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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.
This recipe has become a STAPLE in my house. There’s nothing left in the pan once we’re done getting seconds (or thirds)!
Hi Sara,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
Love this! Made it tonight for our cold spell in Cali. Family loved it! Wish it was butter free but an easy swap for more EVOO. I didn’t have enough sauce.. maybe because I accidentally used 1.4 lbs of tortellini. It was still fantastic as usual
Hi Brooklyn,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy New Year!? xxT
Mmm. Enjoying it from Aruba
Hey there,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This is a great last minute dinner recipe. I love adding spinach to anything. Lots of flavor and simple. Rave reviews from the family! I’ve used the sauce on other things without the chicken. Yum!
Hi Heather,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Delicious and easy! I tried it with whole milk instead of cream, which works in case anyone was thinking of doing that as a substitution for the heavy cream. The sauce will still taste amazing, it just won’t thicken when you cook it down (and it will take a little longer to cook down since whole milk has more liquid than fat solids). It will stay more like the consistency of an au jus than a creamy sauce, so we just ate it in pasta bowls.
Hey Tracy,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious! I followed the recipe to a T but will have to double the sauce next time as ours didn’t have a lot of liquid. Other than that, we loved it! Restaurant quality
Hey Amanda! Thanks so much! xTieghan
Big hit with my whole family!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed 🙂 xTieghan
We made this tonight and added some roasted butternut squash with it. It was fantastic, we can’t wait to make it again. The flavors are delicious and pretty easy to make. Highly recommend this recipe.
I make this recipe with homemade tortellini pasta and after about 8 times, this is literally one of my favorite meals. Ever. My sister told me it tasted like the North End in Boston (and trust me, those Italians know what they’re doing). Your recipes are always amazing!
Hi there! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! xTieghan
Can you use dried tortellini instead of refrigerated/frozen? If so, do I need to cook it prior? Thanks!
Absolutely delicious. This surely makes me want to try more Half-Baked Harvest recipes. Unreal.
Hey Lauren,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
This was absolutely amazing. So delicious, so easy, and wine left over to drink! Store was out of tortellini so I used spinach & cheese ravioli to rave reviews. Definitely going into heavy rotation this fall!!!
Hey Cailyn,
Happy Friday!! I so appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This is insanely delicious!!! I forgot to buy the tortellini & instead made rice to serve it over.
Hey Janet,
Happy Friday!! I so appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This was great! Used the coconut milk and the flavor of the coconut complimented it well.
Hey Mackenzie,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe was loved, thanks for making it:) xTieghan
This was so delicious! I will be making this again
Hey Lindy,
Thanks a bunch for trying out this recipe, I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best day:) xTieghan