Easy Creamy Chicken Pesto Tortellini
Nov 14, 2017, Updated Aug 10, 2024
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This creamy chicken pesto tortellini is a quick and delicious dinner made with cheesy tortellini, basil pesto, tender chicken, and fresh spinach. It’s an easy and flavorful meal that comes together in no time.
Thank you, Buitoni, for sponsoring this post! All opinions are 100% my own.
Could I BE any more excited to tell you about this super simple dinner that combines tortellini pasta, basil pesto, and chicken? Absolutely not! It’s delicious—cosi delizioso! This dish is not only easy and quick, thanks to the fast-cooking cheese tortellini, but it’s also lighter. Yes, it’s creamy, but in a lightened-up way that you’ll love. Did I mention it’s delicious? Because it definitely deserves a second mention!
Recently, my sister and I were chatting about how important it is to include protein and veggies in our kids’ favorite pasta dishes. We realized that by pairing frozen and refrigerated prepared foods with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy, we could create something really good that’s both kid and adult-friendly. You know what I mean?
Following that advice, I could certainly do only one thing: flip to this creamy pesto chicken recipe for inspo and push myself into the kitchen to make our next favorite, chicken pesto tortellini! First of all, my mouth is in love with it because of the cheesy tortellini and the pesto. I could eat that stuff straight from the container.
Basil pesto is absolutely delicious when stirred through a big bowl of pasta. It’s exceptionally creamy with a bit of chunkiness from the pine nuts, making it a perfect match for creamy sauces, dressings, and marinades.
Now, let’s talk about the tortellini—soft, pillowy, and filled with a trio of cheeses: creamy ricotta, aged Parmesan, and Romano. They’re simply irresistible. Honestly, this dish might not get much better than that. Well… unless you combine all of these flavors in one pan and turn it into a dinner. Then you’re definitely winning!
How To Make Chicken with Tortellini
- First you’re either going to use leftover cooked chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, OR cut up a few chicken breasts and prepare it yourself, just as I did here.
- In the meantime, you’ll prepare the tortellini – that only takes about 7 minutes – and you will also get the sauce going. We’re talking about some chicken stock, basil pesto, bit of parm cheese, and cream cheese.
- All of that is going to go over our tortellini, chicken, and spinach. Then, simply enjoy this awesome chicken pesto tortellini.
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Easy Creamy Chicken Pesto Tortellini
Ingredients
- 9 ounce package Three cheese tortellini, I use Buitoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cut up in a few chunks
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 12 ounces cooked chicken breasts, diced
- 1 bag, 10 ounces baby spinach
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella, optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil ribbons, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook tortellini according to the directions on the package.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.
- Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Stir in pesto.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Whisk in the cut up cream cheese; add parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning, and continue to whisk until you get a creamy sauce.
- Stir in the chicken and spinach; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is heated through and spinach is wilted.
- Drain the tortellini and add to the skillet; slowly stir to coat.
- Garnish with fresh basil ribbons and serve.
- *IF adding the mozzarella cheese; layer the slices over the top of the tortellini mixture and broil in the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.
- Garnish with basil ribbons and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nestle. The opinions and text are all mine.
Oh my word!!! This is so good! My son loves it and that’s the best part!
My hubby and I absolutely LOVED this recipe! Super fast and now has a permanent spot on my dinner table.
Delicious and quick! The 9oz package of tortellini looked so small, so I doubled everything except the garlic, spinach (I actually only used about 6oz), and possibly the chicken (I didn’t weigh, but my grocery store rotisseries just a double breast instead of a whole chicken — I used all of one of those). The doubling wasn’t necessary for my family of four — there’s enough for a second full dinner. It turned out perfect, it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite dishes from Panera. Thanks!
Buitoni tortellini is ALWAYS in my fridge or freezer — so handy on busy nights! Love this gorgeous dish with all the pesto!
Well, this looks like a winning meal!
What a perfect quick and easy dinner recipe!