Marry Me Chicken Tortellini: Creamy, cheesy pasta with juicy chicken, herby sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach—all in one pan for a deliciously easy meal.
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini Overview:
- Dish inspiration: Inspired by the viral Marry Me Chicken, this version incorporates tortellini for a one-pan bake.
- A lighter twist: Aimed at being a comforting yet lighter alternative to traditional creamy pasta dishes. No heavy cream or half-and-half used!
- Flavor secret: Uses quality chicken broth and a blend of seasonings to amplify flavors.
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini Ingredients
- Butter: Choose unsalted to control the dish’s saltiness. Salted butter can vary tremendously from brand to brand.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: We use the oil for added flavor. Buy pre-chopped to save time.
- Mushrooms: Baby Bella mushrooms are our fave.
- Minced garlic: Opt for jarred to speed up prep.
- Flour: Essential for thickening the sauce. Whisk until smooth to prevent lumps.
- Seasonings: Key for a vibrant flavor.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferred for its creaminess.
- Chicken broth: Select a high-quality brand for the best flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: Enhances the dish with saltiness and umami.
- Cheese-filled tortellini: Rana® is a highly recommended brand.
- Rotisserie chicken: Alternatively, use leftover baked or grilled chicken.
- Baby spinach: Adds color and a fresh flavor.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
- Preheat: Oven to 425°F; adjust rack to the center position.
- Sauté: Combine butter and tomato oil, add mushrooms, then sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
- Roux: Melt butter; whisk in flour.
- Sauce: Gradually add milk and broth; stir until thick. Mix in Parmesan cheese.
- Combine: Add chicken, tortellini, mushroom-tomato mix, and spinach. Stir to coat well.
- Bake: Top with Parmesan, bake for eight minutes, stir, and bake for three more minutes. Broil for a golden top.
- Serve: Season, garnish if desired, and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Shortcuts
- Use pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie, or even better, pre-shredded rotisserie meat.
- Select pre-sliced mushrooms to bypass chopping.
- Buy pre-washed baby spinach to eliminate washing and drying.
- Get grated Parmesan from the deli section, avoiding the need to grate your own.
What To Serve With Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
- Italian Salad: Fresh greens with a light vinaigrette.
- Roasted Vegetables: A medley or asparagus, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli.
- Foccacia: For soaking up the sauce.
- Green Beans: With almond slivers and garlic.
- Caprese Salad: Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic glaze.
- Quinoa Salad: With lemon, herbs, and veggies.
Storage
Leftovers?
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini is best enjoyed hot–right out of the oven!
As it sits, the tortellini absorbs the surrounding sauce, changing the texture from saucy to bloated.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. When reheating, add a splash of broth to help revive the sauce’s consistency.
More Easy One-Pan Dinners:
- One-Pan Tikka Masala
- One-Pot Spaghetti
- Baked Ravioli Lasagna
- Sausage Tortellini Bake
- One Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini
Marry Me Chicken Tortellini: Creamy, cheesy pasta with juicy chicken, herby sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach—all in one pan for a deliciously easy meal.
Equipment
- 3.5-quart oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tbsp oil (Note 1)
- 8 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced (we love Baby Bella)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup white flour
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional (add to heat preference, up to ½ tsp.)
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ⅞ cup grated Parmesan ⅞ cup = ½ cup + 3 Tbsp. separated (Note 2)
- 9 ounces refrigerated Rana's tortellini (2½ cups) (Note 3)
- 1½ cups shredded/diced rotisserie chicken (Note 4)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- PREP: Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat to 425°F.
- VEGGIES: In a large (3.5 quart) oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer everything to a separate plate.
- CREAM SAUCE: In the same skillet, melt remaining 4 tbsp butter. Sprinkle flour over the melted butter and whisk briskly until smooth. Continue cooking and whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), plus salt and pepper to taste.
- FINISH SAUCE: While whisking constantly, very gradually pour in the milk and chicken broth until the mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and gradually add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese at a time, stirring until melted.
- FINISH: Return the cooked veggies (along with accumulated liquid) to the skillet. Add rotisserie chicken, tortellini, and chopped spinach. Gently stir to combine, ensuring the tortellini is submerged in the liquid as much as possible and smooth into an even layer.
- BAKE: Place skillet in oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, stir everything well, and press into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons of Parmesan over the top and bake for an additional 3 minutes.
- ENJOY: Remove from the oven, season with additional salt and pepper if needed, and garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Serve immediately for best results, as the tortellini will continue to absorb the sauce if left to sit.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Sun-dried tomatoes: Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, preferably julienne cut and packed in herbs for extra flavor.
Note 2: Parmesan cheese: Use fresh Parmesan from the deli section or grate from a block of Parmesan using the small holes of a cheese grater.
Note 3: Tortellini: Fresh refrigerated tortellini that cooks in boiling water within 4-5 minutes is recommended for accurate timing and liquid quantities.
Note 4: Chicken: Any leftover cooked chicken, particularly herbed rotisserie chicken, works well in this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 652kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 1135mg | Potassium: 1385mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 2449IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 478mg | Iron: 12mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make this ahead and leave overnight and bake the next night?
I haven’t tested that but I think it would work, my only concern would be if the tortellini bloats a little while sitting. Let me know if you give it a try!
Delicious! This was so flavorful. My husband loved it.
I used rotisserie chicken as suggested. I did add extra oil when sautéing the mushrooms otherwise followed recipe as written.
Will definitely make again. May use a penne pasta next time. I think that would be delicious too.
I am so thrilled to hear this! The rotisserie chicken makes it go so quick! Thanks for your comment Lynn! 🙂
We loved it!! Great taste!
Yay! So happy this was a hit! Thanks Julie! 🙂
Hello, what would be a good alternative for
milk in this recipe?
I haven’t tested this recipe with any alternatives to the milk; sorry!
Awesome dish, making it again tonight!
Thank You!
Yay!! So thrilled to hear this! Thanks Deron! 🙂
Would like to make this recipe but you don’t
have a metric conversion on your site. It becomes too frustrating to have to convert all
your ingredients. I just wish Americans
would think there are other places than
USA that would like to use their recipes and would have the option of a metric
converter on the site. Some sites do have it, so it can’t be hard to put on.
Hey Sandi! I have worked hard to get accurate metric conversions on hundreds of my recipes; there is a toggle switch in the recipe card you can use. Unfortunately I haven’t made it through all of them and haven’t gotten to this one yet. Instead of doing an automatic conversion I have been weighing every ingredient when re-making every recipe to ensure total accuracy.
You can do metric conversions online with
online converters, search like ‘ ml to cups’ or vise versa a converter will come up just type in the numbers to get a conversion. Simple!
Delicious! The sun dried tomatoes and baby Bella mushrooms make this dish so flavorful.
Yay! So thrilled you enjoyed! 🙂