Tortellini Chicken

I had a senior moment a few days ago. I could have sworn I shared this recipe here before. I wanted to print off the recipe for a friend and it wasn't there. Sometimes I wonder about my noggin. Tortellini Chicken is one of my families favorites and one that I share with others quite often, because even the pickiest eaters seems to love it. It has large chunks in it so it's a casserole that is easy to separate out if someone doesn't want the mushrooms they can just push them aside.

Here's the play by play, if you want to skip right to the printable it's at the end.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese grated, or pre shredded from your grocer works super too!

Clean a 4 ounce package of White Button Mushrooms and set aside. If you are a mushroom lover, feel free to add more.

Boil and drain one 20 ounce package fresh Cheese Tortellini. I find it next to the cream cheese in my grocery store. If your family is apposed to the multi colored pasta, well then trade them in for a new more adventurous family! Or just buy the plain all white cheese tortellini, that would probably be easier.

Cut 3 chicken breasts into bite sized cubes.

Season 1/3 cup flour with 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt.

Unless you have a very large frying pan, you will have to brown the chicken in shifts, so start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter. Dredge chicken pieces in flour and brown in butter.

Remove cooked pieces to a plate.....

Or if you are efficient, unlike myself, you can place the browned meat directly into your casserole dish. Add the additional 2 tablespoons of butter as needed and continue browning chicken pieces until finished.

Cover chicken with drained pasta and sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese over the top. Honestly you could put the tortellini in first and then the chicken and sprinkle the cheese in there somewhere. There is no wrong way to do it. Just make sure everything is spread out evenly, so when you serve it up each spoonful has a little bit of everything.

Now it's time to make the sauce:

With out cleaning the pan add 3/4 cup chopped sweet onion to the pan. The moisture from the onions will help loosen all the browned goodness from the chicken. Using a spatula, saute onions and loosen browned bits, when onions start to look translucent.....

add the can of chicken broth, bouillon, and sugar. Cook for 2 minutes at a low boil.

Add mushrooms, let cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Turn temperature to low. Sprinkle in the remaining Monterey Jack Cheese, and stir until melted and combined.

Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/2 cup sour cream.

It may take a minute or two to get sauce to become smooth. I use a slotted spoon, you could get out the big guns and use your whisk if you want.

Pour sauce over chicken, and pasta. Try to distribute the mushrooms evenly over the casserole.

Cover tightly with tin foil, and pop in your oven for 45 minutes.

Serve with Texas Toast or a crusty loaf!

If I share this meal with someone, I usually bring them a green salad with lots of veggie's too, but most of the time the work of a salad is taken for granted by my family so I don't even bother fixing a salad for them anymore......that's the truth the whole truth Pthhthththt!

Chicken Tortellini

printable recipe

4 tablespoons Butter

1 20 ounce package, fresh Cheese Tortellini

3 Chicken Breasts, boneless cut into bite sized cubes

1/3 cup Flour

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

3/4 cup Onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Chicken Bouillon granules (or 2 bouillon cubes)

1 8 ounce can Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

4 ounces fresh white button Mushrooms (more if you like)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Boil water in large pot, add tortellini, cook for 5 minutes. Drain and place tortellini’s in bottom of a lightly buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle half of the Monterey Jack cheese over tortellini’s.

2. Toss chicken pieces in flour. Melt butter in large fry pan add floured chicken to sizzling butter. Lightly brown chicken in butter. Do chicken in shifts if needed. Removing chicken to a plate then adding more. Then transfer chicken pieces to baking dish. Evenly distributing them over noodles.

3. Add chopped onions to the same pan, cook until transparent. Add bouillon, chicken broth, sugar, cook for 2 minutes then add mushrooms to pan, and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Add remaining cheese to to sauce, lightly stir with spatula until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat and add sour cream and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mushroom sauce over chicken and tortellini.

5. Cover dish with foil, bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!