A mouthful in more ways than one! Chicken Tortellini Alfredo is an Italian tongue-twistingly titled creamy pasta dish with succulent chicken breast strips. This hearty meal hits all the comfort sweet spots: protein-rich chicken, velvety cheese sauce, satisfying pasta parcels. One quick hack and 25 minutes later, dinner is served.
Creamy chicken pasta recipes are the ultimate comfort food, and they tend to come together quickly. Reader favourites include chicken marsala fettuccine, a divine dinner-for-two; creamy mustard chicken pasta, made from store cupboard staples; spinach ricotta pasta with lemon butter chicken is elegant and light. Not to mention all the chicken Alfredos!
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Chicken Alfredo recipe
Alfredo sauce has come to my rescue again and again. It’s versatile, effortless, requires only 10 minutes and 3 ingredients. And I’ll bet those ingredients are in your kitchen at all times; butter, cream, Parmesan.
Perhaps that’s why I created so many recipes from it; blackened chicken Alfredo, Cajun chicken Alfredo, prosciutto wrapped chicken Alfredo, chicken and broccoli Alfredo, even vegan Alfredo! Each dish marries the unctuous Alfredo sauce, tender chicken breast, and ribbony pasta.
Strictly speaking, in Italy you would never see chicken and pasta together. Pasta is usually served as the first course, while hunks of meat (so not ragú or pancetta) come as a second course. Chicken Alfredo is actually a rebellious combination cooked up by North Americans! And thoroughly delicious.
Creamy tortellini sauce
So, while we’re breaking all the age-old Italian rules and throwing chicken in the mix, let’s ditch the traditional fettuccine that accompanies this classic sauce and use a filled pasta. GASP!
Using a filled pasta is a super hack for big families on smaller budgets. It’s going to fill bellies and eke out precious protein. Personally, I find pasta parcels alone can be dry and unexciting so I always pair tortellini with a sauce.
Alfredo is the simplest but just as quick are sun-dried tomato and cream sauces, like this Tuscan tortellini sauce, or tortelloni with creamy tomato sauce and spinach.
An Alfredo sauce is quite personal and therefore ingredients lists vary. The OG being just Parmesan and pasta water. Mine is less frugal and contains butter, cream and Parmesan mixed and melted together to form that pure white, fluid cheese sauce. It beautifully lubricates both chicken and tortellini.
Recipe tips and notes
- To get slender, bite-sized chicken strips I use chicken breast. If you have any leftover roast chicken or chicken breasts, this is when to use them up.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is infinitely better than the pre-grated kind. Pre-grated lacks intensity of flavour, is dry and claggy. A total false economy. Treat yourself to a block!
- Alfredo sauce needs a low and consistent heat. You mustn’t boil the cream or it will split, and you want the cheese to incorporate smoothly.
- A pinch of nutmeg dramatically transforms the dish. The edge of spice and warmth balances out the richness of the sauce, lifting it aromatically. No surprise here- I grate my own! The ground kind will do just fine though.
- Fettuccine is the classic pasta shape for Alfredo sauce but for this recipe I have upped the ante and used spinach and ricotta tortellini. Wild!
- Feel free to use any filled pasta, like ravioli or cappelletti. What they’re filled with is up to you too.
- Cook the filled pasta according to the package instructions. But better to be underdone than overdone as they will continue to soften in the sauce.
- Beware! Overcooked tortellini will split open and the filling will slide sadly away, lost to the cooking water.
- And reserve some pasta water! Splashing some starchy water into (any) sauce helps it to maintain its fluidity.
- Finally, adding more salt to the pasta and sauce will really bring out the flavours. A grind of black pepper wouldn’t go amiss either!
Serving suggestions
All a chicken pasta recipe needs are a decent garlic bread and some greenery. Roasted parmesan broccoli with sun-dried tomatoes is my pick for any Alfredo recipe thanks to the sweet and sour flavour of the tomatoes and their pleasing chew.
I’m not a huge fan of salads with creamy pasta dishes, but tomatoes and tangy red onions really offset this Parmesan-based sauce. This cucumber and heirloom tomato salad fits that bill.
Storage and leftovers
I try to cook to minimise waste, so cooking the perfect portion size for my family’s appetite. Especially when it comes to pasta. Cooked then cooled pasta does not keep well, think cold and rubbery!
If you do accidentally overestimate serving sizes, fear not! This creamy chicken pasta will keep covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat slowly on the hob checking the chicken is cooked in the centre.
More recipes to try
- 5 Minute Ravioli Sauce
- Easy Carbonara Sauce (No Cream)
- Spicy Sausage Pasta with Ricotta
- White Chicken Skillet Lasagna with Basil Pesto
Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1 tsp salt and pepper combined
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp butter
- 500ml / 2 cups heavy cream
- 120g / 1 ¼ cup This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- A few gratings of nutmeg
- Salt to taste
- 500g/1 lbs tortellini fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, then season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of oil oil and cook the chicken until done over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the pan to a separate plate.
- Set the water boiling in a large pot. Once it comes to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the tortellini. Cook according to package instructions.
- To the same pan where you cooked chicken add the butter, cream and Parmesan cheese and heat it slowly over low heat until the cheese is melted into the sauce. Taste and season with salt if needed, then add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Drain the tortellini while reserving ½ cup of pasta water, and add to the Alfredo sauce, then bring the chicken back to the pan. Toss gently to coat the pasta, add a bit of the pasta water is the dish is too dry. Make sure to taste and add more salt to taste. Serve with additional grated Parmesan.
Notes
- To get slender, bite-sized chicken strips I use chicken breast. If you have any leftover roast chicken or chicken breasts, this is when to use them up.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is infinitely better than the pre-grated kind. Pre-grated lacks intensity of flavour, is dry and claggy.
- Alfredo sauce needs a low and consistent heat. You mustn’t boil the cream or it will split, and you want the cheese to incorporate smoothly.
- A pinch of nutmeg dramatically transforms the dish. The edge of spice and warmth balances out the richness of the sauce, lifting it aromatically. I grate my own but the ground kind will do just fine.
- Feel free to use any filled pasta, like ravioli or cappelletti. What they’re filled with is up to you too.
- Cook the filled pasta according to the package instructions. But better to be underdone than overdone as they will continue to soften in the sauce. Overcooked tortellini will split open and the filling will slide sadly away, lost to the cooking water.
- And reserve some pasta water! Splashing some starchy water into (any) sauce helps it to maintain its fluidity.
- Finally, adding more salt to the pasta and sauce will really bring out the flavours. A grind of black pepper wouldn’t go amiss either!
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