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Making marry me chicken tortellini will leave your family on one knee, begging for more! This dish has a creamy, garlicky, sun-dried tomato and spinach sauce packed with juicy breaded chicken and soft tortellini.
Comforting, tasty, and packed with flavor, this dish is truly an expression of love and affection. My recipe and instructions will show you how to simply and quickly bread and fry chicken, create a luscious tomato sauce, and serve it all up for an impressive 30 minutes.
Love tortellini? I hope you’ll try our tortellini salad, sausage tortellini soup, chicken tortellini soup, or tortellini al forno next!
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: a household staple
- Salt + Black Pepper: table salt and fresh cracked pepper
- Italian Seasoning: the perfect blend of spices for an Italian flavor
- Chicken Breasts: I use skinless and boneless.
- Olive Oil: A great healthy oil
- Butter: Unsalted
- Garlic: Fresh; gives the sauce the perfect Italian flavor. If you don’t have fresh, you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of jarred garlic, or garlic paste.
- Shallots: Fresh; one of my favorite items because it’s not too overpowering but adds so much flavor to any sauce.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Packed in oil, so much flavor in these little tidbits. Added to a sauce truly transforms it in to a heavenly place.
- Chicken Broth: Low sodium or regular
- Tomato Paste: adds another layer of flavor; concentrated tomato flavor is so good!
- Heavy Cream: This ingredient creates a creamy sauce base.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated. It adds to the cream sauce and makes it cheesy, nutty, and salty. Freshly grated is even better! Stay away from the pre-shredded parmesan, it doesn’t melt well.
- Red Pepper Flakes: A little heat, at your option
- Spinach: My favorite punch of color and nutrition. A lot goes a little way!
- Frozen Tortellini: Use your favorite frozen brand. You can also use the fresh tortellini in the refrigerated section.
- Chicken Flavor “Better Than Bouillon”: its magic to your sauce
- Basil: topping your dish with basil is so pretty and adds freshness
Tips
- Frozen Tortellini: This takes just a few minutes to cook. The tortellini will continue to cook in the sauce, so be careful not to overcook, which can happen quickly. Of course using fresh tortellini is great. If using fresh, less time to cook is required. Just add to the sauce and let it warm up.
- Thin Sauce: If the dish sits for any amount of time, the sauce may become thick. Add heavy cream or half and half to loosen it up.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
- Dry the cubed chicken with paper towels.
- Coat the cubed chicken with the flour mixture.
- In a skillet, brown the chicken.
- Set it aside.
- In the same skillet, saute the shallots, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add the tomato paste and broth.
- Add the tortellini, heavy cream, and parmesan.
- Simmer.
- Add the cooked chicken and spinach. Gently toss until everything is well coated.
- Serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This in The Fridge? Once made, your Marry Me Tortellini will last up to two days in the fridge. Beware, the tortellini texture will change, as any pasta will absorb the sauce and get a little gummy.
- Can You Freeze This? It is not recommended to freeze.
- Make-Ahead: This dish can be warmed up. Warm it up gently, do not overheat. It is best served right off the stove.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
I like to pair it with homemade, copycat Olive Garden breadsticks, our seriously amazing garlic bread, or garlic and herb Parker House Rolls. We also like it with our 1905 salad, spinach strawberry salad, or our fully-loaded Mediterranean salad.
More Creamy Pasta Dishes!
- Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- Baked Ziti Pasta With Ricotta
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Creamy Rotel Sausage Pasta
- Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno
- Four Cheese Linguine with Prosciutto
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! 💗 Kathleen
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
This marry me chicken tortellini has a creamy, garlicky, sun-dried tomato and spinach sauce packed with juicy breaded chicken and soft tortellini.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 cubes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil DIVIDED
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 large shallots minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped
- 1 (19 ounces) bag frozen tortellini
- 1 teaspoon chicken flavor “Better Than Bouillon”
- 1/4 cup fresh basil thinly julienned
Instructions
- Lay chicken cubes on a double layer of paper towels, then top with a second double layer of towels. Press on top of paper towels to remove any excess moisture from the chicken.
- In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, add all-purpose flour (1/2 cup), salt (1 teaspoon), black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons). Seal the bag and shake until evenly combined.
- In batches, add the chicken and shake until all pieces are coated. Remove coated pieces to a plate. Repeat until all chicken is coated.
- Add (2 tablespoons) olive oil and butter (2 tablespoons) to a high-sided 12-inch skillet. Over medium heat, brown chicken in batches (likely 3 batches in total), flipping over two or three times, until golden brown and the chicken reaches 165ºF (74ºC) when measured by an instant-read thermometer. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate.
- Add remaining (1 tablespoon) olive oil to skillet and sauté garlic (1 tablespoon), shallots, and sun-dried tomatoes (1/2 cup). Sauté, over medium heat, for three minutes, stirring constantly, until softened and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Keep the heat on. Add tomato paste (1/4 cup) and broth (1 cup) to skillet. Use a large wooden spoon to mix them together and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the frozen tortellini (19 ounces), heavy cream, and parmesan (1 cup). Bring to a simmer (don't boil). Adjust heat, as needed, to maintain a low simmer. Simmer, stirring often, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon so the Parmesan doesn't burn. Simmer until the tortellini is cooked, about 3-4 minutes.
- To the skillet, add cooked chicken and spinach (2 cups), gently tossing until everything is well coated and combined. Spoon into individual serving bowls and top each with an indulgent sprinkle of Parmesan, a generous pinch of fresh basil, and fresh cracked pepper! Enjoy!!
Notes
- Frozen Tortellini: This takes just a few minutes to cook. The tortellini will continue to cook in the sauce, so be careful not to overcook, which can happen quickly. Of course using fresh tortellini is great. If using fresh, less time to cook is required. Just add to the sauce and let it warm up.
- Thin Sauce: If the dish sits for any amount of time, the sauce may become thick. Add heavy cream or half and half to loosen it up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1059kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1941mg | Potassium: 905mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3362IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 515mg | Iron: 7mg
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I’ve been trying new recipes, this one is sooo good and so easy-to-make. I can’t wait to try this again!
Right?! Perfect for weeknights! Thanks, Alice 🙂