An Easy One-Pan Creamy Chicken Tortellini Dinner

There are certain times when all I want is a big skillet of creamy pasta that feels substantial enough to be dinner but doesn’t require me to dirty every pot and pan in the kitchen. Lately, I have been on a major skillet pasta kick, and this Creamy Chicken and Tortellini Skillet is exactly the kind of dinner I have been craving.

Tender pieces of chicken are seasoned overnight and browned in butter until they develop a delicious crust. The chicken then simmers in a savory tomato and chicken broth before fresh cheese tortellini is cooked right in the same skillet. Fresh spinach, garlic and herb Boursin cheese, and a splash of heavy cream finish everything off.

The result is a creamy chicken tortellini dinner that is rich and comforting without having an overly heavy sauce. It also reheats wonderfully, which is especially important around here lately. Mr. Tipsy has been working overnight and coming home at different times, so I have been making more dinners that can be reheated whenever someone is ready to eat.

A Creamy Skillet Dinner Made For Busy Nights

One of the reasons I love skillet pasta recipes is that you can build so much flavor in one pan.

Instead of boiling the tortellini separately, the fresh tortellini cooks directly in the seasoned tomato and chicken broth. As it cooks, it absorbs some of that flavor while also releasing a little starch into the liquid.

Then the Boursin cheese melts into everything at the end and transforms that broth into a creamy sauce.

There is also plenty of flexibility here. You can add more spinach or leave it out entirely. You can use a Boursin substitute if that is what you have. You can add Parmesan at the end, and you can adjust the amount of broth based on the shape of your skillet.

That last part is important, and I will explain exactly what to look for below.

Season The Chicken The Night Before

I used chicken tenderloins for this recipe and cut them into bite-sized pieces.

The night before I planned to make the pasta, I seasoned the chicken with Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, black pepper, a tiny bit of rosemary, and a couple of pinches of brown sugar.

Then I added a little olive oil, tossed everything together, and refrigerated the chicken overnight in a Ziploc bag.

The brown sugar is not there to make this chicken sweet. There is only a small amount. It helps balance all of those savory seasonings and also helps the outside of the chicken caramelize when it hits the hot butter.

If you don’t have time to season the chicken overnight, you can still make this recipe. Even a few hours in the refrigerator will help, or you can season it right before cooking in a pinch.

An Easy Way To Prep Chicken Tenderloins

If you cook with chicken tenderloins often, you probably know exactly what I mean when I talk about that little white tendon running through them. I cannot stand biting into that tough, chewy piece, so I always take a minute to remove the part that is easy to get to before I season my chicken.

I use a pair of clean kitchen shears to snip around the exposed white tendon and cut away that tougher piece. I don’t drive myself crazy trying to pull the entire tendon out of every tenderloin. I simply trim off the obvious portion along with any other little pieces of fat or connective tissue that I don’t want in the finished dish.

Since we’re cutting the chicken tenderloins into bite-sized pieces for this recipe anyway, kitchen shears make this especially easy. I can trim the chicken and snip it directly into smaller pieces without having to do a lot of extra work with a knife and cutting board.

Just make sure you’re using kitchen shears intended for food preparation, and wash and sanitize them thoroughly after they’ve been in contact with raw chicken.

Getting A Good Crust On The Chicken

When I was ready to cook, I took the chicken out of the refrigerator for a short time to take some of the chill off.

I melted three tablespoons of butter in a large, deep-sided skillet and added the chicken.

The trick here is to resist the urge to constantly stir it.

Let the chicken sit against the hot skillet long enough for the seasonings to brown and develop a crust before turning the pieces. Between the butter, seasonings, and that little bit of brown sugar, you should get some really delicious browning.

You only need to cook the chicken until it is almost completely cooked through at this point. It will have additional cooking time in the broth.

And do not clean out that pan. All of those browned bits are flavor that we want in the sauce.

Better Than Bouillon Adds Extra Flavor

Instead of opening a carton of chicken broth, I used one of my favorite pantry staples, Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.

I combined 2 cups of water with one heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon and added that to the browned chicken.

I like Better Than Bouillon for recipes like this because you can control how strong you want your broth. Since the broth becomes part of our finished sauce, I wanted plenty of chicken flavor.

One thing I would caution you about is adding extra salt.

Between the Tony Chachere’s seasoning, Better Than Bouillon, cheese tortellini, and Boursin, there are already several salty ingredients in this dish. Wait until everything is finished, taste it, and then decide whether you need additional salt.

Tomato Paste Creates The Base Of The Sauce

Next add one 6-ounce can of tomato paste with basil, garlic, and oregano.

You can absolutely use regular tomato paste if that is what you have. I just happen to like the additional seasoning in this particular variety for this recipe.

After emptying the tomato paste into the skillet, I filled the empty can with water, swirled it around to get all of the tomato from the sides, and added that water to the skillet.

Then I did it one more time.

Not only are we getting every last bit of tomato paste out of that can, but that extra liquid is going to become important when we add our fresh tortellini.

Bring everything to a very low simmer and let the chicken finish cooking in the tomato and chicken broth for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

How Much Liquid Do I Need For The Tortellini?

This is probably the most important thing to understand about this recipe.

Your skillet may be different from mine.

I use a large, deep-sided skillet. With the amount of liquid listed in my recipe, my fresh tortellini was mostly submerged.

If you use a skillet that is much wider or shallower, the liquid is going to spread across the bottom differently. You may need to add some additional chicken broth.

Don’t get overly concerned about an exact measurement here.

Instead, use your eyes.

When you add the tortellini, most of the pasta should be sitting in the liquid. It doesn’t have to be swimming in soup, but you don’t want half of your tortellini sitting completely above the broth either.

If you need more liquid, add chicken broth a little at a time.

This is also not something that needs to cook at a rolling boil. Keep the skillet at a gentle simmer.

Why I Use Fresh Tortellini

I used one package of refrigerated Giovanni Rana 5 Cheese Tortellini.

Fresh tortellini is perfect for this skillet because it cooks much more quickly than dried pasta and doesn’t require the large amount of water you would normally need to boil pasta.

Add the tortellini directly to the simmering liquid and gently stir everything around so that the pasta is mostly submerged.

Cover the skillet and let it simmer gently for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini is cooked to your liking.

While the tortellini cooks, some of that flavorful liquid is absorbed and some evaporates. This is exactly what you want because we’re going to turn what remains into the creamy sauce.

Add As Much Spinach As You Like

Once the tortellini was cooked, I added about three generous handfuls of fresh spinach.

This is definitely not an ingredient that needs to be precisely measured.

If you love spinach, add more. If you’re just trying to get some green vegetables into dinner, add a handful. If your family doesn’t like spinach, leave it out completely.

Fold the spinach into the hot pasta and give it a minute or two to wilt before adding the cheese.

Boursin Cheese Makes This Sauce Extra Creamy

The ingredient that brings the entire skillet together is one package of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese.

Turn the heat down and add the Boursin after the tortellini is cooked and the spinach has wilted.

Gently stir until the cheese completely melts into the tomato and chicken broth.

Boursin works particularly well here because it isn’t just adding creaminess. It is also adding garlic, herbs, and a slight tang to the sauce.

Finally, I added a small splash of heavy cream. Mine was probably about 1/8 cup, but you really don’t need to get out a measuring cup for this.

Eyeball it.

Add a splash, stir, and see what you think. If you’d like your sauce a little creamier or looser, add another splash.

You can also finish the skillet with freshly grated Parmesan if you like.

What Can I Substitute For Boursin Cheese?

If you don’t have Boursin cheese, you can still make this creamy chicken and tortellini skillet.

Plain cream cheese is probably the easiest substitute. I would use approximately 5 ounces and add a little extra garlic powder and dried Italian seasoning to compensate for the seasoning in the Boursin.

An herb and garlic cream cheese spread would be an even closer substitute.

Mascarpone would also make a wonderfully rich sauce, although it has a milder flavor. If you use mascarpone, you may want to add extra garlic, herbs, and Parmesan.

Whatever cheese you choose, reduce the heat before adding it. You want the cheese to gently melt into the sauce rather than rapidly boil.

Can I Use Frozen Tortellini?

Yes, but you’ll need to make some adjustments.

Frozen tortellini will take longer to cook than the fresh refrigerated tortellini I used.

You can add it directly to the skillet, but keep an eye on your liquid level because the additional cooking time means more of your broth may evaporate.

Keep everything covered at a gentle simmer, stir occasionally, and test a tortellini for doneness.

If the sauce is reducing before the pasta is tender, add a little more chicken broth.

I would use the texture of your pasta rather than the clock as your guide.

Can I Use A Different Pasta?

Absolutely.

This creamy chicken sauce would be delicious with shells, cavatappi, fusilli, gemelli, or another short pasta with plenty of nooks and crannies to hold the sauce.

There is one major difference.

If you use regular dried pasta instead of fresh tortellini, I recommend cooking the pasta separately until just shy of al dente.

The liquid measurements in this recipe are specifically designed around fresh tortellini. Dried pasta needs significantly more liquid and more cooking time, so trying to cook it directly in this skillet would change the recipe considerably.

Cook your dried pasta separately, drain it, and add it to the chicken and tomato mixture before adding the spinach, Boursin, and cream.

More Creamy Skillet Pasta Recipes

If you are in the mood for creamy pasta, I have plenty of other easy skillet dinners that are perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday dinner, or making ahead for someone who needs to reheat a meal later.

Click each image for the recipe!

What To Serve With Creamy Chicken And Tortellini

This is already a very filling meal, so I keep the sides simple.

A green salad with a tangy vinaigrette is a great choice because the acidity helps balance the creamy pasta. Roasted broccoli or green beans would also work well.

And, of course, you cannot go wrong with warm Italian bread, garlic bread, or toasted sourdough for getting every last bit of that Boursin tomato sauce out of the bowl.

Click each image to get the recipe for that side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Have To Marinate The Chicken Overnight?

No. I like doing it because it gives the seasonings plenty of time to flavor the chicken and also means some of my dinner prep is already finished the following day.

If you don’t have that much time, season the chicken a few hours ahead or even immediately before cooking.

Why Is There Brown Sugar In The Chicken Seasoning?

The small amount of brown sugar balances the savory and slightly spicy seasonings and helps the chicken develop a beautiful browned exterior in the skillet.

There isn’t enough brown sugar to make the chicken taste sweet.

How Do I Know If There Is Enough Liquid In My Skillet?

Look at the tortellini after you add it. The pasta should be mostly submerged in the cooking liquid.

If you are using a wider or shallower pan and the tortellini isn’t mostly sitting in liquid, add additional chicken broth a little at a time.

Use the photograph earlier in this post as your visual guide.

Do I Need To Boil The Tortellini First?

Not if you’re using the fresh refrigerated tortellini called for in this recipe.

It cooks directly in the skillet, which also allows it to absorb some of the flavor from the chicken and tomato broth.

Can I Leave Out The Spinach?

Absolutely. Add more, add less, or leave it out completely.

Can I Use Regular Tomato Paste?

Yes. I used tomato paste seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano because I like the extra flavor it adds, but regular tomato paste works perfectly well.

You can add a little additional oregano, garlic powder, or Italian seasoning if you use plain tomato paste.

Can I Add Parmesan Cheese?

Definitely.

The tortellini and Boursin already add quite a bit of cheese, so I recommend tasting the finished dish first. You can stir freshly grated Parmesan into the sauce over low heat or simply add it to individual servings.

Does Creamy Chicken And Tortellini Reheat Well?

Very well. In fact, that is one of my favorite things about this recipe.

The tortellini will continue absorbing some of the sauce as it sits in the refrigerator, so the leftovers will probably be thicker.

Add a small splash of chicken broth, water, or heavy cream before reheating to loosen everything back up.