This cozy Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini recipe is made for those lazy days when you want comfort in a bowl without much effort. Just add chicken, veggies, broth, and seasonings to your slow cooker while you go about your day. Then, when the time’s right, break in some pasta (sorry, Nonna, it’s gotta fit), top with cream cheese, cook, and stir it together for the creamiest, dreamiest spaghetti dinner. Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan and parsley, and you’ve got a meal that’s budget-friendly, meal prep–approved, and big family–ready!
Pin this recipe for later!
All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.
Easy Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini
Chicken Tetrazzini is an Italian-American creamy chicken spaghetti that feels like pure comfort food. Some versions call for canned soup, but I like to make mine from scratch with cream cheese and broth for the silkiest, creamiest homemade sauce. I also use my slow cooker to make this recipe with simple pantry and fridge staples (think dried spaghetti, chicken, mushrooms, onion, and Parmesan), for an almost effortless dinner with leftovers I actually look forward to. 😉
Recipe Success Tips & Suggestions
- Feel free to add other vegetables you may have on hand with the mushrooms; bell pepper, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, canned artichoke, or peas would be great veggie additions. (I’d add the peas at the end!)
- You can also season with whatever spices or herbs you’d like. I went with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, but onion powder, dried thyme, dried parsley, an Italian blend, and even dried tarragon would be nice! Use what you’ve got in your spice cupboard!
- Break the spaghetti in half. I know the Italians will come for me, but you need to break the spaghetti pasta in half to fit into the slow cooker!! I tested without breaking the pasta, and the ends didn’t fully submerge in the liquid; as a result, it took longer to cook and cooked unevenly.
- After 4 hours of cooking, it’s crucial to push the uncooked pasta down into the liquid to ensure it cooks properly. Then, after the pasta and cream cheese have cooked on low for 30 minutes, I like to stir it all together, then let it sit for 5 minutes to meld. You can let it sit for longer if you prefer your spaghetti softer (I like mine al dente), but you may need to add ½ cup of water or broth if there’s not much liquid left in the crockpot.
- Budget-saving tip: Parmesan can be a little pricey, so feel free to use mozzarella or provolone to garnish with!
Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini
Cost $12.27 recipe / $2.05 serving
Ingredients
- 2 lb. chicken breasts (cut into cubes (boneless, skinless, about 3 large breasts, 907g) $5.34*)
- 1 onion (medium dice (290g, 2 cups) $0.99)
- 8 oz. mushrooms (cleaned and sliced, $1.94)
- 1 tsp garlic powder ($0.06)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.04)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1 tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.16)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.08**)
- 8 oz. cream cheese ($1.96)
- ½ lb. spaghetti (uncooked, $0.49)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated, (50g) $1.08)
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley (chopped, $0.09)
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all ingredients.
- Place the cubed chicken, onions, mushrooms, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and chicken broth in the crockpot. Fold all the ingredients together to combine, place the lid on, then cook on high for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours, break the uncooked spaghetti pasta in half and place it in the crockpot. Gently stir, pushing the pasta down to fully submerge it in the liquid.
- Cube the cream cheese and place it on top of the chicken and pasta. Place the lid on the crockpot and turn it on low. Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, fold all the ingredients together, incorporating the cream cheese into the sauce until fully melted.
- Place the lid back on and turn the crockpot off. Let it sit for an additional 5 minutes to cook the noodles through.***
- Plate and garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh parsley.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- 6-Quart Crockpot
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Crockpot Chicken Tetrazzini step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Add to the crockpot: Place 2 lb. cubed chicken breasts, 1 medium diced onion, 8 oz. cleaned and sliced mushrooms, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1 cup chicken broth into your crockpot (my crockpot is 6-quarts).
Fold to combine the ingredients together and place the lid onto your crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours.
This is what your slow cooker should look like after 4 hours of cooking on high!
Add the pasta and cream cheese: After 4 hours of cooking, break ½ lb. uncooked spaghetti in half to fit. Place it into the crockpot and gently stir, pushing the pasta down into the liquid until fully submerged. Cube 8 oz. cream cheese and place it on top.
Pop the crockpot lid back on and turn the heat to low. Cook for a further 30 minutes. (This is what my crockpot looked like after 30 minutes.)
Combine: After the 30 minutes, fold all the ingredients together to incorporate the cream cheese into the sauce until fully melted. Place the lid back onto the slow cooker and let it sit for 5 more minutes to finish cooking the spaghetti through.
I like my spaghetti to be al dente (still firm to the bite). You can leave your pasta for longer if you prefer it softer. If needed, you can add an extra ½ cup of water or broth to the crockpot and continue cooking until the pasta is done to your liking.
Garnish and serve: Top your slow cooked chicken tetrazzini with ½ cup grated Parmesan and 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This crockpot chicken Tetrazzini is rich and filling on its own, so I don’t always add sides. When I do, I like to keep it simple with sautéed green beans or a crisp side salad to not overpower the simple creamy flavors of the spaghetti. Although…a side of garlic bread never hurts!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers of this slow cooker chicken Tetrazzini are just as cozy, but the pasta does soak up a lot of the sauce as it sits. If it looks a little dry when you reheat, you can stir in a splash of milk, cream, or broth. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Just keep in mind the cream cheese sauce may separate a bit after thawing and the pasta will be softer.
This is awful, it’s so dry, it tastes like straight up cream cheese. I will never make this again.
This was just okay. It reminded me a lot of tuna noodle casserole, just with chicken instead. Also, like someone else mentioned, it tasted strongly of cream cheese.
Thank you for the input, Mel! I tried to stay away from canned soup to make it creamy and used cream cheese instead, so I’m sorry it tasted strongly of cream cheese. It seems like the broth I used was well-seasoned, too. If you remake it, feel free to season as desired. Thank you, and I appreciate the comments because they always help me out.
This was great! I opted to 1/2 the recipe and use canned chicken. I also used the no yeast pizza dough recipe to make a quick batch garlic knots
Thank you, Bridget! The canned chicken is a great time saving and budget-friendly idea and I love the garlic knots addition!
Loved this recipe! I added about 1/2 tsp of garlic salt but otherwise followed the recipe as written. After adding the noodles I did add the suggested extra 1/2 cup of chicken broth and cooked on low for an hour (rather than 30 mins) to get the pasta tender.
There were no leftovers!
I’m glad you loved the recipe, Kate! The garlic salt is a great addition, wonderful idea. Glad everyone enjoyed it and thanks for the comment.
Loved it! Skipped the mushroms because my family is weird about them, and added extra onion instead. I also used some leftover chive & onion cream cheese (along with the regular) which added a nice kick.
Thank you so Sarah! I love onions and the addition of chive & onion cream cheese, what a great idea! Glad you loved it.
I love Melissa’s recipes, but this was kind of a miss for me. I could have misread something along the way, but it wasn’t too flavorful — it just tasted like cream cheese.
Oh no! I’m so sorry, Michael. It may not be as bold as some of the other recipes, but I still enjoyed it. The only thing I can think of is that the broth I used may have been more seasoned. I hope you seasoned it after it was cooked, and if you make it again, you can definitely add more. Thank you for giving it a try, though, and I always appreciate your feedback; it helps me become better.
It’s because it calls for almost no seasoning. For example, 1 tsp of salt for 2lb of chicken and 1/2lb of pasta.
Thank you for the input Taylor, I hear you. I used cream cheese instead of a canned soup for creaminess and I would guess the broth I used was well seasoned, too. You can always season to taste if it’s not enough.
A very nice update of an old favorite. Versions of this recipe have been around for more than 75 years. The earliest versions I found yesterday were very luxurious with lots of cream and sherry. Every version from the beginning included mushrooms. In the 1950s, cream and wine had been replaced with condensed cream of mushroom soup and more cheese. I remember this from my childhood and young adult years, and from the beginning the recipes included pimento, probably for color and during my early years, also green peas–may have been regional. Kudos to this version for no high sodium canned soup! The cream cheese, which I didn’t see in early recipes, makes a delicious and velvety sauce. This crockpot version makes cleanup easy. This recipe is easy to divide, and I made a half recipe with only 1/4 tsp salt in my little crockpot that I use for queso. I did add 2 T diced pimento and 1/3 c frozen peas, at the end as suggested in the recipe. Broccoli would have been good in this recipe, but DH doesn’t like it.
I absolutely love your comments. I have a minor in anthropology, so I appreciate the history of the dish! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe and love the additions you made. Thank you!
I do appreciate this lovely recipe–I forgot to mention that given the small size of my cooker, I actually broke the spagetti into thirds–keep these yummy adaptations coming!