Tuscan Chicken Tortellini
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!
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.