Healthy Chicken Tetrazzini with Spaghetti Squash

This easy healthy chicken tetrazzini casserole recipe is a great way to use leftover chicken or turkey. Poached chicken can also be used if no pre-cooked meat is on hand.

Article Index

• Why you'll love it
• Ingredients
• Tips
• Instructions
• ️ Serving suggestions
• Variations
• FAQs
• Related recipes
• Recipe

Why you'll love it

This healthy chicken tetrazzini is a fantastic dinner idea for your family or for your meal prep.

I love this recipe because it uses one of my favorite vegetables - spaghetti squash.

I just love winter squash because it has such a long shelf life. My all-time favorite is spaghetti squash, which is such a great low-carb, gluten-free replacement for pasta. One dish I like to make is a broccoli spaghetti squash casserole.

Like most other hard-shelled winter squash, spaghetti squash is harvested in the early fall. We eat a lot of winter squash this time of year because it is so abundant and widely available fresh in the markets during the fall season.

This is a great dish because you can use more cheese if you want to or a different type of low-carb noodles. It's super easy to customize. No matter what you do to change this recipe, it will turn out amazing!

Ingredients

This recipe for a healthy chicken tetrazzini uses spaghetti squash instead of regular pasta. I prefer to use whole foods when I cook because you can taste the difference.

Here is a bit more information about the ingredients I used to make healthy chicken tetrazzini.

Spaghetti squash

I think that spaghetti squash is the perfect replacement for whole wheat pasta. If you have leftover spaghetti squash, this is a great recipe to make.

Chicken

Save time and use rotisserie chicken or some chicken breast that you pre-cooked before you make this recipe.

Butter

It's best to use unsalted butter in this recipe so that you can control how salty it tastes.

Garlic

I prefer to use fresh garlic, but you can use garlic powder if you don't have any minced garlic on hand.

Heavy cream

Use full-fat heavy whipping cream to get the fullest and richest flavors in the sauce.

Dry cooking sherry

The alcohol in dry cooking sherry brings a brighter and more vibrant flavor to the healthy chicken tetrazzini recipe.

Chicken bone broth

Chicken broth and chicken stock are very similar ingredients. They add liquid to the recipe while also providing lots of spices and flavors.

However, chicken bone broth is even better than regular broth or stock as it contains a lot more vitamins and minerals.

Xanthan gum

Using xanthan gum means you don't have to add flour to make the sauce thicker.

Salt and pepper

Add as much salt and pepper as you want in order to enhance the flavors in this recipe.

Broccoli

I chose to add a bag of frozen broccoli in place of the mushrooms. That makes this easy casserole a one-dish meal since it contains both meat and vegetables.

Parmesan cheese

I added the parmesan cheese as a topping. It gives it a really nice crispy coating.

Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.

Tips

• Use your favorite cooking alcohol. You don't have to use sherry; that is just the one I had available.
• Low-sodium ingredients can be used. I did not focus on sodium levels, but low-sodium broth or stock is easy to find.
• For a crispier topping, add pork rind crumbs. The unflavored pork rinds are a popular topping idea for low-carb casseroles.

Instructions

Here's how to make this healthy chicken tetrazzini. All the exact steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Prepare the casserole dish

Spray the casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.

Cook spaghetti squash and chicken

Fully cook the spaghetti squash and chicken breast. Then, cut up the chicken breast into cubes.

Add ingredients to a saucepan

Add all of the ingredients - including the cooked spaghetti squash - together in a saucepan or Dutch oven. Heat it over low heat until it starts to boil.

Bake the casserole

Place the healthy chicken tetrazzini and sauce mixture into the prepared baking dish.

I like to top the casserole with some shredded parmesan sprinkled all over it. It should get a little crusted during baking if you let it brown at the end.

Bake the casserole for about 30 minutes.

️ Serving suggestions

This healthy chicken tetrazzini is a classic dish that uses leftover chicken or turkey. It just calls for a couple of cups of diced, cooked poultry, so keep this casserole in mind for using up those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Serve it with your favorite keto green bean casserole or some cauliflower mash.

If you're looking for an amazing keto dessert to serve with this casserole, check out my low-carb tiramisu. It's my absolute favorite dessert, and I'm so glad I have a version I can enjoy in this way of eating.

This chicken tetrazzini recipe will also taste perfect with some keto dinner rolls.

Variations

There are a lot of different ways you can change up this healthy chicken tetrazzini recipe.

• Tetrazzini usually has mushrooms, but I left them out in this recipe. Mushrooms are low in carbs, so you could add sliced mushrooms if you wanted to.
• I also cooked the spaghetti squash in the pressure cooker for this easy chicken tetrazzini casserole. Cooking this winter squash in the Instant Pot comes out perfect every time. But you can also cook spaghetti squash in a crockpot.
• You could try adding some cream cheese, onion, or frozen peas. If you don't like cooking sherry, replace it with some white wine.
• Additional grated parmesan can be sprinkled on top of each serving if desired. The creamy parmesan sauce goes well with the chicken and broccoli.

FAQs

Before we get to the printable recipe card, here are some questions people often ask about how to make this healthy chicken tetrazzini.

Related recipes

If you enjoyed this healthy chicken tetrazzini recipe, here are some more easy casserole recipes and low-carb chicken recipes you should make next. They are some of my favorites!

• Chicken Broccoli Casserole has an incredibly crispy topping that kids and adults both love.
• Mexican Chicken Casserole is a popular Tex-Mex recipe that is extra cheesy.
• Low-Carb Chicken Enchilada Casserole is made with a simple homemade sauce and is the perfect thing for taco Tuesday.
• Chicken and Vegetable Casserole is thick and creamy and a really simple way to use leftover veggies.
• Paleo Keto Buffalo Chicken Casserole has an unmistakable spice and goes perfectly on game days.

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Recipe

First published on November 22, 2014. Post updated on June 16, 2022, with new photos and additional recipe information.