Blackened Chicken Alfredo with Tortellini – Griddle to Oven Recipe

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This Blackened Chicken Alfredo recipe was so good that even my picky-eater daughter was asking for seconds. Combine a homemade Alfredo sauce with juicy blackened chicken breasts and tortellini, then bake it in a cast iron skillet for a dinner that’s rich and creamy, and kid-approved!

If you’ve never made your own Alfredo sauce from scratch, then you need to stop what you’re doing and run to the grocery store for some heavy cream and parmesan. And then write an apology letter to all of those jarred pasta sauce brands because you’ll never want to purchase a store-bought Alfredo sauce again.

Does it take a bit more time to make your Alfredo sauce from scratch? Yes.

Is it 100% worth it? Also yes.

And when you combine an awesome homemade Alfredo sauce with griddle blackened chicken and cheese tortellini, the result is fantastic.

Here’s how to make your favorite new Italian dinner recipe on the griddle:

Why this Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe works:

• It’s packed with flavor. The blackened seasoning on the chicken adds a bold and spicy flavor to the dish, while the creamy Alfredo sauce provides a rich and indulgent flavor that complements the chicken perfectly.
• It’s a crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re cooking for your family or entertaining guests, chicken Alfredo is a dish that most people know and love.
• It’s versatile. You can easily customize this recipe to work for you… Swap out the tortellini for fettuccini noodles, add in some steamed broccoli, or go low-carb and serve the blackened chicken and Alfredo sauce over cauliflower rice or butternut squash noodles.

Ingredients for Blackened Chicken Alfredo

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts.
• Blackened or Cajun seasoning. The spiciness from the blackening seasoning compliments the richness and creaminess of the Alfredo sauce. I used my favorite not-too-spicy Creole seasoning from Wide Open Foods.
• Cheese-filled tortellini or pasta of your choice. Of course this Alfredo recipe can be made with fettuccini noodles, but the tortellini pasta is fantastic and unexpected. We used one family size package of 5-cheese tortellini from the refrigerator section of the grocery store.
• Heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and garlic cloves. Common ingredients for a homemade Alfredo sauce.
• Panko breadcrumbs, parsley, and butter. If you’re going to be baking your Alfredo tortellini like I did, then this mixture serves as the crispy “crumb” topping.

How to Make Chicken Alfredo with Tortellini on the Griddle

With made from scratch Alfredo sauce, this tortellini pasta bake does take a bit of extra time to make, but it’s so worth it! Here’s how to make this awesome Italian dinner that combines the Blackstone griddle and the oven:

Make the homemade Alfredo sauce.

The homemade Alfredo sauce for this chicken tortellini Alfredo takes a bit of time to cook, so you’ll want to start that first. Just add the fresh minced garlic and unsalted butter to a large skillet on the Blackstone griddle like this:

Allow the butter to melt and the garlic to become fragrant. Then, add heavy cream and half & half to the skillet and allow it to heat up a bit. Add the freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese to the cream and butter, and stir to combine.

As the cheese melts and incorporates with the heavy cream, the sauce will thicken so that it coats the back of your spatula and pulls away from the bottom of the skillet as you mix it, like this:

Notice how you can see the steel as I scrape the spatula against the bottom of the skillet? That’s what you want… You don’t want your sauce to thicken too much, and you don’t want it too thin… It’s a fine balance.

Griddle Cooking Tip:

The surface of your griddle can get super hot, which is not great for cream-based sauces like homemade Alfredo. To prevent your sauce from getting too hot and “breaking”, you can elevate one side of your skillet off the griddle by setting it on the lip of the Blackstone like this. Just be careful that you don’t accidentally knock in to the skillet as you’re cooking.

Cook the blackened chicken on the griddle.

While the Alfredo sauce is heating, go ahead and prep your chicken breasts. Start by pounding them out thin, so that each breast is uniform in thickness. This allows the chicken to cook more evenly on the griddle, instead of overcooking and drying out in certain areas.

Then, season with your favorite blackening blend. My go-to blackening seasoning is this Wide Open Foods Creole Blackening Seasoning… I don’t find it to be too spicy or too salty. Sprinkle both sides of your pounded out chicken breasts like this:

If you’re not a fan of spice, feel free to go light on the blackening or substitute with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, or a good all purpose seasoning… You can grab my Shake That All Purpose Seasoning here!

Then, place your seasoned chicken breasts on the Blackstone and begin cooking on the first side. When the chicken is about half-way cooked through, flip to the second side and continue to cook until done. *The USDA recommends cooking chicken breasts to an internal temp of 165 degrees F.

At this point, your Blackstone griddle should look something like this:

Notice the pot of water heating up on the right side? That’s to cook your pasta in the next step… While your other ingredients are cooking, you can add a pot of hot water to the griddle to begin boiling so it’s ready to go when the time comes to cook the tortellini.

When the chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board to rest before cubing it for your Alfredo pasta bake.

*NOTE – The secret to juicy chicken on the Blackstone griddle is to cook each piece to the proper temperature. Be sure to temp each individual piece of chicken using an internal probe thermometer (you can see my favorite instant read probe thermometer in this post), and remove each piece from the griddle once it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F.

Cook the tortellini and add it to the blackened chicken and Alfredo.

While the chicken is resting, add the tortellini to the boiling water and cook per package instructions. Your Blackstone griddle should look something like this:

When the cheese tortellini is done cooking, drain it and add it to the hot griddle for just a few minutes. This helps to dry the pasta a bit, so that the moisture from the cooked noodles doesn’t dilute your rich and creamy Alfredo sauce.

Then, simply add the tortellini to a large mixing bowl with the Alfredo sauce and the cubed blackened chicken. You can also reserve a small amount of the Alfredo to use as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or to spoon over your finished dish.

Mix the pasta, chicken, and sauce together, and your dinner is just about ready for the oven! *I also reserved some of the sauce to use as a dip for some garlic breadsticks on the side!

Make the breadcrumb topping and prep your baking dish.

This Blackened Chicken Alfredo recipe would be awesome without this optional step, but if you don’t mind turning on the oven, then turn your Alfredo dish into a delicious baked pasta dinner!

Start by buttering a cast iron skillet. Then, for a simple crumb topping, add panko breadcrumbs, some melted butter, and a few dashes of dried parsley in a small bowl and mix together.

Bake the blackened chicken Alfredo and tortellini.

Spread the blackened chicken Alfredo pasta in the prepared cast iron skillet or other baking dish so that it’s in an even layer. Then, add the panko breadcrumbs on top of the dish.

Bake in the preheated oven at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the breadcrumb topping is lightly golden brown and the dish is bubbling.

Then, remove the skillet from the oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. And be prepared to fall in love with your new favorite homemade Alfredo sauce! By the way, you’ll probably want to toast up some garlic bread to soak up the last few drops of sauce, too!

Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake Recipe

Want to print this recipe to save for later? Just use the recipe card down below, and be sure to let me know in the comments section how you like it!

Blackened Chicken Alfredo with Tortellini

Created by: Neal

Course Griddle Recipes, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

4 people

This Blackened Chicken Alfredo recipe can be served over tortellini, or mix everything together and bake it in the oven for an awesome Chicken Alfredo pasta bake. The creaminess of the rich Alfredo sauce perfectly compliments the spiciness of the blackened chicken breasts for one fantastic griddle dinner!

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Ingredients

  

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• blackening seasoning
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 20 oz package cheese tortellini family size package from grocery refrigerator
• ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 oz parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 1 tbsp butter to butter the skillet or baking dish

For the Alfredo Sauce:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 cup half and half full fat
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 10 oz good quality parmesan cheese freshly grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat griddle on medium low to medium. While griddle is heating up, pound out chicken breasts so that each breast is uniform in thickness. Then, season both sides of each piece of chicken with your blackening seasoning (or substitute all-purpose seasoning of your choice).
• Place a large skillet on the heated griddle surface and allow it to warm up. Add a separate pot of hot water to the griddle to boil (to cook the tortellini later). To the skillet, add one stick of butter and the minced garlic. Allow the butter to melt and the garlic to become fragrant.
• In a small bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs and dried parsley. Take about 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and garlic from the skillet and pour over top of the panko. Stir to combine. Set the panko breadcrumb "topping" to the side.
• Add the pint of heavy cream and the cup of half and half to the butter and garlic in the skillet. Stir to combine and allow the cream to warm. Then, add the 10 oz. of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally as the cheese melts into the cream and the Alfredo sauce thickens. *Do not allow the sauce to get too hot. Continue to cook the Alfredo sauce, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• While the Alfredo sauce continues to cook, add about 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil to the heated griddle surface, and use your spatula to spread it around in a thin even layer. Place the seasoned chicken breasts on the oiled griddle surface. Cook chicken on the first side until about half-way cooked through. Then, flip the chicken to the second side and continue to cook until each breast reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. *Temp each piece of chicken individually, and remove the chicken from the griddle as it reaches the proper internal temp. Allow the cooked chicken breasts to rest on a cutting board.
• While the chicken is resting, add the packaged tortellini to the pot of boiling water. Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Then, turn the griddle off, drain the pasta, and transfer pasta to the warm griddle in a thin layer for about 1-2 minutes. This allows the pasta to dry out a bit.
• Butter a 10" cast iron skillet or other baking dish.
• Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken, tortellini, about 2 oz of grated parmesan cheese, and about 3/4 of the Alfredo sauce to a large bowl and stir to combine. Spread the blackened chicken Alfredo pasta in the prepared cast iron skillet or baking dish. Spoon the rest of the Alfredo sauce over top. Sprinkle the panko crumb topping on top of the pasta. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crumb topping is lightly golden brown and the dish is bubbly.
• Remove Alfredo pasta bake from the oven, and allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• You can elevate your skillet on the side lip of your griddle if it starts to get too hot, or remove the skillet from the heat completely.  Don’t let the Alfredo sauce boil rapidly… You want it to be right on the verge of boiling.

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