Slow Cooker Tortellini Cheesy Chicken (Printable)
Slow-cooked tortellini and chicken in creamy pesto and melted cheeses for a cozy, hands-off Italian-American dinner.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats & Protein
01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.1 lb), cubed
02 - 2 cups (about 6.3 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
03 - 1/2 cup (about 1.8 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
→ Pasta
04 - 21 oz (about 1.3 lb) refrigerated cheese tortellini
→ Vegetables
05 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
07 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
→ Sauces & Dairy
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 3/4 cup (about 6.3 oz) basil pesto sauce, store-bought or homemade
11 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
→ Seasonings
12 - 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
13 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
14 - 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
# How To Make:
01 - Lightly grease the inside of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray or a thin coating of oil.
02 - Spread the cubed chicken breasts evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
03 - Scatter the finely chopped onion and minced garlic over the seasoned chicken layer.
04 - Layer the halved cherry tomatoes and roughly chopped baby spinach on top of the aromatics.
05 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, low-sodium chicken broth, and basil pesto sauce until smooth and well combined.
06 - Pour the pesto cream mixture evenly over the layered ingredients in the slow cooker.
07 - Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan over the sauce.
08 - Stir gently to combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 3 hours.
09 - After 3 hours, gently fold in the refrigerated cheese tortellini until evenly distributed throughout the casserole.
10 - Re-cover and continue cooking on LOW for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the tortellini are tender and the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
11 - Scatter the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
12 - Finish with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes and torn fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve directly from the slow cooker.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- You literally dump everything in a slow cooker and walk away for three hours, which feels like a magic trick on busy nights.
- The combination of pesto, cream, and three cheeses creates a sauce so rich you will want to eat it with a spoon before the pasta even goes in.
02 -
- Do not add the tortellini at the beginning or they will dissolve into mush by the time the chicken is done cooking.
- Every slow cooker runs at a slightly different temperature so check the chicken at the three hour mark before adding the pasta.
03 -
- Use a five to six quart slow cooker because anything smaller will overflow once the tortellini and cheese are added.
- Taste the pesto before you measure it because some brands are much saltier than others and you cannot fix an oversalted slow cooker dish after the fact.