Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Pesto Chicken Tortellini
Creamy pesto sauce tucked around cheese tortellini makes a generous chicken dinner. The little pasta parcels hold onto the sauce, with mozzarella melting through at the finish.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Keep garlic moving
Stir the minced garlic constantly in the melted butter for about a minute before adding the sauce ingredients.
2. Smooth sauce before pasta
Stir the pesto, broth, cream and seasonings until smooth before mixing in the refrigerated tortellini and bringing it to a bubble.
3. Ease a strong boil
Reduce the heat if the sauce starts boiling vigorously. The tortellini cooks uncovered with occasional stirring.
Get to know the ingredients
Refrigerated tortellini
Cook the refrigerated cheese tortellini directly in the sauce. Its released starch helps thicken the liquid during cooking.
Cooked chicken
Use shredded cooked or rotisserie chicken, adding it after the tortellini's first cooking stage to warm through in the sauce.
Mozzarella off the heat
Save the shredded mozzarella until the pan leaves the heat, then stir or toss until it melts into the sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Pesto Chicken Tortellini
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Taste after melting
Once the mozzarella melts, season with salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately while the sauce is warm.
A little more help as you go
Loosen a reduced sauce
If the sauce reduces too much while warming the chicken, add a splash more cream until it suits you.
Optional pepper flakes
The crushed red pepper flakes are optional or adjustable to taste. They join the pesto mixture before the tortellini cooks.
A few questions you might have
Should I boil the tortellini separately?
It cooks directly in the pesto sauce, releasing starch that helps the sauce thicken during the uncovered cooking stage.
When does Italian seasoning go in?
Add it with the pesto, chicken broth, cream and pepper flakes after the garlic has cooked briefly in butter.
Does the chicken need browning in this recipe?
The recipe uses chicken that is already cooked and shredded. It only warms through after the tortellini cooks.
How long does the chicken warm in the sauce?
Cook it for another minute or two, until heated through and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
Does the mozzarella simmer with the pasta?
Take the pan off the heat first, then add mozzarella and stir until melted before tasting the final seasoning.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: saltandlavender.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
