Easy Creamy Chicken Tortellini with Broccoli, One-Pan Easy Recipe

Name: Easy Creamy Chicken Tortellini with Broccoli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 1 lb. (16 oz or 454 g) frozen cheese tortellini, cooked according to package instructions; 1 lb. (16 oz or 454 g) pre-cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (This is about 2 large chicken breasts. Sub thighs or even rotisserie chicken if you prefer. Premade meal-prepped chicken is ideal.); 1 lb. (16 oz or 454 g) fresh broccoli (Rough chop this, finely. Don’t use whole florets. Slice small stems no more than 1/8-inch thick. Discard large woody stems or toss in stock bag in the freezer.); 4 cups Alfredo sauce (I had a 15 oz jar and a 22 oz jar. That was just over 4 cups.); 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 Tablespoon minced garlic; 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)

Jump to Recipe

Savory Italian flavors make this easy one-pan recipe for Creamy Chicken Tortellini with Broccoli a standout dinner any night of the week. Quick to prep and fast to get on the table with a flavor that tastes like “more” — you’re gonna love it!

Chicken Tortellini in a white ceramic bowl.

This delicious tortellini casserole comes together in a single pot, with a minimum of ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.

The familiar creamy, alfredo flavor make it a homey and comforting dish that everyone enjoys.

Clean-up is easy. Leftovers store beautifully, if you’re lucky enough to have some. And everyone will walk away from your dinner table happy and satisfied.

In This Post:

The Ingredients

Fresh Broccoli, cooked tortellini, chopped pre-cooked chicken, minced garlic and Italian seasoning in a cast iron skillet in preparation for making Creamy Chicken Tortellini Bake.

Frozen Cheese Tortellini, cooked according to package instructions
Precooked Chicken
Fresh Broccoli Crowns
Alfredo Sauce, (I use jarred but you can definitely make your own from scratch.)
Italian Seasoning
Minced Garlic
Parmesan Cheese

Chicken Tortellini in an enameled cast iron skillet.

The Best Chicken for a Creamy Tortellini Bake

As always, I’m a HUGE advocate for bulk cooking chicken ahead of time and storing it in the freezer to use in quick and easy recipes later on. I highly recommend all of these recipes for that purpose:

Choose the chicken recipe flavor profile that makes sense in the recipes you’ll be making and easily prep them with a minimum of effort for delicious dinners over the next several weeks.

slow cooker southwest chicken stored in a refrigerator container for meal prep throughout the week — Sliced Southwest Chicken ready to be stored.

That being said, I am also known as someone who understands that life gets hectic. Some days, I just can’t even think about what’s in the next minute, much less next week. You can still make this recipe quick and easy by picking up a rotisserie chicken at your local grocery store.

It’s pre-seasoned and flavorful, comes home hot and ready to add to your recipe. It’s a quick and easy solution when there’s no precooked chicken in the fridge or feezer and you need to make a meal right now.

Be easy on yourself and use what fits your circumstances in the moment. For heavens sake! You’re awesome! You’re making a homemade meal for your family to enjoy. Truly, you’re a rockstar!

Creamy Chicken Tortellini with Broccoli in a white ceramic bowl.

Choosing Broccoli for Creamy Chicken Tortellini

Fresh broccoli, hot but still vibrant and tender-crisp is an important part of this scrumptious dish for me. You can sub in frozen broccoli if you prefer.

I specifically chose fresh broccoli for textural reasons. We’ve talked before about my aversion to mushy, overcooked vegetables before.

Frozen broccoli is blanched (par-cooked) before freezing, and freezing further breaks it down, causing it to go even softer. Frozen broccoli is still perfectly delicious when it’s just quick-steamed before serving.

However, frozen broccoli baked inside a dish in the oven becomes very soft and loses that vibrant color that makes it so appealing in a stand-out entree.

Frozen broccoli is also usually cut into very large pieces for packaging. I cut my fresh broccoli florets small so they can quickly be cooked along with the Creamy Chicken Tortellini Bake. (See the pictures above.)

I also like small broccoli pieces for another reason. I don’t want big chunks of anything in the casserole. Nothing should be larger than the chicken pieces or tortellini in this recipe.

Fresh broccoli will still be gorgeously vibrantly green with a firm, tender-crisp texture even after it’s baked in the creamy chicken tortellini.

It is my pick every single time for recipes that will bake broccoli inside the dish.

FAQ

We don’t like broccoli. Can I use a different vegetable?

Sure. Try chopped spinach. Use frozen that has been thawed and drained. Fresh spinach will add to much moisture and water down your dish. Fresh or frozen peas would also be good, though I would probably stir frozen peas in after I pulled the Creamy Chicken Tortellini Bake out of the oven. It’s a personal preference that, like the broccoli, helps the peas to retain a vibrant color and great texture. Grated carrot or minced onion could also be delicious.

How long will leftovers keep in the fridge?

Seal any leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave. If the tortellini seems to have soaked up all the alfredo sauce, a splash of heavy cream or milk added to the bowl before microwaving will bring back the creaminess.

What are some other proteins that could be substituted for chicken in this Tortellini Chicken Casserole?

Browned and drained Italian sausage or chopped leftover ham would both be exceptional substitutes.

What to Serve with Chicken Tortellini Casserole

Bell Pepper Salad served in a white ceramic bowl

Best Easy Coleslaw Recipe served in a white bowl on a marble countertop. A blue and white print fabric napkin is in the background.

How to Make Creamy Chicken Tortellini

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Place a deep, oven-proof 12″ skillet or Dutch oven on your stovetop and use it to cook the tortellini al dente according to package instructions.

Tortellini boiling in a cast-iron skillet.

While the pasta cooks, chop the broccoli and chicken.
Drain the tortellini and return to the oven-proof pot along with the chopped chicken, chopped broccoli, minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.
Add the Alfredo sauce and stir to coat all the ingredients and incorporate everything well.

Adding Alfredo Sauce to Chicken Tortellini Casserole with Broccoli.

Sprinkle the 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese over the top of the dish and add a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.
Place the oven-proof lid on the Dutch oven or skillet and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until pasta dish is heated through (internal temperature of 165°.) If your pot doesn’t have a lid, use foil.

Chicken Tortellini Bake in a covered cast iron skillet.

Tools I Used

If you’re interested in the tools I used to make this recipe, you can follow my Amazon affiliate links to read more about them.

Staub Braiser with Glass Lid: This is the pot you see in the pictures in this post. I consider it to be an extra deep enameled cast iron skillet and I love it for recipes like this one that are going from the stovetop to the oven. And because the outside is enameled too, it’s just as pretty on the table as serveware. Because it’s enameled, I don’t have to worry about rust or seasoning the cast iron. This pan is 3.5 quarts. It is pricey, but I find that my favorite hard-working kitchen tools often are. And since this sturdy pot will easily be handed down for generations after I’m gone, the cost broken over its years of service will be minimal. My next link will be for a less expensive and still fabulous alternative.

This Lodge 6qt. Enameled Dutch Oven gets as many miles put on it as the Staub baker. I most often reach for it when making soups or stews. Even though it’s a little large,it would also work well for this one-pot Chicken Tortellini Casserole. It’s easy to clean just like the Staub Brasiser, too.

The Recipe

I hope you love my scrumptious Creamy Chicken Tortellini with Broccoli. It’s easy enough for a busy weeknight dinner, but special enough for date night or to serve to guests. I can’t wait for you to taste it!

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