Crockpot Chicken Tortellini (Printable)
Tender chicken and cheese tortellini in a creamy Parmesan broth, slow-cooked for a comforting family meal.
# What You'll Need:
→ Poultry
01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.1 lb)
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 cups baby spinach (about 2 oz)
03 - 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Soup Base
06 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
07 - 1 can (14 oz) evaporated milk or half-and-half
08 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
09 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Tortellini
11 - 1 lb refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
→ Dairy
12 - 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (about 3.5 oz)
13 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, cubed and softened (about 4.2 oz)
# How-to Steps:
01 - Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the sliced carrots, diced onion, minced garlic, chicken broth, dried Italian herbs, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir gently to combine.
02 - Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 6 to 7 hours or on the HIGH setting for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred easily.
03 - Remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
04 - Add the evaporated milk (or half-and-half) and the cubed cream cheese to the slow cooker. Stir thoroughly until the cream cheese has melted and the broth is smooth and creamy.
05 - Stir in the cheese tortellini and baby spinach. Cover and cook on the HIGH setting for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the tortellini are tender and the spinach has wilted.
06 - Stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese just before serving. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with additional salt or pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.
# Expert Pointers:
01 -
- The creamy broth soaks into every fold of those cheese tortellini like they were made for each other.
- It basically cooks itself while you handle life, and nobody believes how little effort went into it.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day when everything has had time to mingle and get friendly.
02 -
- Do not skip cubing and softening the cream cheese before adding it, because cold chunks will leave you with an unpleasant lumpy texture.
- Resist the urge to lift the lid during the main cooking phase because every peek adds roughly fifteen minutes to your cook time.
- If you use frozen tortellini instead of refrigerated, add an extra ten minutes to the final cooking step and test one before serving.
03 -
- A quarter teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes added with the Italian herbs transforms this into something unexpectedly special without making it spicy.
- Patting the chicken dry before placing it in the crockpot helps the broth stay clearer and the flavors taste cleaner.