Chicken with tortellini recipe is so delicious. It’s one of my son’s favorite dishes, and he asks for it all the time! He loves coming home from school to the smell of it cooking in the kitchen. Any mom knows that is music to her ears! The recipe can be made quickly, which makes it great for a dinner on busy nights.

Italian Chicken Tortellini Skillet

This Italian Chicken Tortellini is an easy meal made in just one pot! It’s loaded with cheese tortellini, roasted red peppers, spinach, tomatoes, herbs, and cheese!

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Tortellini is a favorite here! Whether it’s simmered in Spinach Tortellini Soup with Prosciutto, used in a casserole like in Baked Tortellini with Turkey and Vegetables, or tossed with a sauce like in Creamy Cheese Tortellini.

Well, this Italian Chicken Tortellini is just another way to prove that tortellini is just that good.

It’s made with cheese tortellini, pan-seared bites of chicken, and veggies simmered in a creamy sauce and topped with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bonus: it’s made in one pot and takes just 25 minutes to whip up!

Ingredients Needed:

• Oil: you can use canola or olive oil to brown the chicken.
• Chicken Breasts: you’ll need 1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2″ pieces for quick cooking.
• Minced Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
• Seasonings: a simple blend of dried basil, dried oregano, salt, dried thyme, and red chili flakes gives this chicken tortellini those classic Italian flavors.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes: don’t drain the liquid! It’s incorporated into the sauce.
• Spinach: use fresh, chopped spinach.
• Roasted Red Peppers: you can usually find jarred roasted red peppers in the condiments aisle near the pickles.
• Cream: milk will work as well, it just won’t be quite as rich and creamy.
• Chicken Broth: creates a delicious flavor base for the creamy sauce.
• Cornstarch: helps thicken the sauce. Remember, a little goes a long way!
• Tortellini: I use frozen cheese tortellini to keep this super convenient, but fresh works just as well.
• Cheese: a combination of mozzarella and parmesan gives the Italian Chicken Tortellini an extra cheesy finish.

How to Make Italian Chicken Tortellini

1. Brown and season the chicken: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, then mix in garlic, basil, oregano, salt, thyme, and chili flakes.
2. Make the sauce: To the skillet, add tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and cream. In a bowl, whisk together cornstarch and broth, then mix that into the pan.
3. Add the pasta: Add the tortellini, cover, and simmer until tender.
4. Finish and serve: Stir in the spinach and cheese, allow the spinach to wilt, then serve and enjoy!

FAQs and Tips

What is tortellini?

Tortellini is a small, ring-shaped pasta that’s stuffed with various fillings like cheese, meat, or both. It can be served as a classic pasta, baked into casseroles, or used in soup.

Do I need fresh or frozen tortellini?

You can use either! If you choose to use fresh tortellini and you find the sauce is too thick, simply thin it with a bit of cream, milk or broth.
Feel free to use ravioli instead!

How to store:

Leftover Italian Chicken Tortellini will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, warm in the microwave or on the stove with a splash of broth to moisten. Keep in mind that the tortellini will soak up the liquid in the sauce as it sits, so the pasta will soften up a bit. The leftovers will still be delicious though!

Variations

• Use fresh tortellini. You can swap the frozen tortellini out for fresh, but it won’t release as much moisture and you may want to thin the sauce before serving.
• Add more veggies. Boost the nutrition and mix in whatever veggies you like! You can simmer them in the soup or sauté them with the chicken. Try mushrooms, onions, broccoli, green beans, carrots, you name it.
• Spice it up. The cream sauce already has a kick of heat from the red chili flakes, but feel free to spice it up even more with more chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
• Use another meat. Feel free to swap the chicken out for ground turkey, ground beef, or Italian sausage.
• Make it vegetarian. You can easily make this into a meatless pasta dinner by leaving out the meat or using a meatless variety of chicken or even ground beef.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Tortellini.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Tortellini…the best any night of the week dinner that feels extra special. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with nutty browned butter. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with spinach and parmesan cheese. It’s delicious, especially with an extra sprinkling of parm on top. Every bite is layered with delicious flavors and the creamiest sauce. The perfect way to spend a relaxing night in the kitchen with family and friends.

Some nights require something fun, while other nights require something crazy easy, but yet still totally delicious. Tonight we needed crazy easy and totally delicious. And that’s exactly what this chicken tortellini is. I can’t really tell you what inspired this, but what I can say is that this entire year I’ve really been on a cheesy tortellini kick. This cute little cheese-filled pasta has made its way into many recipes. This dish is just yet another and proves it has many ways of being delicious.

I love simple skillet dinners like this. This is an idea I’ve had in the back of my head for a bit now. I finally made it, and it actually turned out better than the picture I had in my head. That rarely happens with recipes, so I knew right away this dish was special.

Jumping right into the details of this one!

the simple details.

If you love a good skillet seared crispy chicken, you’ll love this slight twist even more. It’s all about that creamy parmesan sauce. It’s hinted with garlic and butter and really just one of those sauces that everyone loves.

Start with the chicken. If you’ve made chicken parmesan this is very similar. Simply dredge the chicken through a mix of flour, then pan-sear it in a hot skillet. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.

Tip: if your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is super easy to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.

Also, you can easily make this chicken gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or use your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).

Once the chicken is seared, pull it out of the skillet and toss in a bit of butter, shallots, garlic, and plenty of thyme. Again, allow that butter to brown, creating an even more delicious flavor around the garlic. Now, stir in the spinach and let it wilt into the butter.

At this point, add in the wine, simmer until reduced, then stir in the tortellini and cream. Allow everything to simmer and thicken into a delicious creamy sauce. I add the tortellini towards the end of cooking to ensure it doesn’t get mushy in the creamy sauce. It only needs a few minutes to soften before it’s ready to serve. When the tortellini is just about ready, I add the chicken back to the skillet and let it cook another minute or two until everything has warmed throughout.

SIMPLE.

finish it up.

I like to first spoon the chicken out onto a plate, then spoon the sauce and tortellini over the chicken, really submerging the chicken in the sauce. The saucier, the better.

And then lastly, I squeeze a little lemon over top for a layer of freshness.

Yummm…and super easy. Perfect for just about any night of the week. I love how quickly and easily this comes together. It really is one of those “no fuss”, easy, delicious dinners that everyone loves. Already excited to make it again very soon.

Cannot wait!

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

This chicken tortellini Alfredo recipe is a hearty, cheesy, and comforting weeknight meal! It’s easy to make and ready in about 25 minutes.

This is another tasty recipe to add to your “how do I use up leftover chicken?” arsenal. Don’t have leftover chicken? Buy a rotisserie chicken. They’re so useful for making quick meals, and we buy them fairly often.

Alfredo sauce is simply a mix of butter, cream, and parmesan cheese. I always like to liven it up a bit so I add in a bit of garlic and some lemon juice just to prevent it from being too rich or one-dimensional. 

How to make Alfredo tortellini with chicken

1. Cook the tortellini and drain them once they’re done.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce in a skillet. Make a quick roux with the butter and flour. Whisk in the chicken broth, lemon juice, cream, and garlic. Let the sauce thicken up.
3. Stir in the parmesan and season with salt & pepper.
4. Toss the chicken and tortellini with the sauce. (Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)

A few recipe notes:

• I chose garlic powder instead of a garlic clove (or two) since it dissolves nicely and I didn’t want the garlic taste to be too overpowering. With that said, feel free to use fresh garlic if you want to!
• Just a note on the serving size: this dish is fairly rich, so it does make four reasonable portions, but then I would serve them with a side salad or garlic bread or something else. If you’ve got super hungry people who eat a lot, it’s more like two portions. 
• I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something else e.g. milk or half-and-half unless you’re confident in your abilities to thicken up the sauce/make adjustments as needed. Also, it will taste a bit different if you don’t use heavy cream.

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo

This chicken tortellini Alfredo recipe is a hearty, cheesy, and comforting weeknight meal! It’s easy to make and ready in about 25 minutes.

PREP TIME10 mins

COOK TIME15 mins

TOTAL TIME25 mins

COURSEMain Course

CUISINEAmerican

SERVINGS4

CALORIES553 kcalCook Mode

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INGREDIENTS 

• ▢1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• ▢2 tablespoons butter
• ▢1 tablespoon flour
• ▢1/2 cup chicken broth
• ▢1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
• ▢1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ▢1.5 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie) shredded
• ▢Salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Boil a salted pot of water and cook tortellini according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, when the tortellini is not too far away from being cooked, start the sauce. Add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, sprinkle in the flour and let it cook for about a minute (stir it).
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the pan and start whisking it to dissolve the flour (do this for about 30 seconds or so).
• Pour the cream in and add the garlic powder. Continue whisking until you’ve got a smooth sauce. Let it reduce for a minute or two or until desired thickness is reached. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more cream or chicken broth.
• Stir in the parmesan. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Add in the chicken and drained pasta. Toss to let it heat through, then serve and enjoy.

NOTES

• Feeds 4 if you serve it with other things (e.g. salad or garlic bread) or it makes 2 rather large portions.
• Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

NUTRITION

Calories: 553kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 29gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 682mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 961IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 264mgIron: 3mg