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    Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies

    Published: Apr 27, 2017 / 192 Comments

    562.5K shares
    • Facebook6.1K
    Recipe Print

    Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies - healthy, easy Mediterranean-style dinner. Sliced boneless, skinless chicken thighs are cooked with sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil. Then, cooked chicken is combined with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, tortellini, and basil pesto!

    pesto chicken tortellini with cherry tomatoes and asparagus in a stainless steel skillet

    Pesto chicken tortellini:

    • Quick and healthy recipe. This recipe uses 2 of my favorite ingredients: basil pesto and tortellini - and you can buy both in most grocery stores. Which makes this recipe a healthy choice for a quick weeknight dinner.  Especially when you don't have that much time to cook.   Just buy some tortellini and basil pesto (plus chicken and veggies) in the store, and make this pesto chicken tortellini with veggies in 30 minutes!
    • Packed with veggies.  This easy chicken dish has lots of colorful vegetables: red and yellow grape tomatoes, asparagus, and sun-dried tomatoes.
    • Well-balanced meal.  This chicken tortellini recipe has veggies, healthy oils (olive oil and basil pesto), protein (chicken), and a moderate amount of carbs (tortellini).  A good balance of various ingredients.
    • Mediterranean-style recipe.   Everything is generously smothered with basil pesto and olive oil, and this recipe has lots of vegetables - perfect for the Mediterranean diet.

    sections of uncooked tortellini, raw asparagus, raw yellow cherry tomatoes, raw red cherry tomatoes and chopped sun-dried tomatoes on a black plate

    pesto chicken tortellini with cherry tomatoes and asparagus in a stainless steel skillet

    How to make chicken tortellini with veggies:

    1) Add 1 pound of sliced skinless and boneless chicken thighs (seasoned with salt), 2 tablespoons olive oil, and ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes to a large skillet.

    2) Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through.

    3) Remove the cooked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet, leaving the oil in.

    4) Add 1 pound of asparagus (ends trimmed), seasoned with salt, ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes to the same skillet.

    5) Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through.

    6) Cook 1 cup tortellini according to the package instructions, drain.

    7) In the same skillet combine cooked chicken, cooked asparagus, cooked tortellini, and halved cherry tomatoes.

    8) Mix everything with ¼ cup of basil pesto on low-medium heat until the chicken is reheated, 1 or 2 minutes.

    pesto chicken tortellini with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes

    Other chicken tortellini recipes:

    • Creamy Chicken, Asparagus, and Bacon Tortellini
    • Chicken and Zucchini Basil Pesto Tortellini

    pesto chicken tortellini with cherry tomatoes and asparagus in a stainless steel skillet

    chicken tortellini and veggies
    4.87 from 272 votes

    Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies

    Chicken Tortellini smothered with basil pesto and served with lots of veggies. Mediterranean style dinner packed with colorful vegetables: red and yellow grape tomatoes, asparagus, and sun-dried tomatoes.  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 517 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 lb chicken thighs boneless and skinless, sliced into strips
    • salt
    • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained of oil, chopped
    • 1 lb asparagus ends trimmed, cut in half
    • ¼ cup basil pesto or use more
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes yellow and red, halved
    • 1 cup tortellini uncooked
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions 

    • In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat.  
    • Add sliced chicken thighs (seasoned with salt), ¼ cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook everything on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, turning chicken slices over a couple of times, until the chicken is completely cooked through.
    • Remove the chicken and the sun-dried from the skillet, leaving the oil in.
    • Add asparagus (ends trimmed), seasoned generously with salt, and ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes to the same skillet.  
    • Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is cooked through. Remove the asparagus to a serving plate.
    • Cook tortellini according to the package instructions, drain.
    • Add cooked chicken back to the skillet.   Add basil pesto.  Stir to coat and cook on low-medium heat until the chicken is reheated, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 
    • Add cooked tortellini and halved cherry tomatoes to the skillet with the chicken.  Stir to combine.  Add more pesto if desired.
    • Season with more salt if needed.  
    • Add chicken, cherry tomatoes and tortellini to the serving plate with asparagus.
    • Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is a super flavorful and creamy 20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    517
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    34
    g
    52
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    7
    g
    44
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    122
    mg
    41
    %
    Sodium
     
    387
    mg
    17
    %
    Potassium
     
    1013
    mg
    29
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    26
    g
    9
    %
    Fiber
     
    5
    g
    21
    %
    Sugar
     
    9
    g
    10
    %
    Protein
     
    27
    g
    54
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1560
    IU
    31
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    20.2
    mg
    24
    %
    Calcium
     
    118
    mg
    12
    %
    Iron
     
    5.5
    mg
    31
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword basil chicken tortellini, chicken tortellini
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
    « Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Wild Rice
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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon

      August 04, 2023 at 9:33 pm

      YUM! Made the recipe as is except I cut in half for just the two of us and used chicken breast instead of thighs. We really enjoyed this. We both said we would have it again. Thank you so much for sharing. I was initially going to serve with a salad but once we saw all the food combined we decided to skip it. This was filling and delish!

      Reply
    2. Paulette Codipilly

      July 16, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      It’s almost 100° in California today and I was looking for a quick dinner idea and searched Pinterest for “easy summer dinner recipes” and the picture of your recipe popped up. Reading the ingredients and feeling good about what goes into it and decided to give it a try. I multiplied the recipe by 1 1/2 since I was serving 6.
      I’ll quantify my review by saying that I’ve been through culinary school and have worked as a personal cook for years for a couple clients, in addition to feeding my large family. My verdict…. A+!!!
      My two small tweaks was that I used boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips instead of the thighs. I always prefer the boneless skinless chicken thighs but they were ridiculously expensive at the grocery store today; $5.99 lb!! And the chicken breasts were only $1.99 a pound. The other tweak was just that I made my own pesto from basil growing in the garden. I love everything about your recipe. The colors of fresh asparagus and colorful tomatoes just popped. And the great flavors from the pesto, the sun dried tomatoes, just tied everything together beautifully! I was initially unsure about using both sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes in the same dish. But it just works! I’m so happy I ran across your recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I’ll be sure to take a look at your others. When the price of chicken thighs comes back down I’ll use that next time, but the chicken breasts worked out fine too. I had planned to serve a salad with this but there’s plenty of vegetables already in it so I just served watermelon slices and sourdough garlic bread. Three of us were already talking after dinner about who gets to take leftovers for lunch!
      You’ve knocked it out of the ballpark with this one Julia! I love easy, healthy and delicious recipes in my repertoire. Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Lindsey Iannello

      May 24, 2023 at 1:43 pm

      Made this recipe with ground Italian sausage and it did not disappoint! Thank you for sharing an easy, healthy delicious recipe!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 7:41 pm

        Lindsey, I am so glad you loved this recipe. Sausage sounds so good with these flavors!

        Reply
      • Heidi George

        August 04, 2023 at 8:44 pm

        Made this and it was so yummy and flavorful. However, and this is my error...I cooked a lil too hot.

        Reply
    4. Lynn

      May 21, 2023 at 5:40 pm

      I tried this recipe last night. Simple to make. Very delicious and tasty. Will definitely be making it again. 5 star

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 7:53 pm

        Lynn, your comment made my day! ❤️ Thank you for this positive feedback.

        Reply
    5. Zan

      April 03, 2023 at 5:46 pm

      this has become a go-to recipe in my house and a great option during our fitness journey - thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 11:12 pm

        Zan, I am so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for the 5-star review! ❤️

        Reply
    6. Ashley

      October 27, 2022 at 12:37 am

      I’ve made this recipe twice so far and it is my absolute favorite group meal and it’s fast and easy to make, which I like being a momma of two little boys. I plan on making this tomorrow night for two other couples and I’m stoked to eat this delicious meal again! Do yourself a favor and make this for your family!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 28, 2022 at 6:13 pm

        Ashley, I am so flattered by your comment - thank you! Glad it's one of your favorite meals. Thank you for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback! 🙂

        Reply
      • Carrie

        January 17, 2023 at 5:17 pm

        Thank you for sharing this recipe! My 14 year old loves this meal and asks for it often!

        Reply
        • Julia

          January 22, 2023 at 3:29 pm

          Carrie, I am so happy the recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂

          Reply
    7. Patty

      October 11, 2022 at 11:54 am

      Loved everything about this recipe!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 28, 2022 at 9:17 pm

        Patty, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Ashley Hendrick

      September 25, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      If you’re on an anti-inflammatory diet would olive oil and balsamic vinegar be a good sub for pesto?

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 02, 2022 at 6:41 pm

        Ashley, I know nothing about an anti-inflammatory diet. But, if you want to use balsamic vinegar and olive oil instead of basil pesto here - it's a wonderful and delicious substitution that will work really well!

        Reply
    9. G

      August 27, 2022 at 7:24 pm

      Love this recipe, I was thinking of providing this as a meal for a new mom; however, I would need to freeze it. Do you think I could freeze it all together and write directions to thaw then warm in the oven covered with foil?

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 29, 2022 at 6:15 pm

        I think this will freeze well. I would use skinless boneless chicken thighs in this case because, in my experience, they reheat better chicken breasts when frozen.

        Reply
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