This chicken tortellini recipe is a fantastic pasta dish to make on the griddle or in a skillet! With juicy chicken breast strips, cheese tortellini, Italian dressing, and your favorite summer vegetables, this is the perfect tortellini dish to serve hot or cold!
Our Favorite Tuscan Chicken Tortellini
Thanks to Todd Toven, probably one of the most recognizable faces of Blackstone griddle cooking, tortellini is a super popular dish to cook on the griddle. And for good reason!
You can save a few steps by not having to boil and drain the tortellini, and the ingredients that you can add to customize your pasta dish are pretty much limitless.
Want a Southwest-style griddle tortellini? Try adding black beans, corn, green peppers, and fajita chicken with a store-bought Mexican sauce. Or a Greek tortellini with kalamata olives, feta cheese, and Greek vinaigerette would be fantastic also!
For this griddle tortellini recipe, we’re keeping things Italian with a Tuscan chicken. Similar to Marry Me chicken, which is made with sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream, this Tuscan chicken tortellini is packed with flavor without feeling too heavy. Just like this sausage ravioli with butternut squash!
And you can serve it warm right off the griddle, or even refrigerate it and serve as a cold pasta salad… perfect for your summer griddle recipes!
More of a visual learner? Watch us make this griddle chicken tortellini recipe on our griddle cooking YouTube channel:
What do I need to make Tuscan Chicken Tortellini?
The Chicken
We used boneless skinless chicken breasts, which is what we recommend using for this recipe. Be sure to trim your chicken and flatten out any fatter areas of the breasts so that they cook evenly on the griddle or in the skillet.
The Sauce
The sauce for this easy griddle pasta recipe consists of three main ingredients – your favorite Italian dressing, a bit of heavy cream, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. We used an Asiago Garlic store-bought dressing for our tortellini dish, but most bottled Italian dressings or marinades should work well.
The Pasta
To prepare this recipe on the griddle or in a skillet without first boiling the pasta and dirtying up another pan, then you will need to use the packaged tortellini that’s found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. There are a few different brands that offer the refrigerated tortellini like Rana and Buitoni.
Just select your favorite brand in the flavor of your choice. We opted for a five cheese tortellini, which was perfect for this chicken tortellini recipe! And be sure to check out our Chicken Alfredo Tortellini recipe next – made with the same type of pasta!
The Vegetables
We used a combination of some of our favorite vegetables that are popular in Italian cuisine, including grape tomatoes, zucchini, shallot, marinated artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. We also added in some lemon juice and fresh chopped basil for that perfect summer zing.
How to Make Tortellini with Chicken on the Griddle
Marinate the Chicken
To start, make sure that your chicken breasts are fairly even in thickness so that they cook evenly on the griddle or in the skillet. You can place the breasts in a zip top bag or cover in plastic wrap, and then use the bottom of a heavy pan to pat the chicken out – a great method if you don’t have a meat mallet!
We chose to inject the chicken with the Italian marinade for extra flavor. This is a technique that we’ve done often with whole smoked chicken, so we decided to give it a go with chicken breasts. However, if you don’t have a marinade injector, you can definitely add the chicken breasts to a zip top bag or bowl to marinate in the refrigerator.
Simply mix together the marinade ingredients – including the Italian dressing, lemon juice, and mayonnaise – and marinate the chicken breasts for about 2-4 hours. With the acid from the lemon, you don’t want to marinate the meat for much longer than that because it will start to break down.
Prep the Vegetables
As with most griddle recipes, this dish cooks fairly quickly so be sure that all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to add to the griddle. This includes cutting the squash, zucchini, onions, and any other vegetables that you like.
Cook the Chicken Breasts and Tortellini on the Griddle
Preheat the griddle or a large skillet to medium heat. For griddle cooking, the surface temperature should be about 37-400°F.
*TIP – If you’re using chicken tenderloins or your breasts are on the thinner side, then you can set the griddle temp a bit higher (about 400-425°F) so that your chicken can get a nice crust on the outside.
Then, follow these steps:
- Season the marinated chicken breasts with your favorite all-purpose seasoning. We used Shake That All Purpose Seasoning, the perfect blend of salt, pepper, garlic, citrus, and butter flavors. Then, cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Sauté the vegetables on the griddle until done to your liking. Take care to not overcook the vegetables, because they will continue to cook with the sauce and tortellini. Move vegetables to the cooler side of the griddle to keep warm while you cook the pasta.
- Add the tortellini to the griddle and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add some a few squirts of water to the pasta, and immediately place a dome on top to trap in the steam.
- When the pasta is almost completely cooked through (but still al dente), add the sautéed vegetables to the tortellini. Then, add your Italian dressing and a bit of heavy cream, letting the pasta absorb all of that good flavor.
Add Basil, Lemon Juice, and Cheese to the Tortellini
When the sauce has thickened a bit, transfer the tortellini to a serving platter. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of basil, and some torn burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese.
Slice the cooked chicken against the grain and fan on top of the pasta. And then this beautiful, light and flavorful griddle tortellini is ready to serve!
Recipe Tips:
- Instant read thermometer for juicy chicken. Probe the chicken breasts when they are almost done cooking to monitor the temperature. The chicken is done when the fattest part of the breast reaches 165°F, and keep in mind that some pieces will be done faster than others.
- Even cooking on the griddle. Cut and pound your chicken breasts to uniform pieces so that they cook evenly on the griddle.
- Vegetable integrity. Delicate vegetables like cherry tomatoes don’t take as long to cook as others like squash and zucchini. Add those to the griddle last so that they don’t turn to mush.
Can I use frozen tortellini on the griddle?
Refrigerated tortellini works best on the griddle as it cooks quickly and has a better texture. If you’re in a pinch, you can use frozen but defrost it first.
What can I substitute for burrata cheese?
Mozzarella can work as a substitute, but you’ll miss that creamy center. Go for burrata if you can find it.
Can I make this recipe in a skillet instead of on the griddle?
Absolutely! You can make this Tuscan chicken tortellini recipe in a large skillet over medium heat. You will need to cook the different components in batches… Cook the vegetables first, then remove them from the skillet to cook the chicken breasts next. When the chicken is done cooking, transfer to a cutting board to rest while the tortellini cooks. Then, add all of the ingredients together.
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Tuscan Chicken Tortellini
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 – 2½ pounds total)
- 1 cup your favorite Caesar-style or Italian dressing/marinade *See notes
- juice of one lemon
- all-purpose seasoning (like Shake That) or substitute salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil of your choice
- 1 zucchini cut in half then sliced in pieces about ¼" thick
- 1 shallot sliced thin
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half
- 20 oz package cheese tortellini the refrigerated package
- 3-5 basil leaves chiffonade
- ½ cup heavy cream
- burrata or fresh mozzarella to tear on top of the pasta
Instructions
- Pound out the fatter area of the chicken breasts so they are even thickness and cook evenly on the griddle. Add the chicken breasts to a large zip top bag with ½ cup of the dressing and juice of half the lemon. Mix well to evenly coat the chicken, zip the bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours.
- When chicken is done marinating, preheat griddle or large skillet over medium heat. For griddle cooking, the temperature should be about 375-400℉. Season the chicken breasts with your favorite all-purpose seasoning.
- Cook the chicken breasts on the griddle, flipping about half way through cooking time, until the internal temp of each breast is 165℉. Then transfer to a cutting board to rest while you cook the vegetables and pasta.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the griddle and spread it around with your spatula. Sauté the zucchini and shallots on the oiled surface. When those vegetables are about half way cooked through, add the artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and grape tomatoes. When almost done cooking, move the vegetables to a cooler zone on the side of the griddle.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the griddle. Add the refrigerated tortellini to the oiled griddle. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add a squirt of water to the tortellini and immediately cover with a dome to steam.
- When tortellini is about 3/4 of the way done, add the sautéed vegetables and pasta together on the griddle. Add ½ cup of the Italian dressing, ½ cup of heavy cream, and the basil to the pasta. Toss to combine and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes for all of the flavors to come together and the sauce to thicken slightly. Then transfer to a serving platter.
- Cut the cooked chicken breasts in slices against the grain. Add the cut chicken to the top of the pasta. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top. Tear burrata into bite-sized pieces and place on top of the chicken and pasta. Enjoy! *You can also drizzle on a bit more dressing if desired.
Video
Notes
- Caesar or Italian dressing options – For this recipe, we prefer a creamier/thicker style bottled dressing (more of a Caesar-vinaigrette style). You can look for one that says “Dressing and Marinade” for best results. We used Maple Grove Farms Asiago and Garlic Dressing.
- Cooking chicken breasts on the griddle – After the chicken has cooked on the first side for 3-4 minutes and a nice crust has developed, flip to the second side, but flip in a new spot on the griddle. The new area will be hotter, because there wasn’t food on it previously. Then you can scrape down the area where the chicken was before, so that the dressing doesn’t burn into the griddle – this will make it easier to clean later!
- Serve hot or cold – This is a perfect summer pasta dish, because you can refrigerate it and serve cold or serve it warm off the griddle.
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