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Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Tortellini…the best any night of the week dinner that feels extra special. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with nutty browned butter. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with spinach and parmesan cheese. It’s delicious, especially with an extra sprinkling of parm on top. Every bite is layered with delicious flavors and the creamiest sauce. The perfect way to spend a relaxing night in the kitchen with family and friends.
Some nights require something fun, while other nights require something crazy easy, but yet still totally delicious. Tonight we needed crazy easy and totally delicious. And that’s exactly what this chicken tortellini is. I can’t really tell you what inspired this, but what I can say is that this entire year I’ve really been on a cheesy tortellini kick. This cute little cheese-filled pasta has made its way into many recipes. This dish is just yet another and proves it has many ways of being delicious.
I love simple skillet dinners like this. This is an idea I’ve had in the back of my head for a bit now. I finally made it, and it actually turned out better than the picture I had in my head. That rarely happens with recipes, so I knew right away this dish was special.
Jumping right into the details of this one!
The simple details.
If you love a good skillet seared crispy chicken, you’ll love this slight twist even more. It’s all about that creamy parmesan sauce. It’s hinted with garlic and butter and really just one of those sauces that everyone loves.
Start with the chicken. If you’ve made chicken parmesan this is very similar. Simply dredge the chicken through a mix of flour, then pan-sear it in a hot skillet. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
Tip: if your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is super easy to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.
Also, you can easily make this chicken gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or use your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).
Once the chicken is seared, pull it out of the skillet and toss in a bit of butter, shallots, garlic, and plenty of thyme. Again, allow that butter to brown, creating an even more delicious flavor around the garlic. Now, stir in the spinach and let it wilt into the butter.
At this point, add in the wine, simmer until reduced, then stir in the tortellini and cream. Allow everything to simmer and thicken into a delicious creamy sauce. I add the tortellini towards the end of cooking to ensure it doesn’t get mushy in the creamy sauce. It only needs a few minutes to soften before it’s ready to serve. When the tortellini is just about ready, I add the chicken back to the skillet and let it cook another minute or two until everything has warmed throughout.
SIMPLE.
Finish it up.
I like to first spoon the chicken out onto a plate, then spoon the sauce and tortellini over the chicken, really submerging the chicken in the sauce. The saucier, the better.
And then lastly, I squeeze a little lemon over top for a layer of freshness.
Yummm…and super easy. Perfect for just about any night of the week. I love how quickly and easily this comes together. It really is one of those “no fuss”, easy, delicious dinners that everyone loves. Already excited to make it again very soon.
Cannot wait!
Looking for other skillet dinners? Here are a few to try:
One Skillet Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake
Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo
One Skillet French Onion Tater Tot Casserole
Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Tortellini be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Spinach Tortellini
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 732 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken cutlets or 3 boneless chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- red pepper flakes
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour and garlic powder in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour mix, pressing to adhere.2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.3. To the skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the shallots, garlic, thyme, and a pinch each of red pepper chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes, until fragrant. Add butter and spinach. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.4. Pour in the wine and broth. Cook 8 minutes until reduced slightly, then add the tortellini and cook another 2 minutes. Pour in the cream and add the parmesan, stirring until melted and creamy. Add the chicken back to the skillet and simmer for 5 minutes or until warmed through and the sauce has thickened slightly. 5. Serve the chicken topped with the spinach cream sauce. Squeeze over a bit of lemon juice and a sprinkling of parmesan.
DO NOT ADD SPINACH UNTIL THE END. If you follow what this recipe says then by the time everything is done the spinach is going to be a greenish-black sludge. If you like that all the more reason to go for it. If you add it in the last 3 or 4 minutes as it’s cooking, it’ll be so much better
Can I skip the wine ?
I would use chicken broth in place of the wine! xT
Can I substitute Salmon filets for the chicken? I love the idea of using coconut milk and not pre-cooking the tortellini.
Hi Annette,
Sure, salmon would be great to use! Please let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
Delish!! I used coconut milk (your suggestion). Since I used the inexpensive shelf tortellini that needs no refrigeration, I cooked it for 10-12 minutes (al dente) and cooked it the rest of the way when adding it to the spinach and shallots, etc. I like that you can eyeball things and easily make this recipe larger if there is an extra guest joining you, or you just want to make enough for lunch the next day! We were so pleased; my better half immediately said, “This is a keeper”, and had second helpings — something he rarely does! The coconut milk and using almond flour to bread the chicken helps for those with special diet needs. I purposedly made sure my organic chicken breast was still half frozen and was able to slice 5 cutlets from it, with no worrying about a slippery chicken causing cuts. Patted it dry with paper towels, and after seasoning, the flour stuck to it with no problem! We loved the nuance of using the coconut milk and will do it, again. And, I admit, we used a lot more (frozen) spinach, and it was so good, wiht the broth and wine. We can’t wait to cook this for houseguests who will be visiting soon. Thank you!!
Thanks so much Denise!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! Happy Friday!
Delicious! Kid approved too. The recipe is a little confusing as far as if you need to boil the tortellini first or not. Luckily I went and read the comments and saw that you didn’t. I think an added note on the recipe about this would be helpful though.
Hey Katherine,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Sorry for any confusion, but if the tortellini needed to be boiled, that would be in the instructions;) xx
Made this last night and it was so easy and delicious!
Hey Caroline,
Wonderful!!😃 I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad it was a winner! xx
OMG this was waaay delicious!!! definitely a keeper!!
Hey Bonnie,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad it was delish! Have a great weekend:) xx
Another winner. Everyone loved it. Thanks so much!!
Hi Kali,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
This is literally one of the most delicious dinners. Every time I made it my husband raves how it tastes like it was just made at our local Italian restaurant. It has become one of our go to weekly meals.
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx
This was easy and delicious. Husband went back for seconds…he never goes back for seconds! Prepping all ingredients ahead of cooking helped the recipe to run smoothly. Not sure how many cutlets in a package, I purchased one pound which worked best for two with one plate of leftovers. My tortellini on hand was 9 oz, which was perfect amount for 3 servings. This is a winner and will be made again!
Hi Barbara,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
This was SOOOOOO good! Made with coconut milk. I got distracted so there were some stuck bits on the bottom of the pan and since the family ate EVERYTHING in the pan, they then fought over the crusty bits on the bottom of the pan. Fantastic. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Hey Ange,
Fantastic!!🌺 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xT
So easy and delicious! I added an egg wash to the chicken to make the flour/garlic mix stick a little easier. Always appreciate the substitute notes for broth over wine! Super easy and delicious meal, as others have said sauce is not thick like a usual pasta sauce and goes great with the chicken. Will use a different type of noodle instead of the tortellini next time for family preference and know it will still be great!
Hey Emily,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great Wednesday! xx
Can you skip the flour? Will it still taste good?
Hey Carla,
The flour gives the chicken a nice breading, but should be just fine if you skip it! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
My tortellini(not frozen) calls for 7 min boiling time. Do I boil for 5 min separately then add to pan for 2 additional minutes or just follow recipe and boil for 2 min?
Hi Carla,
Can you just let the tortellini thaw and then boil for the 2 minutes in the recipe? I think that would work best for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was so good, it was high end restaurant quality. I loved the coconut milk swap for cream, my family loved it!
Hey Sarah,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xx