g) wide egg noodles or fettuccine (use gluten-free such as Barilla brand, if needed)
• 1 tbsp kosher or fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh basil or parsley

Instructions

1. Sauté the Vegetables: In a large skillet, combine the oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the bell peppers, carrots, and celery, cooking until soft, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are slightly softened and have released their liquid and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil and chives. Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust seasonings with more herbs, salt, or pepper. Stir in the frozen peas and transfer to a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking pan.


2. Cook the Chicken: In the same skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter has melted and is beginning to foam. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned and just barely done in the center, 5 to 8 minutes. It is OK if there is some pink in the center because it will finish cooking while baking in the casserole. Add chicken to the vegetables in the baking pan. Do not wipe out the pan.


3. Make the Sauce: In the same skillet, add the butter and oil. Heat over medium-high until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, blending until no lumps remain. Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly until it turns a very pale golden color. Do not let it get too dark.


4. Add the wine and chicken stock, whisking until all the lumps have disappeared and the mixture is smooth. Return the pan to the heat, bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes, whisking constantly, or until the sauce has thickened. Whisk in the basil and cream. Stir constantly until the sauce is thick and creamy, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, mixing until everything is evenly coated and distributed in the pan.


5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).


6. Make the Topping: In a small bowl toss together the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and parsley. Sprinkle seasoned breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole.


7. Bake the Casserole: Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes.


8. Cook the Pasta: While the casserole is baking, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook pasta until just al dente, according to package directions (it will finish cooking as it sits). Drain in a colander, place back in the cooking pot, toss with the olive oil and basil or parsley, and set to the side to keep warm.


9. To Serve: Remove the casserole from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly. Scoop some pasta into each warmed serving dish, top with a large spoonful of the chicken casserole, and sprinkle the top with a little extra basil or parsley for color. Serve while hot.


10. Alternately, you can serve this over mashed potatoes or rice instead of pasta, if desired.


Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com

Notes

* My preferred brand of kosher salt is from Diamond Crystal. If you use Morton’s, another kosher brand, or table salt, you will not need as much because they are saltier.

** You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.

***The major gluten-free organizations have declared that distilled alcohols are gluten free. Wine is also considered safe. For some very sensitive people wine may cause issues. In a few rare cases, wine makers may use barrels that have minute amounts of gluten in the caulk. If you have issues with wine, look for a winery that uses only stainless steel containers to age their wines.

You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. Use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 489Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 1080mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 25g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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