How to Make Chicken Tortellini Alfredo?
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cheese tortellini. Cook refrigerated tortellini for 2-3 minutes, frozen tortellini for 3-5 minutes, or dried tortellini for 10-11 minutes. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water for thinning the sauce if needed. Drain the tortellini well.
While the water comes to a boil, melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Then, whisk in the cream and Italian seasoning. Simmer until slightly thickened, but do not boil. Reduce the heat to as low as it will go, and stir in the Parmesan Cheese until melted.
Add the cooked cheese tortellini and shredded chicken, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of chopped fresh parsley.
Ingredients for Chicken Tortellini Pasta
This recipe was written for busy families for weeknight meals, so let’s keep it simple!
- Refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
- Butter – Either will work, but if you only have salted butter, reduce the amount of kosher salt when seasoning the recipe.
- Minced garlic – for the best flavor, use fresh minced garlic.
- Heavy cream – also known as whipping cream
- Italian seasoning
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – not the pre-shredded in the bag or the can
- Cooked chicken – either diced or shredded. I like to use rotisserie chicken picked up from Costco, but any cooked chicken will work.
Recipe Tips
- Use refrigerated, frozen, or dried cheese tortellini. The only thing that changes is the cooking time. Cook refrigerated tortellini for 2-3 minutes, frozen tortellini for 3-5 minutes, or dried tortellini for 10-11 minutes.
- Don’t boil the tortellini; instead, simmer them.
- Reduce the cream mixture by about 1/3. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes, so start working on the sauce while the water is coming to a boil.
- For best taste results, grate your own block of Parmesan cheese instead of purchasing pre-grated Parmesan Cheese.
- Use the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and use it when reheating leftovers.
Storage and Reheat
Store Chicken Tortellini Alfredo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power. If you stored the pasta water in an airtight container in the fridge, now is an excellent time to use it to thin the sauce.
Theoretically, you can freeze this dish, but it will result in changes in texture and consistency, so it is best to enjoy it within 3 days.
Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 19 ounces refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream also known as whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese plus more for serving
- 2 1/2 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cheese tortellini. Cook refrigerated tortellini for 2-3 minutes, frozen tortellini for 3-5 minutes, or dried tortellini for 10-11 minutes. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the pasta water for thinning the sauce if needed. Drain the tortellini well.
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While the water is coming to a boil. Melt the butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
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Whisk in the cream and Italian seasoning. Simmer until slightly thickened but do not boil. Reduce the heat as low as it will go and stir in the Parmesan Cheese until melted.
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Add the cooked cheese tortellini and shredded chicken, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If desired, sprinkle with a little chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
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- Use refrigerated, frozen, or dried cheese tortellini. The only thing that changes is the cooking time. Cook refrigerated tortellini for 2-3 minutes, frozen tortellini for 3-5 minutes, or dried tortellini for 10-11 minutes.
-
- Don’t boil the tortellini; instead, simmer them.
-
- Reduce the cream mixture by about 1/3. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes, so start working on the sauce while the water is coming to a boil.
-
- For best taste results, grate your own block of Parmesan cheese instead of purchasing pre-grated Parmesan Cheese.
- Use the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and use it when reheating leftovers.
