Description
This Chicken Tortellini Alfredo recipe is a creamy, comforting one-pan meal featuring tender chicken, cheese-filled tortellini, and a rich Alfredo sauce made with garlic, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Perfect for a quick and satisfying dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 lb, cubed
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Pasta and Garnish
- 3 cups cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen (about 330 grams)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the skillet: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil to coat the pan.
- Cook chicken: Add the cubed chicken to the pan and season with seasoning salt and garlic powder. Cook until the chicken begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice to cook evenly.
- Add garlic: Stir in the finely minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Simmer sauce: Pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Cook tortellini: Add the cheese tortellini to the skillet and return to a simmer. Cover the pan loosely, leaving a small gap to allow steam to escape. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until tortellini is tender and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Finish the dish: Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. The sauce will thicken considerably as the cheese melts and the dish rests. If the sauce is thinner than desired, whisk together 1 teaspoon of water and 1 teaspoon of corn starch and stir it into the simmering pasta to thicken further.
- Adjust seasoning and serve: Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed before serving warm.
Notes
- To make a meatless version, simply omit the chicken; no other changes are necessary.
- Use precooked or leftover shredded chicken by adding it directly to the simmering sauce, skipping the browning step.
- Add vegetables if desired: firmer vegetables like onions, mushrooms, and peppers can be cooked with the chicken; softer vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens should be stirred in at the end.
- For a lighter sauce, substitute heavy cream with milk or lighter cream but add corn starch to thicken the sauce accordingly.
- If using regular salted chicken broth instead of low sodium, reduce or omit added salt and adjust seasoning to taste at the end.
