Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini
Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini combines tender chicken with a creamy tomato sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese tortellini pasta. It uses simple ingredients with easy steps for busy weeknights. Nothing complicated here! It’s ready in under 40 minutes and is perfect for family dinner, date night, or special occasions. The leftovers aren just as delicious and last 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes great for meal planning!
Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini is easy, delicious, and perfect for any occasion. Not just those dreamy date night! It’s a complete meal in one pan which is great when you don’t want to clean a ton of dishes afterwards.
I am always looking for some way to make chicken less boring and the sauce is what does it. It turns any meal into fancy dinner! I have used it on plain pasta, pork chops, and even over my steaks.
Plus, you can make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge for a few days. I have even caught my husband heating some up and dunking some garlic knots in it as an afternoon snack.
It’s like the grown up version of my son dunking his Olive Garden breadsticks in alfredo sauce as his dinner! No judgement from this house, I can tell you that!
More Marry Me Chicken Recipes
- Skillet Marry Me Chicken – The original recipe that started it all
- Marry Me Chicken Soup – When you want the recipe but need a soup
- Crockpot Marry Me Chicken – Ready when you get home
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I prefer boneless chicken breasts, chicken cutlets, or you can substitute boneless chicken thighs.
- Heavy cream: Substitute with coconut cream or your favorite dairy free cream substitute.
- Pasta: The cheese tortellini really make it hearty but you can also use your favorite pasta shape. If I do this, I sprinkle some extra cheese on top, because I LOVE cheese!
- Sun-dried tomatoes: The dun-dried tomatoes give it that special signature tangy flavor but you can swap them out for roasted red peppers if you need to.
- Parmesan cheese: Substitute Asiago or Romano cheese for more flavor.
- Spices: Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Substitute equal parts oregano, basil, and rosemary if you need to.
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How To Make Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Brown chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate and reduce the temperature to medium.
- Stir in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in chicken broth and gently scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove the brown bits. This adds flavor.
- Stir in the heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back into the skillet and spoon the sauce over them.
- Place skillet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F. While the chicken is baking, cook and drain the tortellini.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and set aside. Take out the chicken breasts and slice or dice into bite-sized pieces. Stir the tortellini and sliced chicken into the skillet. Toss to combine, garnish, and serve!
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage
Refrigerator: Leftovers last 3-4 days in fridge stored in airtight container.
Freezer: Don’t freeze cooked tortellini (it gets mushy). Freeze chicken and sauce separately. Thaw overnight in fridge, reheat in saucepan on stovetop until heated through. Cook fresh tortellini while reheating, toss together when ready.
Make Ahead: Make dish as directed but keep tortellini separate. When ready to serve, reheat both. Toss chicken and creamy sauce over cheese pasta.
How to Reheat
Best Method – Stovetop:
- Add leftovers to large pan and add a splash of water or broth.
- Stir occasionally to combine broth and bring sauce back to creamy consistency.
- Heat over medium until heated through and chicken reaches internal temp of 165°F.
Microwave Method:
Works well but the chicken can dry out if you’re not careful.
- Place leftovers in microwave-safe dish and cover with damp paper towel or lid to keep the moisture in.
- Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval.
- Continue until heated through. You might need to add some broth to sauce as well.
I have tried both and the stovetop method is definitely better! The sauce gets close to the original creaminess and the chicken stays tender.
Variations
Different Pasta:
- Use any cheese tortellini (frozen or fresh) including a spinach or mushroom tortellini.
- Try ravioli instead of tortellini.
- Use penne or rigatoni for a different shape, just add extra cheese at the end.
- Substitute gnocchi for a lighter texture.
Protein Options:
- Chicken thighs instead of breasts are even juicier.
- Shrimp for a seafood version
- Italian sausage if you’re not in the mood for chicken.
- Skip the meat entirely and make a vegetarian version
Sauce Tweaks:
- Add a splash of white wine for more flavor.
- Add mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes (my husband loves this one!)
- Stir in spinach at end for added greens.
Serving Suggestions
With the added pasta, this really is a complete meal. The only things I usually add are:
- Salad: This Italian chopped salad or 1905 salad are great.
- Bread: Garlic bread, breadsticks, or garlic knots to soak up sauce
- Vegetables: Roasted sprouts or Italian green beans are perfect!
- Dessert: Something light like raspberry meringues or sugar cookie truffles.
Why This Works for Weeknights
- Minimal ingredients. Nothing exotic or hard to find.
- Few easy steps. Brown chicken, make sauce, add tortellini. Done.
- One pan. Less cleanup means more time relaxing (which I LOVE!)
- Fancy-looking. Tastes and looks like you spent hours when you didn’t.
- Complete meal. Protein, pasta, sauce all together. No sides needed.
- Leftovers are great. Tastes just as good next day. Maybe even better!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. Just adjust cooking time according to the package directions because frozen takes 1-2 minutes longer than fresh pasta.
Yes! Just make the recipe as usual but keep tortellini separate. When you’re ready to serve, reheat both, then toss together.
You can, but I don’t recommend freezing the pasta. Cook the chicken and sauce but store them separately. Then thaw and reheat. Cook fresh tortellini while you’re reheating. A little bit of the pasta water added to the sauce can make it creamy again.
Absolutely! The thighs stay juicier but they need a little longer cooking time so be sure to check the temperature before eating.
I have used roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes (I love these roasted first), or left them out all together. The sun-dried tomatoes add that special tangy flavor so if you use a substitute it might alter the final taste.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use oven-safe skillet: This allows for an easy transfer from stovetop to oven if needed. You can always transfer the chicken and sauce to a casserole dish to bake.
- Season chicken well: Salt and pepper on both sides before cooking.
- Brown chicken properly: The golden brown sear on both sides keeps the chicken moist and adds flavor to the sauce.
- Watch garlic carefully: Garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes can burn quickly and become bitter when cooking.
- Don’t overcook tortellini: Cook it al dente because it continues cooking in sauce and can get mushy.
- Garnish fresh: Add fresh basil or chopped parsley just before serving for a hint of flavor and freshness.
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Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cheese tortellini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped or sliced thin
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a large, oven safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken breasts and cook for roughly 5 minutes on one side to brown it. Flip and brown the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the chicken breasts to a plate.
- Reduce the temperature to medium.
- Add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth, gently scraping the bottom of the skillet to remove the delicious brown bits.
- Stir in the heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.
- Bring to a simmer. Place the chicken back in the skillet and any juices accumulated on the plate.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F.
- While the chicken is baking, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain and set aside until chicken is done.
- When the chicken is ready, remove from the oven.
- Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and slice the chicken or dice into bite-sized pieces.
- Stir the tortellini into the sauce in the skillet.
- Add the chicken and mix to combine. Serve in individual bowls.
- Alternatively, you can place the pasta and sauce in a large serving bowl and top with the sliced chicken.
- Garnish with sliced fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Use oven-safe skillet: This allows for an easy transfer from stovetop to oven if needed. You can always transfer the chicken and sauce to a casserole dish to bake.
- Season chicken well: Salt and pepper on both sides before cooking.
- Brown chicken properly: The golden brown sear on both sides keeps the chicken moist and adds flavor to the sauce.
- Watch garlic carefully: Garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes can burn quickly and become bitter when cooking.
- Don’t overcook tortellini: Cook it al dente because it continues cooking in sauce and can get mushy.
- Garnish fresh: Add fresh basil or chopped parsley just before serving for a hint of flavor and freshness.
Nutrition
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