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:
- 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.
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.
Other chicken tortellini recipes:
Pesto Chicken Tortellini and Veggies
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
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 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.
Hayley
Suggestions for improvement: dice sundried tomatoes, reduce the amount of oil, and add seasoning. Wasn't great but it wasn't terrible.
Claire
I definitely added more seasoning to the chicken and veggies
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes
And I used garlic and rosemary infused oil in place of the olive oil but it's delicious and definitely feeds my house hold of three adults
Julia
Claire, thank you so much for sharing your changes about seasoning the chicken and veggies - sounds so delicious and will be helpful to me and other readers who want more ideas on adding more seasoning. Glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
Yvonne
New favorite on the weeknight rotation! Kids love it too!! Only ingredient that I swapped is chicken sausage for the chicken thighs!
Excellent dish! Thank you for sharing!
Julia
Chicken sausage sounds so good! I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! 🙂
Laura
Delicious!
Julia
Thanks so much, Laura!
Lauren
Very easy and very yummy. Thank you 🙂
Julia
Lauren, I am glad you tried it and liked it! 🙂
DShelby
If I could give this 10 stars I would! It’s so absolutely delicious, this will definitely be in regular rotation! I love every single thing about this!
Andrea
Do you know what the serving size is per portion on this recipe?
Angela
Recipe, as written, serves 4. Therefore I would evenly portion out on 4 plates. It's kind of hard to designate a "portion size", such as 1 cup, # ounces, etc..
Julia
Thanks, Angela, for your helpful comment!
Julia
It's really up to you. The recipe makes 4 servings but that can be changed to your preference.
Julia
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a wonderful comment! I really appreciate the feedback, especially the positive one! 🙂
Gayle
This recipe was delicious!! Will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing.
Julia
Gayle, I am glad you will be making this again - that's the biggest compliment to me! 🙂
Toni
Excellent! Make this twice everyone loved it.
Julia
So happy to hear that, Toni! Thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Tina
I made this exactly as written and it was delicious. The pesto in similar recipes can be overpowering, but this was perfect. I will definitely be making this again!
Julia
Tina, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! And, thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Kim Nolan
I made this last night and it was a huge hit. It would even be great without the tortellini if you're looking for a GF/DF option. Maybe sub caulifower florets?? this is definitely going into the dinner rotation!
Julia
Kim, I am so flattered by your comment! 🙂 I agree - this would be delicious even without the tortellini.
Holly
How many servings will this make?
Angela
The recipe states "4", however it can be changed to suit your needs.
Julia
Yes, it's 4 servings, but it's up to you to change that if you want.
Julia
Holly, this makes 4 servings. The number of servings in provided in the recipe card right next to "Calories per serving".
Jennifer
Wow! I wish I could upload a picture bc it came out just like yours. I used chicken breast and frozen asparagus and it was a hit! I don’t even like pesto but I guess I do now!
Julia
Jennifer, it makes me happy that not only did it come out delicious, but that it also turned out pretty! Pretty food is always a plus!
Stacy
I roasted all of the ingredients (I marinaded the chicken with your ingredients before roasting then added the tomatoes and asparagus) in the oven then tossed with pesto and pasta came out great. Thanks for the idea.
Rebekah
Can you use rotisserie chicken?
Julia
Yes, you can!
Julia
Stacy, I am glad you gave this recipe a try and liked it! And, thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Juanita
If I use the refrigerated tortellini rather than the boxed kind, can I cook it directly in the pot with the other ingredients. This looks delicious..
Julia
No, you still have to boil the refrigerated tortellini in a separate saucepan with water. I've used the refrigerated tortellini and cooked it in a pot of boiling water - separately from the other ingredeints.
Chad Mcvicker
I have made this twice now for my husband and he loves it. Will continue to make it for more family.
Julia
Chad, I am so glad you've enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment!
Stephanie S.
This meal is so delicious! Once it all came together I could hardly wait to eat it. Definitely in our rotation. Love it!
Julia
Stephanie, I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for the 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂
Katrina
This is incredibly delicious! The whole family loved it! Thank you for the recipe!!
Julia
Katrina, thank you for the comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂