What's better than tortellini pasta covered in a delicious cream blush sauce topped with spinach and pan seared chicken? This is the best recipe for a creamy chicken tortellini pasta and comes together in just 30 minutes.
Pastas are always on the menu at my house. They're easy, they're tasty, and very versatile to make your own. You can make a lightened up spaghetti pasta sauce, a baked pasta like a baked ziti, or a one pot dish like a garlic parmesan pasta.
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this creamy chicken tortellini
- What ingredients do I need for this recipe?
- Swaps and Substitutions
- How do I make this tortellini recipe?
- Tips for making this tortellini pasta recipe
- PRO TIP:
- Serving and pairing suggestions
- Storage Information
- Hungry for more?
- Did you like this recipe? Share it!
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Pasta Recipe
Why you'll love this creamy chicken tortellini
- Quick and easy! This comes together in just 30 minutes.
- It's great as a meal prep for dinner during the week.
- Simple ingredients.
What ingredients do I need for this recipe?
- Tortellini Pasta - delicious little filled pastas with ricotta cheese. Tortellini is perfect for this recipe.
- Chicken Breast - we are using diced boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe.
- Garlic - you don't need to mince the garlic, but finely slice it enough that it cooks and renders down.
- Shallot - shallots are such a fun onion to use in recipes, they are actually my favorite from the onion family.
- Tomato Paste - one tablespoon of tomato paste helps give the blush color of this cream sauce.
- Heavy Cream - we use full heavy cream in this recipe to give the sauce structure, thickness, and lots of flavor.
- Chicken Stock - the chicken stock is part of building the sauce and adds flavor.
- Spinach - I love adding spinach into pasta recipes especially with a blush sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese - a little parmesan cheese mixed in at the end really brings out the creaminess of the sauce, and also helps to thicken it.
See the recipe card below for more information about other ingredients and quantities.
Swaps and Substitutions
- Chicken - If you want to use a different cut of chicken like a boneless, skinless chicken thigh you certainly can!
- Cream - you can opt for regular milk or half and half. I have not tested it with any other milk alternative.
- Pasta - I would say stick to the tortellini because this recipe is based on tortellini, but if you really are not team tortellini, other pastas that would work well include rigatoni, fusilli, or any other short spiral pasta. Also, gluten free pasta works really well too.
- Onion - I love using shallots, but you can absolutely use a regular yellow onion.
- Spinach - you don't need to use the spinach in this if you're not a fan of it, it just gives a beautiful color and of course, added veggies.
How do I make this tortellini recipe?
Step 1: Dice the chicken breast and add to a bowl. Coat with flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then set aside.
Step 2: Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Sear the chicken in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes or until all the chicken has been fully cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Step 3: In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, then sauté the garlic and shallot on a medium flame, cooking for 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream. Leave to sit on a medium heat until the sauce come to a rolling boil (bubbles will begin to form), then stir occasionally. Bring to a simmer on a low flame.
Step 5: Add in the spinach and stir to wilt directly into the sauce, this should take no longer than 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Step 6: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the pasta then pour in the tortellini. Cook until al dente and add to the sauce, along with the chicken. Stir to combine and coat the pasta and the chicken.
Stir in parmesan cheese and serve.
Tips for making this tortellini pasta recipe
- Cook the pasta al dente, meaning "to the tooth" or "to the bite", so the pasta has a chew rather than being flimsy and overcooked.
- Measure out the olive oil so that the sauce doesn't get to oily as you layer in the other ingredients.
- Watch the garlic and shallot in the pan as you sauté. If left unattended for longer periods of time, the garlic and shallot will burn, You want a light sauté, just until you can smell it in the pan.
- The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. That's when you know it's thick enough.
PRO TIP:
Ladle the tortellini directly into the pan with the sauce, chicken, and spinach instead of straining. Ladling the tortellini will leave some starchy pasta sauce on the tortellini itself and naturally make the sauce a little thicker and tastier.
Serving and pairing suggestions
- Serve this with a deliciously fresh salad.
- Add even more veggies to this with garlic green beans.
- Invite a bunch of your friends over for a dinner party.
- Make for a new mama or friend recovering from surgery.
- Prep this creamy chicken tortellini ahead of time to leave room to make these brown butter s'mores blondies for a lil after-dinner treat.
Storage Information
To Store: Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container and place in the fridge. This should be consumed within 3-4 days.
To Freeze: Put the pasta dish in a freezer-safe container, making sure the seal of the container is air tight. Place in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or add to a large pot with ¼ cup water on medium heat.
Hungry for more?
You've got to check out these other drool-worthy pasta recipes!
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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- large frying pan
- wooden spoon
- large pot
- slotted spoon/spider spatula
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast boneless skinless; diced
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 3 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1 lb tortellini
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Dice the chicken breast and add to a bowl. Coat with flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan on medium heat. Sear the chicken in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes or until all the chicken has been fully cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, then sauté the garlic and shallot on a medium flame, cooking for 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream. Leave to sit on a medium heat until the sauce come to a rolling boil (bubbles will begin to form), then stir occasionally. Bring to a simmer on a low flame.
- Add in the spinach and stir to wilt directly into the sauce, this should take no longer than 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the pasta then pour in the tortellini. Cook until al dente and add to the sauce, along with the chicken. Stir to combine and coat the pasta and the chicken.
- Last, stir in the grated parmesan cheese and serve.
Patty
I am so happy you didn’t put sun dried tomatoes in this cuz I hate them. This was really delicious and easy to make
Maggie F
Perfection! If you like cheesy & creamy with some protein… this is it. Has it all.