Our Chicken Tortellini Alfredo satisfies any comfort food craving! Tortellini pasta and tender bites of chicken are tossed in a creamy, cheesy, Alfredo sauce for a quick and easy dinner that everyone will love. This is a meal that should be made regularly, and after trying it once, we know you will want to!
What is Chicken Tortellini Alfredo?
Chicken Tortellini Alfredo is in the upper echelons of quick and delicious dinners! Easy to throw together, but yet elegant and comforting, this is a meal that works for any occasion, be it a fancy dinner or a family-style supper on a Tuesday night.
Cheese tortellini is a delight on its own, but combine it with tender bits of chicken and smother it all in a creamy, cheese-y, buttery Alfredo sauce, and you’ve got yourself a dream dinner.
It’s simple to make and in our opinion, deserves its own special place in your dinner rotation.
Ingredients for Tortellini Alfredo
The ingredient list is very basic and includes all the makings of a classic Alfredo sauce. For extra ease we use cooked, leftover chicken, which makes this an easy recipe to fit into a weekly meal plan.
Here is the ingredient list:
- cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
- butter
- garlic cloves, finely minced
- heavy cream
- grated Parmesan cheese
- white pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg
- cooked chicken, shredded or sliced
- salt
- extra Parmesan cheese and chopped, fresh parsley (to taste)
For the chicken, try this Instant Pot frozen chicken breast, easy grilled chicken, or leftovers from a whole crockpot chicken which, by the way, makes a great family night dinner. You can also just buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket and shred it up.
Our Chicken Tortellini Alfredo Recipe
Here it is, the chicken tortellini Alfredo recipe you need to save! (For all the details and ingredient amounts, scroll to the bottom of the page).
- Cook the tortellini: Follow the instructions on the package for cooking the tortellini. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the tortellini. Set it aside while you make the Alfredo sauce.
- Prepare the Alfredo sauce: In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in the cream and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes. It will reduce and become slightly thicker. Lower the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, pepper, and nutmeg, stirring frequently until the cheese is completely melted.
- Toss: Add in the chicken and drained tortellini. Stir until heated all the way through, tossing the mixture to coat it all evenly in the sauce. The sauce will thicken, and if it becomes too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out.
- Serve: Season the tortellini Alfredo with salt, if needed. Sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Pro tips for the best tortellini Alfredo
Don’t skip the nutmeg! A little bit of ground nutmeg may seem like an unusual ingredient for this dish, but it is in fact the “secret” ingredient to an amazing Alfredo sauce! A whole nutmeg will keep its flavor for longer than pre-ground nutmeg and there’s quite a big difference in flavor between the two. Whole nutmeg is simple to grate- just use a microplane grater and grate the nutmeg over the sauce.
About the chicken: We use shredded, cooked chicken. Eight ounces of shredded chicken ends up being approximately 2 cups. If the chicken is cubed, you will end up with over 2 cups in volume.
Add the Parmesan before the salt! Some brands of Parmesan cheese are saltier than others, which is why we recommend adding salt, if needed, at the very end. Make sure to taste the sauce before seasoning it with salt.
About the servings size: This creamy, rich, comfort food dish can easily be stretched to six smaller portions if served with garlic bread, steamed veggies, and a salad. On its own, served without sides, you will end up with 4 servings.
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
Our Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet combines chicken, Alfredo sauce, veggies for a one-pan skillet dinner! It’s ready in under 30 minutes and is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken.
Chicken Mushroom Pizza with Einkorn Crust combines the best ingredients on a soft and doughy homemade pizza crust. Mushrooms, Parmesan, and whole-grain Einkorn give this pizza a delicious, earthy flavor that’s simply divine!
This Leftover Roast Beef Pasta Skillet turns last night’s beef dinner into a fresh and exciting meal! This rich, herby pasta is comfort food in its best form- full of flavor, bold aromatics, and tender chunks of beef that are irresistible!
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Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 10 ounce package cheese tortellini fresh or frozen
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese 2 ounces
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or use black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 8 ounces cooked chicken shredded or sliced
- salt to taste
Garnish
- extra Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Set aside while you make the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the cream and let it simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes to reduce it and make it slightly thicker.
- Lower the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until the cheese melts.
- Stir in the chicken and drained pasta. Stir until heated all the way through. The sauce will thicken as the pasta and cheese mingle a while. If the sauce is too thick, add the pasta water to thin it out. Season with salt if needed.
- Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Nutmeg may seem like an unusual ingredient but it is the magical ingredient to Alfredo sauce. A whole nutmeg will keep it’s flavor for longer than pre-ground nutmeg and you can tell the difference with pre-ground and freshly grated nutmeg. If you have a whole nutmeg, grate it over the sauce with a microplane grater.
- Eight ounces of shredded chicken is approximately 2 cups. If you slice or cube the chicken it will be a little over 2 cups in volume.
- Since some brands of parmesan cheese are saltier than others, make sure you taste the sauce before you season with salt.
- This is a rich and filling meal that can easily be stretched to 6 smaller portions if you serve it with garlic bread, steamed veggies, and a salad. Without any sides, it makes 4 servings.
angiesrecipes
Wednesday 9th of December 2020
I can't remember when I last had some pasta Alfredo. Love how creamy, delicious and flavourful this looks!
Dahn Boquist
Thursday 10th of December 2020
Thanks Angie, it is true comfort food ;)