📋Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
Marry Me chicken tortellini is a quick and easy 30-minute meal. A great dinner enjoyed by the whole family! It has pan-seared chicken breasts and pillow-y cheesy tortellini pasta smothered in a rich, creamy, sun-dried tomato and Parmesan sauce. It’s sure to win hearts!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 396kcal
Ingredients
- 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes soaked in olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon red chili paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 20 ounces tortellini fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 cup Parmigiano
Instructions
- Coat boneless chicken cubes with flour, smoked paprika, pepper, and salt to taste. Coat chicken well in the flour mix. Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook tortellini. While the water is heating up prepare the sauce.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pot. Add flour-coated chicken cubes in a single layer and cook until browned well.
- Once browned flip and cook until browned on the other side. Takes approximately 7-8 minutes. Remove browned cooked chicken in a separate bowl, and set it aside.
- Pour the remaining olive oil into the same skillet. Add minced garlic and saute garlic until fragrant for 30 minutes.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes (soaked in olive oil), tomato paste (you can also include tomato passata), red chili flakes, and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Pour chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, and stir constantly.
- When water to cook tortellini begins to boil, add generous about of salt (about 2-3 teaspoons). Cook tortellini pasta in boiling water as per packet instructions. Note: you don’t have to cook if using fresh tortellini and if using frozen tortellini, you may have to cook it for less time.
- Into the saucepan add seared and cooked chicken along with heavy cream. Stir well and let it simmer.
- Add al-dente cooked tortellini into the creamy sauce, and stir to coat the tortellini in the sauce.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce by adding a little pasta-cooked water.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Turn off the heat. Add baby spinach, fresh basil leaves, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Give it a gentle stir.
- Serve it hot with some more Parmesan cheese grated on top and a few fresh basil leaves for garnish. This recipe is best enjoyed immediately, hot.
Video
Notes
- Cook flour-coated chicken on medium flame to get a nice, golden sear to lock in flavor and moisture.
- Don’t overcook the chicken.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini. Dried tortellini must be cooked first. Skip this step if using fresh tortellini.
- Do not overcook tortellini pasta. Always cook pasta for 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions.
- If the sauce seems thick, add a little pasta water to adjust the consistency. The starch in the pasta's cooked water helps the sauce to cling to the tortellini.
- I prefer to add sun-dried tomatoes at the beginning so they cook down and release their juices into the sauce. If you prefer to have chunks of sun-dried tomatoes in the sauce you can add a little extra towards the end when you stir in cooked tortellini.
- Reduce heat before adding heavy cream to prevent the sauce from splitting.
- Always buy a Parmesan cheese block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese from the store usually has chemicals to keep it lumping together and it does melt well.
Nutrition
Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2126IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 265mg | Iron: 2mg