Description
Creamy one-pot pasta with tender chicken sautéed in garlic butter and red pepper flakes. Cooked with fresh cheese tortellini in a rich sauce of chicken broth, heavy cream, and Parmesan, finished with fresh herbs.
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh basil or parsley, chopped
2 cups fresh cheese tortellini
Instructions
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Cook chicken: Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken 6–8 minutes until browned and cooked through; remove and set aside.
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Sauté garlic and spice: Melt more butter if needed in the same pot. Cook garlic 30 seconds until fragrant, add crushed red pepper flakes, and stir.
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Simmer sauce: Pour in chicken broth, scraping browned bits from the pot. Stir in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer.
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Cook tortellini: Add fresh cheese tortellini and cook 4–6 minutes until tender and heated through.
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Combine and finish: Return chicken to pot, stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce is creamy. Cook 2–3 minutes to blend flavors.
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Garnish and serve: Sprinkle fresh basil or parsley before serving.
Notes
Use fresh garlic and adjust red pepper flakes to your preferred heat.
Stir frequently during tortellini cooking to avoid sticking.
Fresh tortellini cooks faster and has a better texture.
Add fresh herbs at the end to preserve flavor and color.
Store leftovers airtight in fridge up to 3 days; freeze for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish, Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 710
- Fat: 30
- Saturated Fat: 18
- Unsaturated Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 36
- Cholesterol: 130
Keywords: spicy garlic chicken tortellini, creamy chicken pasta, one pot tortellini dinner, garlic butter chicken dinner, easy spicy pasta recipe